Back from Branson 2015

We visited Branson this year the week of June 8.  We’ve been back from Branson for a couple of weeks now, but due to a wretched bout of stomach flu (me) and the busyness of life, I’ve just now finally had time to write a blog post about our trip.

It hardly rained all week that we were in Branson, which was a great relief since Accuweather had forecast rain for much of the week. The rain got pushed off until the following week, and those of you who live in the Midwest know about the havoc that all that rain created. 

We left home Monday morning to go to Branson.  Traffic was light on Highway 44.  There were intermittent patches of light rain, but nothing that impeded our travel. We stopped at the Dairy Queen in Lebanon for lunch.  The $5 lunch with a sundae is a great deal. You can’t eat at McDonald’s for that cheap. 

We stopped at the nice Welcome Center and after using the restroom, I picked up a Sunny Day Guide and a Best Read Guide so I could look through the coupons on the next leg of the trip.  I did find a coupon for $1.00 off for Hollywood Wax Museum.  Most of the coupons in the Sunny Day Guide and the Best Read Guide, however, don’t knock much off the price. Some don’t even save enough to pay for the Branson tourism tax.  It’s still good to look at them though, just in case.

We stayed at Lodge of the Ozarks again this year, thanks to a Groupon deal that gave us 2 Golden Corral vouchers for lunch or dinner every day.  We arrived at the hotel around 1 PM.  When we checked in, the clerk thought we had reserved two rooms. This was quickly rectified, however.  The clerk asked for a credit card for incidentals.  Since my son is now 18, there was a $5.00 charge per night for him to use the second bed, and $5.00/day for the breakfast buffet.  We gave the clerk my son’s debit card to pay for this, but she charged it to ours instead, a fact we thankfully noticed when we viewed our bank account online. Since I am on his account as well, I just transferred the money from his account back into ours. 

I paid the extra few more dollars for the premier room and it was well worth it.  The room was bigger, it was decorated in a rustic fashion, and it had a flat screen TV and a refrigerator.  It was a much nicer room than the economy room we had last year, and it was on the first floor. 

We used our Golden Corral vouchers for dinner Monday night.  We didn’t have anything planned that evening, so we walked over to the Tracks location right down the street from the hotel.  There was a Tracks coupon in the spring Silver Dollar City Times for a $20 play card for $10, so I brought that with me, and we spent an hour or so playing video games.  We then went to Andy’s Frozen Custard and then back to the hotel.

On Tuesday, we went downstairs for breakfast.  The buffet was located in the La Piazza Italian restaurant which is attached to the hotel.  The food was good and consisted of oatmeal, grits, scrambled eggs (real, not powdered), bacon, sausage, and biscuits and gravy.  Drink choices included regular and decaf coffee, orange juice, and water.  Now my guys can’t drink orange juice because it interferes with some of the medicine they take, so I asked the hostess about milk.  I think she was confused because she brought me butter instead.   Parents with children want milk for their children to drink with breakfast.  If you do decide to stay at the Lodge and you want milk for breakfast, get a room with a refrigerator and go to Walmart and buy milk to bring to breakfast.  I mentioned the milk issue on my review on TripAdvisor, but as of right now, I haven’t received a reply from the hotel. 

We then drove to Branson 2 for 1 Tickets to buy a voucher for 1 ticket for Hamners’ Unbelievable Variety Show for that evening. I had bought a Groupon deal for Hamners, but it was only for 2 adults, so we needed an extra ticket for the son.  We were going to go straight to the theater to get the tickets, but unfortunately, I left the Groupon voucher back in the hotel room, so we had to drive back to our hotel room to get the voucher.  We went to the theater to get the Hamners tickets and then came back to the hotel for a little while. I walked across the street to the Caravelle and got our tickets for Liverpool Legends for Wednesday night. The lady at the ticket office was very nice. Hubby likes aisle seats so he can stretch out his legs and I could have gotten aisle seats in row 1, but that's a little close for us.  I did see a sign in the concession area that said they only accepted cash for concession items, so I made a mental note of that.  We used our Golden Corral vouchers for lunch on Tuesday. 

We went to Hollywood Wax Museum in the afternoon.  The last time we went there (in 2004), the son was 7 years old and he screamed the whole way through the museum. I think the wax figures scared him. Now that he is 18, he is much better behaved.  There are not many deals for HWM. Besides the coupon I mentioned earlier, the only other one I could find was if you ordered your tickets on the HWM website, you could save $3.00 per ticket, or you could pay $5.00 extra per ticket and visit all three attractions (HWM, Castle of Chaos, and Hannah’s Hall of Mirrors). The guys weren’t interested in visiting CofC or HHM, however. 

Before you enter the museum, the staff photographer takes photos of you in King Kong's hand that you can buy if you like them. Hubby didn't like them. The wax figures are a lot more realistic looking than the last time we were there.  I ended up taking photos with my phone (I couldn’t find the camera I knew I brought – I found it when I was unpacking), and the quality of the photos weren't all that good, since the lighting is low – I guess they don’t want the wax figures to melt.  It was really crowded when we were there also, which made it harder to get good photos as well.  I felt like we were being rushed through.  If we decide to go there again, I would go when the doors open at 8 AM, so maybe we wouldn’t feel so rushed.  We were only there about an hour, so spending $60.00 for one hour feels like a waste of money to me. 

We then went to the Back to the 50's Mini Golf course. I found coupons in the Branson Insider newspaper for $4.00 each, which is half off. Back to the 50’s is a little 18-hole golf course next to the Cakes & Cremes shop.  It’s a fun little course, but it doesn’t have a lot of shade trees.  If you decide to go, I suggest going in the evening when the temperatures are a little cooler.  You can then go to Cakes & Cremes for ice cream after. 

We went to Danna’s BBQ for dinner on Tuesday evening. The son got the cheeseburger and fries, which he said was very good, and the hubby got the pulled pork plate, although he didn't care for the cole slaw.  I got the BBQ nachos, and I just wanted the meat and the cheese. It was not as good as the last time I had it; there wasn’t enough meat for my taste.  The last time we were at Danna’s, they served Luzianne iced tea, which I love.  However, they have switched over to Camellia ice tea, which I have had before, and I dislike it intensely.  I had to get a Coke instead.  It will be a couple of years before we come back to Danna’s, I think. 

Hamners' Unbelievable Variety Show was really good. The place was packed - everyone must have used the Groupon deal that we used to get tickets.  The Russian gymnasts were very good. Jeff Brandt is an incredible impersonator. I especially enjoyed his version of “My Way” while impersonating the famous artists who performed it.  The ventriloquist was hilarious. Tamra Tinoco is still a very good singer, but I didn't care for the gospel number she performed. There are other gospel songs that are better. The Hamners' magic acts were incredible. I highly recommend this show.

On Wednesday morning, we went to the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery before it got really hot.  We then went to Branson Landing. We parked on the Bass Pro end of the Landing rather that the Belk end of the Landing, like we usually do. It was rather warm, so we stuck with just going to Bass Pro, the little souvenir shop, and the Cardinals Clubhouse.

Wednesday's lunch was from Pizza Hut.  I ordered a dinner box online.  I drove over to the Pizza Hut location on Green Mountain Drive to pick up the pizza.  The nice cashier gave me plates, forks, and napkins, since I explained we were staying at a hotel.  We hung out in the hotel and watched the Cardinals-Rockies baseball game until it was time for dinner at Golden Corral again. 

On Wednesday evening, we saw the Liverpool Legends show.  We really enjoyed the show, and a review will be forthcoming.  It was so nice being able to walk across the street to go to the show rather than fight traffic to and from the show.  We had hoped to go to the 3 Redneck Tenors show at the Lodge on Thursday evening, but funds were low.  That would have been even more convenient. 

Thursday was Silver Dollar City day.  Price Cutter sells $40 tickets to Silver Dollar City that can only be used on Thursdays. I went to the Price Cutter on Hwy. 76; however, I was told that they didn't sell the SDC tickets, but Country Mart on Hwy. 248 did. So I drove over them to purchase them.  

We got to the park in time to see the opening.  I always shed a tear when I see the veterans help raise the flag. We walked through the park, since we hadn't been there since 2005. The son rode Outlaw Run and proclaimed it awesome. He and I rode Fire in the Hole.  We strolled through the park and visited the new Fireman's Landing. It was very nice.  Hubby and I went on the covered fire wagon ride.  

Upon leaving Fireman's Landing, we saw where to get in line to see the Harlem Globetrotters show. We waited 45 minutes in line to get in.  It was an entertaining show, and the players stayed after the show to sign autographs and take photos.  

After we left the Globetrotters' show, we ate lunch at the Lumber Camp. After lunch, we decided to ride the train.  It was a nice way to sit down and cool off for a while. Hubby and son walked through Grandpa's Mansion. Due to the way the shows were scheduled, we didn't get a chance to see the saloon show.  We then went to the homestead area to see the animals, the Wilderness Church and the one room schoolhouse.  By this time, it was 3 PM and we were tired.  We stopped by the gift shop to buy souvenirs and then went back to the hotel.  

We used our last set of vouchers at Golden Corral for dinner. After dinner, we went back to Andy's for one more ice cream cone and then went back to the hotel.  

On Friday, we ate breakfast at the buffet and checked out of the hotel.  Highway 44 was busier on Friday. It was warmer than Monday too.  We stopped for lunch at McDonald’s in Sullivan.  We arrived home around 2 PM.

That's all for now! Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Review: Lodge of the Ozarks

We just returned from a four day trip to Branson.  We didn't have the money to do a lot of things, but we had some fun and it's always good to get away from everyday life for a few days.  Thanks to a great Groupon deal, we stayed at the Lodge of the Ozarks, which is a very nice hotel.

The photo to the left shows the front of the hotel.  The Lodge of the Ozarks is located on the Strip (Hwy. 76) across the street from the Caravelle Theater and the old Jim Stafford Theater, which is now closed and is for sale. The hotel is in a great location on the Strip and is within walking distance of two of The Tracks locations, Andy's Frozen Custard, and several theaters. There are also a couple of restaurants nearby. 

The lobby of the hotel is decorated in rustic lodge style  Here are two photos of the lobby:

Registration was an easy process, although a bit confusing.  On the right as you enter the door is a show and attraction ticket sale counter, also known as the concierge.  Some people thought that was where you checked in.  The registration desk, however, was straight ahead.  There was a registration sign, but it was hard to see.  The young lady at the registration desk swiped my debit card for incidentals.  This is the first time I've ever had to do that at any hotel in Branson.  When we completed checking in, I asked about the Golden Corral vouchers and The Tracks pass that were a part of the Groupon deal. I thought they would be given to me with our room swipe cards.  She said that you had to ask for them as some of the Groupon deals for the Lodge didn't come with vouchers. I found that strange, since the only Groupon deal I saw for the Lodge offered the vouchers. 

The hotel has a workout room and a nice, large indoor pool.  There was unfortunately no hot tub, although I saw on one of the doors of the pool a sign with spa rules and the switch to operate it.  If the hotel isn't going to offer a hot tub, then perhaps the sign and the switch ought to be removed. The pool is only 4 foot deep at its deepest point.  Here are photos of the workout room and the pool:

The hotel has interior corridors, which were nice and quiet. We stayed in room 416, which was a value double queen room. Refrigerators are only available in the premium rooms, so it was a good thing we had our small cooler. The ice machine on our floor was out of order, however, so we had to go to another floor to get ice.   Soda vending machines are available on each floor and snack vending machines are available on the first floor.  There were two sets of elevators, one near the lobby and one halfway down the long hallways.

If you didn't want to walk too far or drive to get dinner, the hotel has a restaurant called the Rafters.  We didn't go to this restaurant, so I can't give a review of it.  The hotel also has a lounge where you can purchase alcoholic drinks and limited food items. 

Breakfast was served in a room called the Club.  It was a good hot breakfast with bacon, sausage, Irish potatoes, scrambled eggs, and biscuits and gravy.  There was orange juice, milk and coffee to drink, and cereal and fruit were also offered.  The hot breakfast attendant was very efficient and gave large portions.  Friday's breakfast, however, wasn't the hot breakfast we were accustomed to the rest of the week.  It was served in the lounge and consisted of donuts, oatmeal, cereal, and toast.  There were two toasters and they kept tripping the power strip.  I wonder if there was something else going on? 

There is also a theater at the hotel and you have a choice of two shows - Club Mario, a lounge singer/comedian, or Kirby and Bambi Van Burch, two magicians. 

The hotel also has several nice sitting areas to sit at and visit.  This would be a great hotel for a family reunion or a wedding.  Each floor has a small sitting area with 4 highback chairs.  The lobby also has comfortable seating.  And there are 2 nice outdoor seating areas, one of which is pictured below:

The hotel only has 3 luggage carts, which are located at the front entrance.  You would think there would be more than 3 luggage carts for a hotel with over 400 rooms.  All in all, we had a very nice stay at this hotel. If we could afford it, we would stay there again next year. 

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane