By Kathie Sutin, Healthy Planet Staff Writer
With climate change bringing warm days well into autumn, opportunities for fall flings now abound into November.
While there’s no shortage of places for late season getaways, one needn’t hop a plane or drive for a day to reach a great destination.
With the stunning backdrop of the Ozark Mountains, dozens of great shows and attractions and a multitude of lodging options, Branson fits the bill for almost any getaway. And the drive from St. Louis is a little over four hours.
Colton Pieper, communications coordinator at the Branson Convention & Visitors Bureau, ticks off the reasons for Branson’s appeal:
- A multitude of family-friendly entertainment options
- Lake life and outdoor activities
- Shopping
The destination is popular with all ages, Pieper said. Families like that shows are largely wholesome. Because there are so many different shows, older visitors can return again and again and still have something new to see.
Live shows run the gamut from those featuring corn pone humor and twangy ol’ time country music to blue grass and more modern country tunes. But that’s not all—there are magic shows, dinner shows, comedy shows, variety shows and even productions of biblical accounts in a 2,000-seat auditorium with massive sets, live animals and intricate costumes.
Beyond the live shows, top attractions in Branson include Silver Dollar City, an 1880s themed amusement park and Aquarium At The Boardwalk, a relatively recent addition to Branson. The aquarium features more than 250 different marine animal species, a 16-foot coral reef exhibit with a 40-foot long underwater viewing tunnel and a giant glitzy octopus draped over the building.
Branson is home to three man made lakes—Table Rock Lake, Lake Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lake where visitors can swim, boat and fish.
Shopping, too, is unique. “Dick’s Five and Dime is traditional American mercantilism,” Pieper said. “They still keep a stock book on hand with pen and paper.”
And visitors will find special gifts when they shop the works of the many artists and craftspeople in Branson. “And there’s just a bunch of really unique antiquing experiences to be had as well,” Pieper added.
Branson spends two entire months and a week celebrating Christmas. Its own Ozark Mountain Christmas features live Christmas shows, America’s Christmas Tree Trail and lights, lights, lights—6.5 million twinkling lights at Silver Dollar City alone. The festivities begin Nov. 1 and run through Jan. 7.