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| Ranking Among U.S. Cities / Regions: #5 |
| Venturers: 8 |
| Mid-Venturers: 8 |
| Centrics-Venturers: 9 |
| Centrics-Authentics: 9 |
| Mid-Authentics: 10+ |
| Authentics: 10+ |
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| • Branson’s tourism business dates back to 1907 |
| • Eighty-two percent of the town’s visitors arrive in their personal vehicles |
| • Branson boasts 58,627 theater seats, more than are in New York's Broadway district |
| • The first theater was built on Highway 76 (Branson’s Strip) in 1967 |
| • Branson is within a day’s drive of more than one-third of the U.S. population |
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Music in lake country
Branson is a small town (2000 census: 6,050) with a big name in the world of music, particularly country music. Several million tourists converge each year on this southwest Missouri community, drawn, in the main, by the scores of shows on offer and the congenial local hospitality. However, Branson has morphed into a shopping destination, as well, and the opportunity to max out the credit cards in the outlets is slightly more popular than the shows. A third attraction — and the reason Branson attracted visitors beginning as much as a century ago — is the setting amidst the Ozark Mountains with access to a number of lakes that have also become popular with tourists.
About Branson
Although Branson has been prominent nationally only since the early 1990s, it has been a tourist destination for most of its existence. Founded in 1882, it is in the Ozarks, which naturally attracts visitors for the area’s beauty. But the first touristic boomlet came after the 1907 publication of a best-selling novel, “The Shepherd of the Hills,” which praised both the surroundings and the local people. Today, the book’s tale is remembered on summer evenings in the outdoor “Shepherd of the Hills” pageant.
Creation of new lakes gave the town another boost.
A 1913 dam created Lake Taneycomo, which flows through historic downtown Branson. Then came the Table Rock Dam in 1958 creating Table Rock Lake and turning Taneycomo into a cold-water lake and one of America’s best trout fishing areas.
Today, these lakes are key pieces of the Branson package, providing opportunities for a variety of water sports as well as dream conditions for anglers. Then came the entertainment component, beginning in the early 1950s and gradually evolving into what CBS’ “60 Minutes” in the 1990s called a “country music mecca.”
Succeeding years have seen the continued addition of theaters (currently, 52) and shows (more than 100 now) that run the gamut from country, pop, rock n’ roll and swing to gospel, from classical and Broadway-style music to comedy and magic shows.
An area that attracts millions (nearly 8 million visitors in 2006) fosters all sorts of complementary developments. So, tourists have access to a dozen golf courses, all types of dining experiences, spa options — and shopping, lots of it. Branson is home to three outlet shopping malls. In addition, Branson Landing, on Lake Taneycomo, launched in 2006 with more than 100 retail shops plus dining, nightlife, marinas and luxury lodging.
Eighty-eight percent of visitors say they enjoy shopping here, whereas 83% say they enjoy the shows. It is not much of a difference, but shopping’s higher score is telling. It reminds us Branson has become a well-rounded destination with broad appeal for tourists with varied interests. In addition, locals are cordial, the setting is lovely and the weather is comfortable enough to make this a year-round destination. Branson’s promoters take pains to say the town “has it all.”
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• Enter a fishing tournament at Table Rock Lake, which is famous for its bass.
• Go jet skiing, parasailing or waterskiing, or try scuba diving, at Table Rock Lake.
• Travel down nostalgia lane. See shows at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater, then shake, rattle and roll, and taste other ’50s fun at the Jim Stafford Theatre. Or, see the Liverpool Legends in a Beatles tribute show that recreates the original Beatles sound and experience.
• Go horseback riding in the mountains.
• Drive in the Super Summer Cruise, a car rally that draws more than 500 vehicles which can be vintage and collector cars or street rods or “special-interest” cars. Those special cars include vehicles made from scratch or from kits. See www.supersummercruise.com.
• Ride a swing. This swing is dubbed the Giant Swing and found in the new Silver Dollar City 1880s theme park. Board this swing, and you’ll fly more than seven stories in the air, nearly upside down, at roller-coaster speeds.
• Rent a bike to wander through the Ozark hills. Or, take a hike.
• Pack in the entertainment. Buy tickets for shows that let you be entertained in a variety of theaters all day, beginning with breakfast with Mark Twain (the impersonator) and Norman Rockwell (his artwork).
• Take it nice and easy. Go kayaking on one of the nearby lakes
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• Stage your wedding in Branson. Or, hold your next family reunion there.
• Snorkel in the pristine area lakes.
• Take a guided fly-fishing trip in a western-style drift boat.
• Buy samples of traditional Ozark handicraft items, but first, watch the craftsmen ply their trades.
• Participate in a car rally, or be on hand to admire the vehicles. Branson is home to the new Hemmings Branson Vintage Car Rally, an event that features nothing more recent than 1948 models. If you love cars, another option — in this case, for buying, selling or watching — is the Branson Collector Car Auction.
• Add another only-in-Branson experience by dining at Tony Z’s Italian Ristorante.
• Make a houseboat your way of life while in the Branson area.
• Go wine tasting at Stone Hill Winery’s Branson facility. The vintner makes a wine based on the Norton grape, one of the few red grapes indigenous to America.
• Fish for bass or trout. Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake are noted for outstanding bass fishing. Lake Taneycomo, with its cold waters, is noted for its trout.
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• Chill out at the Chateau on the Lake, which has a two-story European-style spa.
• Plan a girlfriends’ getaway. Branson offers some natural ingredients for such an outing: entertainment, good food, shopping and spas.
• Shop at the new Branson Landing, which is located on Lake Taneycomo in historic downtown Branson. The complex offers more than 100 specialty shops and restaurants.
• Dine at the Candlestick Inn, and get a great view of the Branson Landing water fountain show on Lake Taneycomo. This production synchronizes light, music, sound and fire.
• Hear Andy Williams and his guests at his Moon River Theatre for two reasons: the music, of course, and to see the theater, which has been featured in “Architectural Digest.”
• Play golf. Branson features courses designed for players at all skill levels.
• Get to the Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in Branson to see a 1982 Cadillac stretch limousine with a heart-shaped Jacuzzi tub that accommodates four. And, oh, yes, the limo also has a TV and electric bar.
• See the four-decade-old “Shepherd of the Hills” outdoor pageant, based on the best-selling 1907 novel of the same name that helped trigger the development of tourism in Branson.
• Board the 700-seat Showboat Branson Belle for a dinner cruise with entertainment, on Table Rock Lake.
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For more information, consult the Branson Chamber of Commerce at www.bransonchamber.com
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