I just got back from spring break, and I am already reminiscing about my wonderful vacation. My boyfriend and I traveled to Branson, Missouri for the week, and it was the most perfect trip for people looking for something really fun yet relaxing, so I will be recommending places and things we did while on our trip. Thankfully, when we went the weather was the perfect spring weather with only one cold day. To begin, we drove, and it was only a 6 hour and 12-minute drive from the Blo-No, Illinois area. We prepared the car with some of our favorite snacks and drinks so we could save money and stop less on the drive.
We drove down on Sunday and made two fun stops on the road before checking in at our resort. We stopped by Uranus Fudge Factory and of course, my favorite gas station Buc-ee’s! At the fudge factory it was interesting to see all the different things that they had. We didn’t get anything, but it was a fun little pit stop to walk around and laugh. While at Buc-ess’s we picked up some sandwiches for dinner, which of course was so delicious. Since Sunday was our travel day, we kept it simple. We ate our yummy sandwiches, unpacked our bags, ran to the grocery store for some food for later in the week and decided spontaneously to go to an outlook and watch the sunset.
Our first real day was Monday. On Monday we went to Hurts Donuts. It was such a cute environment, and they had so many choices I found it very difficult to choose from. I ended up getting the banana pudding donut and my boyfriend got the maple bacon donut. They had swing seating areas that overlooked some of the Branson strip. It was a great morning, it was so simple and the donuts were truly so delicious. After that the building next to Hurts Donuts was a museum for celebrity cars and vehicles featured in popular movies and tv shows. For example, there were cars from Stanger Things, Twisters, Cars, Jurassic Park, etc. We only looked at the cars that were outside of the museum, and we really enjoyed the few outside so I would recommend possibly going inside to see what else they have. Next, we went to the outlet mall, which had some fun stores. After that we decided it was dinner time and went to Fuddruckers, which was one of the best burgers I have ever had. We decided to also play mini golf back at our resort after dinner before we went to the IMAX. The IMAX also happens to be the biggest IMAX screen in the Midwest. We went a saw “The Bride!” which was a rather weird but fun movie. The screen was huge and it was so cool to see in person. After all of that we went back to the resort to rest and prepare for the next day.
On Tuesday, we started the day off with the resorts hot tub and “homemade cinnamon rolls.” After that we started our day with Top of the Rock. Which was a highlight of our trip for me. It is a golf cart ride through caves and waterfalls. After the golf cart ride, we took a shuttle to the Top of the Rock Museum which had Osage tribe artifacts, animal fossils, Civil War artifacts, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln locks of hair (which was strange to have but super cool to see), and so much more. I really loved the museum and would highly recommend it if you love history. After that we went to the Shepard of the Hills Fish Hatchery in which I got to feed Trout Fish which was super fun and smelly! To end the evening we went to Dolly Patron’s Stampede dinner attraction. The food was really good and there was so much of it including vegetable cream soup, biscuits, a whole rotisserie chicken, mash potatoes, corn on the cob, pulled pork, and choice of dessert. The show was fun. Full of live animals like horses, pigs, chickens, doves, and cool cowboys! The only downside was we sat in front row and got a clump of dirt on us during our meal from the horses so try and not sit in the front row! Of course we ended the day in the hot tub.
Wednesday was a super cold and rainy day. We woke up late and went to The Landing, which is another outlet mall in the historic downtown area of Branson. We weren’t prepared for the cold, so we went to a couple of shops and then went to Mellow Mushroom for lunch. It is a yummy pizza place, and it was warm inside, which was a necessity for us at the time. We had plans to see David at the Sight and Sound Theatre in the late afternoon. We got front row which was so cool. We also got some yummy, glazed almonds and a fun souvenir cup. The show was beautiful and so cool. They had live animals, for example, 32 sheep, 8 goats, donkeys and horses. One of my favorite parts was the fact that the animals walked/ran between the aisles, so we got to be really close to the animals. For dinner we went to Buzzard Bar and ate some yummy BBQ Nachos and enjoyed live music. Since it was such a cold day we spent the rest of the evening at our resort relaxing and warming up.
Thursday was our relaxing day and the weather was so much nicer. So, we decided to visit the historic downtown area of Branson. We checked out all of the stores which had some really cool flea markets and thrift stores. After that we went back to The Landing and decided to try Smith Creek wine and moonshine tasting. Of course, do not participate if you are not of age, but I would recommend trying it for fun at least once. It was free samples and they had some deals. I loved the PB&J wine, which for many is not a favorite, but it is the one wine that I really enjoy, and my favorite moonshine was the Banana Pudding! For dinner we went to Fall Creek Steak and Catfish House. They’re known for throwing rolls at you, and they also had live music. It was a delicious meal. To end the night, we went to the hot tub (again) and tried out the sauna.
Friday was our last full day. We went to Silver Dollar City which was opening day. We tried all the rides that didn’t have the worst wait times, ate some delicious food and did the Marvel Cave. Fun fact I am terrified of caves! So, that was a fun-ish experience. I actually didn’t hate my experience, and it was pretty cool. We got to see some bats sleeping and take a trolley back out of the cave. I was truly only okay because my boyfriend held my hand the entire time (I refused to let go, lol). My favorite part was seeing the bats. They were so tiny and so cute! We were at Silver Dollar City from open to close. To end our evening and our last day we went to Top of the Rocks to overlook and watch the sunset. That has to be one of my favorite sunsets I have ever experienced. It was just us and maybe three other people and it was so quiet and beautiful.
Saturday was our travel day. We of course went back to Buc-ee’s on our way back home as well as Wally’s and compared the two for a fun pick me up on our way back home. I am sad because I miss this trip so very much and want to be back immediately. I would love to recommend this trip to anyone and everyone. There is always something to do and it is very family friendly as well!