this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own (and we LOVE Branson!!)
Our family recently took a family trip to Branson – we’ve been before and were super excited to go again because it is one of our FAVORITE vacation destinations! I love how easy of a vacation it is – there are TONS of activities to choose from, for sure there’s something for everyone. I love that our agenda was jam-packed, and yet still felt slow-paced. If you live in the midwest, it is the PERFECT easy getaway – if you haven’t been yet, why not?! But if you haven’t been, you’re probably wondering what all Branson has to offer – well don’t worry, I’ve got that covered for you today with Branson, Missouri: The Best Activities and Attractions for Families! #ExploreBranson
I’m sure there are millions of other Activities and Attractions to found in Branson, but these are ones that our family has actually tried out and tested, just for you 😉 Okay, maybe also cause we love trying fun things! You can find tons more info about Branson at ExploreBranson.com. We also loved checking out the websites of the individual attractions and watching teaser videos to get us even more excited to travel.
Branson, Missouri: The Best Activities and Attractions for Families
Ride the Ducks
We’ve seen this several times, but never actually taken a ride until now. It was a great way to kick-off our visit to Branson because it gave a great tour and overview of the area. It’s a big military vehicle that travels both on land and on water, so you drive around Branson, and then straigh into TableRock Lake! Each kiddo on board gets the opportunity to take a turn driving it on the water.
Silver Dollar City
Silver Dollar City is my favorite amusement park! It has loads of big rides, but also loads of smaller rides. There are water rides as well. My favorite part is that it’s in the Ozarks, so it’s heavily treed and shaded – some amusement parks you feel like you’re just out in the middle of a gaint parking lot, but it’s opposite that here at Silver Dollar City. I also love all shops (like candy-making and glass-blowing and ironworks) and all the shows that are available. And the food there is top-notch!!
When we were there one of the shows was The Harlem GlobeTrotters – and Will got called up to be a judge during one of the segements!
The Tracks Family Fun Parks
In all our trips to Branson in the past, we had never ever tried The Tracks – we had been missing out! We stopped there TWICE this trip, and it was a highlight for the kids. There were several go-kart tracks to choose from, and even a bumper boats ride (where I got sprayed like crazy – thanks kids!)
New to the Tracks is the Branson Ferris Wheel, formerly Chicago’s Navy Pier Ferris Wheel.
We rode the ferris wheel at night (be sure to check it out at night – the lights on it are amazing!) and it gave us a great view of Branson!
And it made for a great backdrop for all the go kart racing! We actually own go karts at home, but there’s just something so fun about riding them on a track on vacation – we couldn’t get enough!!
And it’s super convinent that Andy’s Frozen Custard is right there in the midst of all the fun!
Oh, and there’s also an arcade there – and we happen to hit the jackpot on one of the games – it was pretty exciting!!
Branson Zipline
This was another activity that we’ve always wanted to try, but had never done – it was way fun!! The ziplines are legit, and it’s not just one zipline, but a whole course of them. They were so fun and friendly and you could tell that they all LOVED being a part of it. Conquered that part of our bucket list!
There was a fun gift shop at the beginning to set the stage and sign up for your time slot.
Our younger 3 kiddos didn’t meet the weight requirement for the zipline, but it was great that there were alternant activities available for them. They went on a nature walk, essentially hiking under the zipline trails as zipline riders criss-crossed above them. It was great because the nature hike and the zipline course met up at the halfway point, so Trevor and I were able to swap duties – I went with the kiddos for the first half and then he went with them the second half, so we each had a turn on part of the zipline course.
Parakeet Pete’s
Since the younger kiddos weren’t able to ride the zipline course, we headed over to Branson Landing where there is Parakeet Pete’s – it’s a ride-a-long zipline that they were able to ride, no problem. They had a blast!!
And of course so did we 😉
Another attraction at Parakeet Pete’s is the SteamPunk Balloon and we gave that a try too! It’s a hot air balloon ride that gives you an amazing view!
Hollywood Wax Museum (and Mirror Maze)
We didn’t stop by this attraction on this trip, but we have enjoyed it in the past – you can read all about that HERE: Hollywood Wax Museum.
SHOWS to see
I am WEAK for shows!! Our whole family really enjoys them. We were lucky to be able to see several shows on this trip!
Amazing Pets
We have wanted to see this forever! We love seeing animals do tricks – and this had just that. Also, pets in costumes is always fun. We really enjoyed this show and it would be great for younger kids as well.
The Haygoods
This is known as the most popular show in Branson and I can see why – they did a great job with theatrics, all the lasers and lights shows while they sang and banjoed – really the show had it all! All the kids loved it!!
The Hughes Brothers
Another great show – it had less fanfare than The Haygoods, but I actually liked this one even more than that one – probably because it was a whole family performing, including the kiddos, and I just like that sort of thing 😉 We saw their show entitled It and would definitely recommend it!
Six
We didn’t see this show this time around, but we’ve seen it in the past and I would say it’s our favorite show in Branson – so so fun and unique and worth seeing for sure!
FOOD to eat!
Branson is filled with TONS of good eats – – so good that I just jump right into eating and forget to take pics!! Some fun places we love are:
Dixie Stampede – it’s dinner AND a show, so it’s a lot to love (we didnt’ go this time, but have in the past)
Mel’s Hard Luck Diner – this might be our favorite! It’s reasonably priced, fun diner feel, and yes, the waiters really do SING to you – so fun!! We didn’t make it there this trip, but have gone in the past and will for sure go again!
Danna’s BBQ – so yummy, and a line out the door (but it moves fast) so you know it’s good!
Black Oak Grill – this was new to us this time around, but we’ll be going back – yum! Lots of options and large portions, perfect.
Branson, Missouri: The Best Activities and Attractions for Families
To recap – – Branson: WE LOVE IT!! It is SO family friendly – I love that! Sometimes that family-friendly atmosphere is hard to find, but it’s here in Branson for sure. A favorite family vacation destination. We give Branson two thumbs way up!!
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