Branson Springfield Missouri Vacation Guide

Branson & Springfield Missouri Vacation Guide

by Rich Noto

My trip to Springfield and Branson Missouri.  Article is a work in progress.

The first day started off with a long drive within Florida.  I think it was around 5 hours because of driving towards the panhandle. The total, drive consisted of traveling from Florida through Alabama, then Mississippi and touching into Memphis Tennessee briefly, followed by Arkansas and finally Missouri. 

I wanted to avoid going through Atlanta Georgia during the drive due to lots of traffic. The GPS insisted on it.  So to avoid Atlanta GA, I searched the Google map to find a location on the route to send the GPS to.  By adding a simple point of Interest called the Pioneer Museum of Alabama.  I was able to go around the traffic. Based on the website of the Pioneer Museum of Alabama I would of liked to of stopped there, unfortunately it was closed as I passed by. 

This route was fantastic both the driving to Branson Missouri and driving home to Florida from Branson Missouri.  The drive was not as scenic as I though it may be.  I usually try to guess what it may be like.  It was ok with some hills and slight changing to the fall tree colors.  I thought it would of been more mountain like but that occurred more in Northern Arkansas and all of Missouri.  

Along the Route I would suggest stopping at a rest stop in Mississippi which is the first one while heading north.  This rest stop has very wide and private parking spots. it makes for much better sleep with no one very close in the car next to you. 

Special Car Supplies for the Trip

When taking a long drive its a good idea to have special supplies to prepare for the unknown

• I purchased a memory foam air mattress combo, and had great sleep on it in car at rest stops.
• A plug in refrigerator freezer cooler.  This made it convenient to transport and keep food cold. I could plug it into the cars 12v or the hotels electrical outlet.
• A humidifier for the dry air that occurs when turning on the heat in hotel.
• A air purifier that I recently started using the past 3 trips. In a few days the filters went from brand new and white, to gray and dusty dirty looking.  I also sleep better from not hearing as much hotel noise and not waking up as stuffy and difficult to breath from the dust.
• Disposable throw up vomit bags(never used).  These are plastic lined inside and fold up.
• Urine bags, Thetford Porta Potti.  Never used them but good for emergency.  Sometimes rest area or bathrooms are closed and it could be hours to the next one.  Some drives just have nothing.
• Toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning wipes.
• Paper Maps + Garmin GPS.

• Yakima RocketBox Pro 14 Roof Box – Good for storing things that can get a little wet if it rains. During some light rain a bit of water came in the front car end.  This was from the driving wind blowing in.  I may try some weather stripping if it will fit.

Mammoth Spring State Park

During the drive I was fortunate to arrive in time to see Mammoth Springs State Park in Arkansas.  This is a free State Park to walk around and enjoy nature.  It also has a small museum of the power generator for the town.

When I arrived a day early in Branson Missouri, I was met with the inability to try to check in to the hotel a day early.  If I chose to check in a day early the single day rate would have been about the same as what 3 to 4 days have cost me.  I decided to drive to Springfield Missouri.  But before doing that needed some time out of the car.

Aquarium at the Boardwalk

I stopped at the Aquarium at the Boardwalk.  It is located on the main tourist strip 2700 W 76 Country Blvd unit a, Branson, MO 65616.  The exterior has a fantastic and shiny, light up Octopus  The inside was very clean and well maintained tanks.  There was no bad smells and good air circulation.   There was a touch tank in addition to the standard tanks.  This was one of the smallest aquariums I have been to. It may be about the same size as the one that’s located in Icon Park in Orlando, called the Sea Life Aquarium.  This Aquarium at the Boardwalk takes about 30 minutes if you move at a slow pace. If you have kids that run through a place you will probably be out of there in 15 minutes. with that said it is also very expensive.  Even though you can spend the whole day there if you would like it does cost almost $40 for the ticket.  That’s over $1 per minute of how much time it actually takes to see the place.  It’s not a bad place.  The Aquarium at the Boardwalk is just not a very good value for the money.  I would think around $18-25 would be what Id expect to pay.  There are much better options such as the Bass Pro Shop Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. With that said most of the attractions on the strip are higher priced than they probably should be.  Of course we are in high inflation times.

Bass Pro Shop Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium

The Johnny Morris Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is located in 500 W Sunshine St, Springfield, MO 65807.  I ended up purchasing a Annual pass vs a single day ticket.  I thought I may want to go back again during my visit and I did.  The Annual pass was less than a 2 days of tickets.  The Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is owned by the Bass Pro Shop and part of their Central headquarters.  I have seen several of the Bass Pro Shops but this is by far the largest and nicest.  With that said most Bass Pro Shops are very nice but this place was the extreme.  It had individual museums for guns, archery, fly fishing. These are all free of charge.  The gun Museum had guns from throughout history. the archery Museum did as well with bows. The fly fishing was as to be expected, lots of fishing equipment. 

Inside of the pay portion of the National Museum, I was very impressed with the “museum” portion.  I did not have time to read everything or watch all the videos.  But there was a fantastic section with very old paintings that depicted events over the course of history. Theodore Roosevelt was on display many times. Which is to be expected as Theodore Roosevelt was known to be a very avid hunter.  On display are many animals that unfortunately in the past were killed and stuffed.  I do realize that this was very popular during those days.  The displays the animals are on were extremely detailed and many had information about the location and who the hunter was.

 I did go mostly to see the aquarium.  The aquarium did not disappoint.  Before entering the aquarium I stopped for some breakfast and had a grilled cheese.  Surprisingly the grilled cheese was one of the better that I have had out.  I tend to make one of the best grilled cheeses myself so it’s hard to compete with that.  But this one was good. I also found the location to be relatively clean to eat at.  Along with a nice atmosphere.

 The Wonders of Wildlife aquarium is the best I have seen. I have been to many other aquariums and when I think of some of the best the aquarium in Camden New Jersey Adventure Aquarium comes to mind has now being a second best. the aquarium located in Tampa Florida Aquarium would be probably a third. followed along with a kind of small one located in Marathon Florida.  The Springfield Missouri Aquarium is so amazingly displayed. everything is just so perfectly displayed.  Fish statues were hanging from the ceiling or from the side wall.  Fantastic displays which included sharks and other marine life such as Orcas, killer whales.  The various backdrops were amazing as well sometimes you feel like you’re in a fishing Village and other times you might be located more in a swamp kind of region, or a dark cave region.  These regions vary based on the animals on display.

Table Rock State Park – Lake Dam and RV Campground

On day 2 I headed to Table Rock State park to see more of the Ozarks.  First I stopped at McDonalds for breakfast.  Then Rhodes Family Price Chopper for food shopping.  Table Rock State Park appears to be a nice place to camp at.  It has RV Hookups for water and 50/30 amps. Yurts are available for those who don’t have RV Trailer.   As well as tent sites.  Swimming and boating is allowed.  Table Rock State Park is a great daytime stop.  It provides a nature escape, but is  close to tourist attractions.  If I was vising the Ozark Mountains this location is a great balance of nature and close to dining and attractions.

Silver Dollar City Camp Ground & Silver Dollar City Pumpkins in The City

On the second half of day 2.  I headed to Silver Dollar City, for the Pumpkins in the City Halloween Event. 

The Silver Dollar City Campground is located just a short drive away from the Silver Dollar City theme park so I stopped there first. What I observed while driving the Silver Dollar City Campground is the individual RV site locations have very decent space in between each of the neighbors. Each of the campsites has its own lamp post which would make it much easier at night time. The campsites are fully equipped with water, sewer and 30/50 amp electrical hookups.  If I remember right it even has wifi in the area.  I do appreciate the cabins as well, although I did not see the inside of any. The cabins offer a reasonably priced option for those who do not own a RV or for those who do not want to stay in a standard hotel.  Each of the cabins is fully equipped with electric, water and a full bathroom.  Which includes your bathtub and toilet. The cabins are cleaned daily by the staff, Just like a hotel room. 

The Silver Dollar City theme park had multiple options for parking. It has free parking as well as a preferred or paid parking option. I was only going to be there for a few hours and I wanted to be closer to the park. This is because I was unsure if I needed to make trips back to the car for food, water, put on warmer clothes. If I was going to be at the park for multiple days I would probably just do free parking as it’s not that far of a walk.

 Silver Dollar City theme park sets you back in time.   The park itself feels very old school and patriotic which I appreciated. The park was good clean fun for everyone. it did not have any agendas being pushed upon its guests. Unfortunately when I was there I did not have the opportunity to do the cave tour, due to time restrictions. I enjoyed the music playing throughout the park. and the type of food offerings which were definitely a lot better than at many other theme parks. much more of the food was freshly cooked versus TV dinner Style. Silver Dollar City does not quite have the menu though of a park such as Dollywood. I appreciate the freshly baked items that Dollywood carries such as the apple pie.

As for the rides it was mostly thrill rides. which is similar to other theme parks such as Six Flags, Kings Dominion, and Hersheypark. Unfortunately at my age I get easily hurt or sick riding roller coasters which never used to be the case many years ago. but what I can say from viewing from a distance is I would have enjoyed the mix of rides that Silver Dollar City has.

The main reason why I went to Silver Dollar City was because it was the last week of October and Halloween. I wanted to see the pumpkins in the city nightly Halloween event.  Pumpkins in the city was extremely similar to the Halloween event at Dollywood which is called the Great Pumpkin Luminights Harvest Festival.  I will admit that I prefer the overall presentation of  Dollywood slightly.  With that said pumpkins in the city is no slouch.  I have been to many Halloween theme park events over the years. These include Howl-O-Scream at the Busch Gardens and SeaWorld parks, Six Flags Fright Fest, the Halloween at Kings Dominion and Dorney Park as well as Hershey Park. Mickey’s Halloween Party and Universal Studios.  Some others that I am forgetting. I can say with confidence that going to see Pumpkins in the city Harvest festival is a great stop if you enjoy the rest.  But like at Dollywood this is a very family-friendly event.  There was no one jumping out of Bushes to scare and no haunted house type attractions.  This makes it great for a older crowd and young children.  The park is decked out in light up pumpkins.

Next Up

Big Cedar Lodge – Top of the Rock – Hollywood Wax Museum

Big Cedar Lodge

The Big Cedar Lodge is owned by the Bass Pro Shop company.  Its one of the Johnny Morris Nature Resorts. I was unsure what to expect at this resort in person.  The website did have me intrigued with some great looking photos.  Being a short drive from where I was staying I took the chance.  Thankfully the breakfast I had was better on my stomach then the following days as mentioned in the videos.

I woke up relatively early, made a fast, half asleep video, and headed out.  The fall foliage colors were starting to show on the drive.  When arriving at Big Cedar Large the entry was on the left.  Top of the Rock is on the right.  Please note you do have to pay for Top Of the Rock to enter.  So be sure you will spend the day or it will be a waste of money which is what happened to me.

I would suggest going here for breakfast.  The food smelled and looked fantastic.  The prices were reasonable as well.   Its a great place to sit and eat with a scenic view.  After breakfast one could go in the shop and walk the resort paths.  The Ozark mountains and water ways like smalls streams and lakes runs through the property.

Fun Mountain

Mini golf and a children’s area is on site.  Further away by foot, or car is a arcade/pool/bowling and more called Fun Mountain.  Fun Mountain at Big Cedar Lodge can be enjoyed by guests  staying at the resort or those just visiting.

I noticed rooms were outside, unlike many resorts were rooms are in a large building.  The rooms allow one to step outside to nature right away.  There was also private gated cabins.

Hollywood Wax Museum

The Hollywood Wax Museum in Branson is similar to the one I have seen in Pigeon Forge Tennessee with Different exhibits.  If you have been to a Madam Tussauds, like the one at the Orlando Eye(Icon Park), it has a similar feel but I think its better.  Its a great place to take selfies with the figures of celebrities and creatures. I really appreciate the large King Kong Outside the building.  The Hollywood Wax Museum excels with the classic monster displays.  I appreciate seeing Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein and Mummy Bella Lugosi’s Dracula and others.  Newer creatures like Predator and Aliens are displayed.  Star Trek, Terminator and other Sci-Fi Pop culture is on display as well.

Next up toy museum and downtown Branson.