Spring Break Trip

[Davidab53]

We just got back late last night.

We left for Branson on Thursday, 20th around 9:00. On our way down we stopped at Lamberts for lunch, and it was wonderful as usual. I had the Something Southern and my wife paid for it the rest of the day.

We got to our motel (Twelve Oaks Inn) around 3:00. My son needed a nap, so we hung out at the motel until later that evening. My wife and son napped, and I caught up on everything Branson on The Vacation Channel.

We caught The Presleys that evening. They are as good as ever. The only negative was that my son was being a little hard to handle, so I ended up taking him to the car a little early and didn't catch the last 30 minutes of the show. Oh yea, The nuts were great! ................I hope it is ok that I say something positive about The Presley's. The last time someone did, they got attacked for being too positive.

We headed back to the motel for the night after the show.

I will have to finish this in another post.

Stay tuned for day 2 and 3! I know you can't wait.

[Davidab53]

I can't post something that is long without getting a timed out message, so I will have to do it in different posts.

On Friday morning we headed to Golden Corral for breakfast. Again, wonderful as usual. The best omelets in Branson. ( I recommend ham, cheese, tomatoes, and mushrooms) After a great breakfast we headed to Target. My wife had to do some Easter shopping, and our waitress told us that traffic is backed up 2 hours for SDC. We decided to go a little later in the day. After Target we took The Highroad over to 76. We thought this would cut down on the time we had to sit in traffic, and it did. We still had to wait close to an hour, though. I have never seen that many cars waiting to get in or sitting in the parking lot. Lucily we found a parking spot right off. Someone was leaving right as I was turning in to the lot. That never happens to me.

The park didn't seem as crowded as I thought it would be when we made it inside. We hung out the pavilion and listened to music for a while, and then we listened to the Homestead Pickers for a while. My 16 mo old son loves music and decided to dance a little jig down in front of the crowd. He has a nack of drawing attention to himself. He is a ham like his mom!

.......Better post before I time out.

[Davidab53]

We made our way down the hill and found out where everyone was. Everyoned seemed to be moving like cattle. (In Herds) The area around the saloon was congested beyond belief. We noticed that everyone seemed to be heading in the same direction. When headed in the opposite direction over to Wildfire. The line was very short. We seemed to stay behind much of the crowds and as the day went on the lines got shorter and shorter. The only trouble we ran into was waiting in line for food. The lines by the skillets were outrageous. People were getting very frustrated. I had to keep telling myself, "You are in SDC, You are in SDC, stay calm, soak up the atmosphere." If I was anywhere else I would probably had lost it. I hate lines with a passion.

We also caught the Branson Brothers show at SDC. They sounded great.

We stayed until closing and were able to do everything we wanted to do. the crowd did not put a damper on our day. The weather was perfect! My son had a blast. He got to ride a couple rides and won a basketball. The basketball was the highlight of his day. He tried to carry it around everywhere. It is as big as he is.

Stay tuned........

[Davidab53]

After resting for a bit at the motel, we headed out for a late dinner at Gilleys. The food was excellent! I had the fajitas.

After dinner we decided to check out the 11:00 live radio show at Grand Country. We were pleasantly surprised to hear that Mickey Gilley would be one of the guests. We were actually going to see him earlier that evening, but we didn't make it back from SDC in time.

Gilley did not disappoint. He sang three songs and killed it! What a performer! The atmosphere and the crowd was electric. The place was packed out. I wasn't expecting that.

Penny Gilley also performed and did a great job.

The third guest was Larry Turner, formerly of The Presleys. He is now George Strait at The Legends. He also did a fantastic job. I was a fan of his at The Presleys and was excited to see him perform. He had alot of support in the crowd as well. Buddy Holly and Elvis made the trip to see him. I never knew those two were fans of George Strait. Seriously he did a great job, and you can tell that he is a very popular member of the Legends show. Several cast members showed up to support him. It was fun to watch.

After the show we headed back to the motel for some much needed sleep. I think it was around 12:45 when we made it back.

Not done yet........

[Davidab53]

We checked out of TwelveOaks around 10:00. We always stay at 12 Oaks. It is probably one of the best values in Branson. The rooms are immaculate and the rates can't be beat. $37.95!

After check out my wife headed to the IMAX to see a movie with her family who was also in town, and I headed out on my own. I took this opportunity to check out some of the things that I have always wanted to do but not had the chance. I spent about an hour up at Henning Conservation Area. I checked out the overlook and climbed the lookout tower. The view was spectacular. It is not as high as Inspiration Point, but it sure felt like it. My knees started to wobble a bit as I climbed. It was a great day to be outside, and I jumped at the chance to spend it in the park.

After the park I headed to Dana's BBQ. I have always read so many good things about Dana's, so I decided to check it out. I ordered the Dana Burger to go. It is a cheeseburger with pulled pork piled on top. What more could you ask for. I tried to eat it in the car, but had a rough time. It was the best burger I have ever eaten. It reminded me of the old style burgers. Juicy and thick. I will be back!

My last stop before picking my wife up was at Denos Fried Pies. I had to see what all the fuss was about. I tried the Pecan Pie and it was wonderful. I was thinking the crust would be more like a sugar coated crust like McDonalds pies, but it wasn't. It tasted like actual pie crust. I loved it. So, I guess Zack knows what he is talking about.

At this point it is 12:00 and I have just eaten a Dana Burger and a Pecan Pie. Now my wife is wanting to eat lunch.

I will finish my review in one last post.........

[Davidab53]

When I pick up my wife, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law ask us to go to the Keeter Center for lunch. I am absolutely stuffed, but I agree. I have always wanted to check it out. The building is spectacular. The food was also very good. I had heard that it was a bit expensive, but the lunch menu was very reasonable. My wife had a heaping plate of chicken nachos, and I had a bowl of cheddar soup. Our meal came to only $13.00, and it was very tasty.

After lunch we did the shopping thing for the rest of the day. We hit Branson Landing, Branson Mall, and Tanger. I checked out The Hall of Fame at The Branson Mall while my wife shopped. I really enjoyed the touch screen video screens. I watched some old footage of the Plummers and Foggy River Boys. I also watched the 60 minute special from years ago that most say really started the "Branson Boom." It was very interesting. I asked the gentleman working if there was a way to buy a copy of the 60 minutes special. He said no, but he offered to make a copy of it for me. I thought that was very gracious. Unfortunately we were leaving to go home and couldn't wait. I may take him up on his offer on our next visit. I did buy a copy of the video that they show on the big screen.

Before we left for home, my wife wanted to eat at Hard Luck Diner. The place was packed. My wife instantly started looking for The American Idol guy. He was there and my wife was giddy. He came over and talked to us and had his picture taken with my son. A very nice guy! Jason Yeager is his name. Our waiter was great as well. All great entertainers.

After dinner we headed for home and arrived back around 11:30. I spent most of the drive home by myself. My wife and son were asleep as soon as we hit 65.

Overall we had a tremendous trip! We can't wait to go back.
It was nice to see streets crowded with people and the sounds of go carts humming in the distance. You know summer is right around the corner.


I apologize for such a long review.

[Zach7777]

No need for apologies David....that was a GREAT review of your trip to Branson......very well done and informative...makes me wanna go!! It has been great to see so many people in town these last couple of weeks....glad you were part of them

[teacherkim]

Great review! Sounds like you had fun!

[Crazy4Branson]

Don't apologize...it was very interesting to read. Glad you had a good time!!

I would love! to have seen the Late Night show @ Grand Country...That show can be one of the best bargains of the week with the quality of the entertainers that they bring in there for that show....

Ain't Branson a hoot?!?!?!

[preacherman]

Gee, this was like waiting for the next book in a series - what fun!

We usually go to Henning Park and walk up to the tower. DH would only let me go 1/2 way up the tower though. It does seem to wobble a bit. Charlie said his initials used to be in the wood up there but have worn away.

We are also hoping to check out the mall Hall of Fame. Thanks for more specific info on that.

Curious about the cheeseburger at Danna's - you said it had pulled pork on the top. Is that their way of making one or did you ask for that?

Thanks, enjoyed reading about your trip!

[nannac]

Great review! I really enjoyed it. Sounds like you had a great time, and like our trip this week, you can't wait to get back to Branson. Wasn't the weather great for SDC? Dana's BBQ can't be beat! I didn't make it to Deno's Fried Pies, but I know where it is located now, and it's close to the Cabins, so I will be visiting it on the next visit.

[CHRISTISAM2001]

Thanks for the super great reviews!! Glad yall had a great time and the Dana Burger sounded yummy!!

[biscuitcreek]

David, I enjoyed reading all of your installments; it was a great review!Thanks for taking the time to share with us. DH and I will be in Branson Wednesday night to Sunday morning but I doubt that we'll do as much as you did!

[ggh]

Preacherman - Danna's does burgers several ways - they make a great thick pattie, and add anything from bacon, an over easy egg or pulled pork on top of it - or you can be like me, and eat it with a slice of cheese - regardless, you'll enjoy it. My dh doesn't really care what they put on it, he just wants his burgers from Danna's these days.

[preacherman]

Originally Posted by ggh

Preacherman - Danna's does burgers several ways - they make a great thick pattie, and add anything from bacon, an over easy egg or pulled pork on top of it - or you can be like me, and eat it with a slice of cheese - regardless, you'll enjoy it. My dh doesn't really care what they put on it, he just wants his burgers from Danna's these days.

Thanks ggh! Can't wait to get back there