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Saturday, June 11, 2011

Our Mini Vaca - Early 30th Anniversary Trip!

This is a "mansion" we saw on the river boat tour...
My husband and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this August!  When we got married we took our honeymoon in Branson, MO.  We have heard, over the years, about how much Branson has grown and all the shows, etc... so, we thought we would go back and see for ourselves! We didn't want to go in August, we are older and wiser, due to the heat - so planned a long weekend and took a mini vacation!

Many things have changed about Branson but some things are still the same - one major thing is, even with all the traffic (and there is a LOT), they still have the single lanes with one shared turn lane in the middle!

We are on a budget, who isn't!  We did some searching before we went, trying to decide what we wanted to see, there are far to many attractions and shows to select from!  We finally decided we wanted that we wanted to see two shows and possible take one of the Riverboat Rides.

Every hotel and several other locations have books with maps and coupons - you can get some good deals!
You DO want a good map!  We liked the little one that was in the Best Read Guide Branson 2011.  We used coupons from several different books.
We decided to take a leisure boat trip, we got discount tickets and REALLY enjoyed the time on the river.
This is the boat we were on










There is a lot of scenery and animals to see:
Eagle
Years ago there was an attraction where
a pirate boat went down the river - this
was part of that attraction.
Captain Rick !  He is actually
steering the boat!

Deni - chillin' on the boat


It was fun and relaxing!









We saw two shows - the first and the one we enjoyed the most.....
These are two very talented young men!  They sing a variety of songs from  many different artists - we enjoyed this show very much!  We found out at the break that we were sitting next to their parents!

The Rankinetts



We also saw the Comedy Jamboree show - it was really more of a song show with some comedy routines in between - it was good.


We learned quickly that many of the restaurants are just touristy places and many don't serve very good food - we recommend checking Trip Advisor! for restaurants (and attractions, shows, etc...)
We found two places that we really enjoyed!  Now, mind you these are not high end places, one is a breakfast/lunch place and the other is your basic burger joint!
Breakfast - it is a bit of a drive (not along the main road) but SO worth it!
Billy Gail's 5291 State Highway 265, BransonMO 65616
Billy Gail's
Billy Gail's
We had so much fun!  Rick's coffee mug was from Kwipee's in Racine!
The breakfast was plentiful and good!

Burger stop! - just off the main drag (but you will miss it if you blink!)
Billy Bob's Dairyland - 1510 West State Highway 76BransonMO 65616
Fried Pie Menu

Billy Bob and is wife

Billy Bob's Dairyland is right next to a gas station
set back a little  - easy to miss if you are not paying
attention!
  • 417.337.9291
  • The Guide and Coupon books all had the wrong address!  This little place is a family run joint and we spoke with the wife - they are all great!  Old time burgers and drinks!  

We took a drive out around the lake - it was rainy but a nice peaceful drive.
The Lake
The lake

We spent a little more time driving around and found one of the restaurants, The Farm House, we had eaten at on our honeymoon!  They had a fire years ago but rebuilt in the same location - it looked almost exactly like it did 30 years ago!


We had a great time, but were ready to come home and sleep in our own bed!  I guess we are getting old!



  




8 comments:

  1. Many Congratulations! What a wonderful time you had. And to revisit honeymoon place :) I so would go to the cafe and restaurant you show here. My kind of place! And by you posting this, you have reminded me that my 32nd is coming up in less than 2 weeks. With our daughters bridal shower coming next Sat. and wedding next month, among other things. My upcoming anniversary slipped my mind. So Happy for you and thanks for the reminder :)

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  2. It's funny how some things change down there and some don't. I'm in KC and been there a few times. My sister was in the Shoji show for a year. I honestly liked the outlet shopping that year!

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  3. Leta,
    Congrats!! You do have a busy schedule right now - remember, just you can celebrate anytime (all the time) don't let the date dictate when you enjoy your spouse (or children, others...)
    Thanks!
    Deni

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  4. Finding,
    Yes, some parts were very much like we remembered - the boardwalk and new shopping area were very nice. We may go back again and see other shows - just not during their busy season! LOL!

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  5. Looks like a wonderful trip. Happy Anniversary!♥

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  6. Happy Anniversary Early! Ours is in August too! Glad you had a great trip!

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  7. Happy Anniversary!
    What a great trip, looks like it was fun.

    Hubby and me never did take a real honeymoon....just spend a few nights at a chain hotel in Niagara Falls (10 minutes from my parents house) recovering from being sick, our wedding was a big party. :) The highlight was the Off Track Betting place where we gambled. We were there maybe an hour. We don't want to revisit that. :)

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  8. Congrats! 30 years is something to celebrate these days. My husband and I hit 31 years together this past May, only 26 yrs of those married (had to drag him to the alter kicking and screaming) but it seems to have worked out! Thanks for sharing.

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