LABOR DAY

We went to Branson over Labor Day weekend. We really like going to Branson. I know I know some of you doubters are thinking isn't it all country.....NO! There is so much to do there. We go about twice a year and still haven't even seen probably a quarter of what they have to offer and we have yet to see anything country. There is something for every age a Branson. It is close and family friendly. Helpful hint though if you go get a good map with the back road shortcuts called Yellow Route, Blue Route and Red Route. It will save you a ton of time b/c the main strip HW76 can get VERY busy!! Anyway let's see......this time we played Pirate Golf, went to Silver Dollar City, went go-carting, went to the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Exhibit, rode the ducks over Table Rock Lake, went to the Landings and went to two Outlet Malls (my favorite part always!) We have so much fun everytime we go! Let's see just a few helpful tips for anyone interested.....hmmmm....I already told you about the shortcut routes.......if you go to Silver Dollar City, go on a weekday if possible this includes Friday. The lines for the rides are cut by about 75% on weekdays. Riding the Ducks is actually fun and educational. We've been many times and never rode them but finally we did and loved it. Go in the cooler part of the day. If you have kids, at some point on the lake the captain of the Duck will turn it onto auto pilot and allow the kids to sit in the seat so you can have a picture of them driving the boat and then after the ride you get a free Captain's License (cool if you scrapbook like me). The Landings is the new downtown area of Branson. It is all new condos, hotels, and shopping with a lot of the mall type stores on the river or lake or whatever it is down there. They do a water/light show like the Bellagio in Vegas in the evening and then they will also have street musicians for entertainment. The Butterfly and Rainforest Exhibit is cool. They actually have 3 shopping centers with outlets but like all outlets you should know just b/c a store says outlet doesn't mean it is cheaper. The Children's Place outlet has great deals. You need to watch Old Navy b/c a lot of it isn't outlet pricing. The Tommy Kids store has good clearance along with the Levi outlet, Gymboree, Coach usually ends up being half of half (woohoo if you like Coach), Carter's and Osh Kosh normally have some good deals.....and I am going to stop there to put in my slide show.............sorry I rambled