All Tips and Facts
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Branson has an annual rainfall of 43 inches. January is driest (1.79 inches) and coldest (31 degrees). June is the wettest (5.09 inches). June, July and August are the hottest months with an average of 78 degrees, but you can expect some days to be 90 to 100 degrees. |
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Woodcarver Peter Engler’s work has been synonymous with Branson since the early 1960’s, when he and his carvings were featured on the Beverly Hillbillies and Captain Kangaroo. |
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Branson has more than 100,000 motel rooms, restaurant seats, and theater seats combined. |
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There’s no doubt about it – tourism’s the biggest draw for Branson. In fact, this “big city with a small-town fee” generates a yearly average of more than $1.5 billion through its tourism industry alone. |
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The average date of the first killing frost in Branson is October 15, but there are plenty of fair days for the fall colors after that. Most leaves have dropped by deer season, which opens in early November. |
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Want a “straight shot” to Silver Dollar City? Take exit 1b, the Ozark Mountain Highroad (Missouri Highway 465) 6miles north of Branson on U.S. Highway 65. It connects to Missouri Highway 76 (Strip) just east of Silver Dollar City. |
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Be sure to waterproof your camera at Silver Dollar City. You will get wet! |
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Many of our area attractions offer discounts off the listed ticket price for groups of 15 or more. If you know another family coming to town at the same time, why not save a few bucks by making reservations under one name?
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Inspiration Tower has 92,064 pounds of structural steel weight in it. The 34.5 tons of rebar in the foundation would stretch 5 miles if laid out flat. It took 43 concrete trucks in convoys to full the 13-by-6 foot deep by 51-foot, 6 inch diameter foundation. The tower can easily withstand a constant wind of 172 miles per hour and gusts up to 224 miles per hour. |
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If you know you’ll be out partying late and will need a ride home, check with the front desk of your hotel to find out if they offer shuttle service. Many of the area’s hotels will be happy to bring you back in fro the night. |
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Although Branson police officers may be friendlier than most, they do enforce the law. Don’t drink and drive. |
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If you get lost easily and suffer from insomnia, by all means hop in the car and check out the town after 1:00 a.m. there’s hardly any traffic, so it’s a great time to get to know your way around |
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You’ll find the cream-of-the-crop recipes, the best of area cooks, and even ”pioneer recipes” in cookbooks published by our local churches, societies, and service organizations. Watch for them in gift shops and bookstores.” |
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Want to prevent your child from spilling a water glass at your table, and keep yourself from a mess and embarrassment? Restaurants are generous with king-size water glasses, but many haven’t caught on the fact that toddlers can’t easily handle those monster glasses. Unless your youngster has hands like a professional basketball player, request a smaller glass. |
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“If it Ain’t Fried, It Ain’t Food” is a song by country star Ray Jones. Ever here of him? He’s the fictional creation of detective novelist Donald E. Westlake whose Baby, Would I Lie? Takes place in Branson. It’s fun to check out the landmarks and places he mentions and to take in his elbow-in-the-ribs humor about Branson and our tourists. |
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Before tourism and during Prohibition, the making of moonshine was a profitable underground Ozarks enterprise. “Taney Country Scotch” and “Booger County Bourbon” were slang names for the product. (No one knows why or how, but nearby Douglas County, named after Lincoln’s opponent in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, acquired the nickname Booger.)
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If you’re going to be in Branson over the weekend, pick up Friday’s Springfield News-Leader. Their “Weekend” insert gives a listing of all Branson shows with contact information and suggestions and ideas of all sorts about other area activities and attractions. |
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Many of the area’s music shows have coupons in local guidebooks. A few good ones to check out are Best Read Guide, Travel Host, and Sunny Day Guide Book, all usually available in stands or at your hotel front desk. |
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The Dixie Stampede houses its show horses in outdoor pens from 10:00am until showtime. There’s no charge to come by and look. |
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If you want to avoid the rush for 7:00 and 8:00 pm shows, take in a morning or afternoon show instead. You’ll miss the traffic jams, and you’ll probably get better seats, too. |
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The very first musical show to make its debut in Branson was the Baldknobbers Hillbilly Jamboree. Today it’s as popular as ever and features country and gospel music as well as side-splitting comedy routines. |
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The Live Music Capital of the World, Branson boasts more than 40 theaters and features more than 100 shows. With 56,797 seats, Branson has more theater seats than New York’s Broadway. |
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In 2005, for the very first time, Branson’s state-fo-the-art stages offered more than 100 live shows, including country, pop, gospel, blues, rock, western, classical, swing, Big Band, Cajun, Motown, Broadway, comedy, magical, and more. |
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Parking - lot thefts aren’t generally a problem in Branson; however, never leave your doors unlocked, and be sure to cover up valuables. |
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Traffic really stacks up on Missouri Highway 76 (Strip) coming back into Branson at the close of Silver Dollar City each day. To avoid the snarl, you might want to leave a little early or take the scenic route east from Indian Point Road on MO 76 to Missouri Highway 265 and then to Missouri Highway 165 where it intersects U.S. Highway 65 south of Branson . From there it’s a straight shot north back into town |
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Some of the resorts post fliers about upcoming fishing tournaments on Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo. They may even offer free registration if you stay a minimum number of nights. |