VACATION AND TRAVEL
Branson, Missouri: America’s
Best Kept Secret or Not?
When you think of vacation destinations, some people think of Las Vegas, National Parks, Disneyland or Disneyworld, New York and others. Those are some good choices. But if you were to ask most people, not a lot of people may have heard of Branson, Missouri especially vacationers from Michigan. I would say no more than 50% knows this place even exists. This vacation destination is growing by leaps and bounds every year. As of 2016, there were over 11,000 residents in an area of 21 square miles in the city of Branson along with 8 million visitors annually.
There are so many jobs available there that businesses are hiring people outside the city limits as far north as the city of Springfield, Missouri. I’ve visited this place 12 times and counting. Even though they get so many people per year, I’ve never felt crowded there, but then again, I usually vacation in the off season because the prices are cheaper. I find it very easy to navigate with only limited traffic jams
at certain hours. This place, in my opinion, is the best family destination in all of America next to Disneyland and DisneyWorld for family entertainment.
I have also seen the rating on Branson and it has the distinction as being in the top 10 family vacation destinations according to some ratings. Still when I tell people about Branson, you would never know that this place exists according to some. The distance from where I live to Branson, Missouri is 767 miles, which calculates to 11 ½ hours by car. Being this far away, there’s no wonder why many Michiganders have never heard of Branson, Missouri. I guess if you border Missouri, this place is probably very well known.
Anyways, you may be wondering right about now what is so special about Branson that makes it so popular with many. First, this entire city is nestled inside the Ozark Mountains where it offers many scenic visas. There are also many places to hike near the mountains, and the entire Branson area is surrounded by three major lakes; Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lake, along with a dam. There is year around fishing available there, with boat rentals at well placed marinas that include pleasure cruising models, Jet Ski’s etc.
Over on Table Rock Lake is the Show-
Written by Michael Joseph Lynch