News and area information on current events in Branson, Missouri.
About a month ago, I posted about a very helpful site geared toward Branson show reviews. (BransonCritic.org) Well it appears as though they have a new editor. Her name is Miss Kim. Her page is here and I’ll be labeling the page in Google coop in the next few days.
If you visit Branson and would like to give some feedback, you can send reviews here.
There is new way to see Branson, Missouri.

The Branson Sightseeing Tour Bus is the latest of a significant group of sightseeing tour operators providing tours of the area. These buses are interesting to say the least, simply because they are open air when the top is off.
That’s right! convertable bus! That see-through cover comes right off! I see them all the time around Branson. They have regular stops along three routes. I just wrote an article about various kinds of sightseeing operatons in which I mention these buses and include links to their routes. Read the article here.
Last year Branson welcomed a new sightseeing attraction to the area. The 200,000 cubic foot hot air balloon floated high above the Branson landscape throughout 2005. However, the balloon has been grounded for the last couple of months.
Inflation Celebration!
That is how the private event is being billed. To be held on Wednesday June 14, 2006, 80 guests will attend as the giant 105 foot orb that Branson residents grew used to seeing nested in the horizon reclaims its position.
The Branson Balloon is one of the latest sightseeing attractions in Branson, Missouri. You can learn more about the hot air balloon here.
Anytime you get people that aren’t familiar with an area sharing two lanes of traffic designed to channel everyone into a circle, you’re going to get some accidents. The Branson Newspaper has an article about this unique traffic feature. It seems as though there have been a couple of wrecks. Hmmm… go figure!
The next anchor to open at the Branson Landing will be Bass Pro. The new store is located on the south end of the development and is scheduled to be open to the public on June 8, 2006. Rather than going into details and rewriting all the applicable information, I’ll just let you know that you can read Bass Pro’s own press release here.
As mentioned in my previous post, my wife and I went to the landing yesterday and I have much to say about it.
To begin our visit, we thought it would be nice to park in the parking garage to keep our vehicle in the shade since it was so hot yesterday. Trying to get into the garage was a challenge because there were so many people that apparently had that same thought. We finally got into the garage and after waiting about five minutes in line, we caught a break and got a parking spot from someone that was leaving.
We didn’t know what to expect to find since we couldn’t really see into the shopping areas from the street that traces the existing parts of the project. We entered and my wife commented on how the whole ‘feel’ was something new to Branson. It is very nice, definately upscale and the sidewalkes were lined with curious ones like ourselves, there to see what all the talk is about.
While many of the shops were open (about 40 or 50), there were others that weren’t quite ready, and still others that we couldn’t even see in as the windows were covered and their opening dates were slated for sometime in the future. We especially enjoyed the areas in which we were able to look out over the lake (Taneycomo) that lines the east side of the area.
Overall, the Branson Landing is definitely a nice feature and it seems as though it has drawn much interest. As mentioned above, there were many, many people there especially for a Sunday afternoon. One thing I noticed is that there weren’t many people carrying shopping bags. Perhaps it was becasue they were, like us, just investigating. One thing is for sure, the Branson Landing is a new kind of attraction that is intended to add diversity to Branson’s group of visitors. I think it will do just that and my wife has already commented about how she looks forward to visiting the Landing regularly.
This weekend marks the official opening of the Branson Landing. I haven’t been able to go visit the new shopping district as of yet, however, my wife and I are looking forward to seeing it up close later this afternoon. I hope to post my thoughts on it later this evening. Hope I can find some cool stuff to buy while I’m at it.
Today, I spoke with an employee of Silver Dollar City. According to him, they are gearing up for the Bluegrass & Barbecue festival that is coming up soon at SDC. They are working extra hours to get things properly prepared for thie visitors. It’s a pretty big event from what I understand. You can read about the Bluegrass & BBQ festival here.
Branson saw the opening of another department store in March. Belk recently held its grand opening and it was apparent when I went into the 68,000 sq. ft. sales floor that the residents of Branson were happy to have real department stores. I was in the store for mere minutes and heard all good things about it and the new Target store that opened about a month ago. The Branson boom that everyone has been talking about is finally happening.
Tomorrow, April 7th, 2006 will see the grand opening of the newest museum attraction in Branson, Titanic Museum Attraction. Regis Philbin and his wife Joy will be at the museum for the christening from 11:30am to 12:00pm. Regis will blow the horn on the ship for the first time at noon. This will mark the beginning of an ongoing practice to be performed daily at 12:00pm. For more information, visit http://www.titanicbranson.com