Branson Trip

Titanic_Staircase
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

(Note: also check out the Branson photo gallery at Flickr if you are interested.)

The weekend of the 20th would have been dads 52nd birthday and a month since "it' happened, so mom and I decided we needed a little distraction. We loaded up and went to Branson. Now you might think that Branson and I don't seem a good fit. I hate live shows, at least what is shown there. The names—Baldknobbers—for instance, makes me instantly nauseous. But, I am a big Titanic buff and wanted to see "the World's Largest Museum Attraction." As anyone who knows me will attest, I am horrible with directions. I got lost getting to Ada once, and I'm not joking (that's another story). So, I had my trusty yet often ill-advised GPS with me. All went well until we took a wrong exit near Branson. For some reason we decided to trust the GPS to get up back onto the highway rather than common sense. That took about an hour. But, I must say we saw some pretty country on the often one lane, often unpaved roads back to the highway. If you ever somehow run across "Sawmill Road" be sure to take it. Anyhow, we finally make it to Branson and go first to what I thought was a Welcome Center, but was in fact only a place trying to sell $200,000 time shares. I do not have $200,000. Along we went. By the time we go to the hotel, we were so tired and my head hurt so badly from the altitude changes and general allergy issues (I'm such a baby), we crashed for the day. So much for day 1.

Day 2 was much better. It was a beautiful day and since rain was expected for the next two days (what luck), we decided to do the "outdoor" stuff. I had my first experience with a "Roundabout" intersection. I was like… oh my gosh… what is happening here?? It wasn't that bad, though. I'm thinking about recommending it for crazy corner. Anyway, we went to the new "Branson Landing" first. The place was very nice; it just opened last year. It had a lot of neat shops. I had never been to a "Kirkland's" before, but that's a very cool store. I bought way too much stuff. Mom did some clothe shopping, so I walked down the boardwalk of Lake Taneycomo (I think). It was very nice. They had a water and fire show that was very impressive. There was also a little park next to the Landing, which I though was strange but neat. After the Landing, we went to "Tanger Outlet." That place sucked. That night we went back to the Landing and ate at a steakhouse on the patio and watched the light and fire show. It was more impressive at night.

Day 3 was cold, rainy and windy… ahhh, just as I had planned! We went to the Titanic Museum first. That would have to be the most impressive building I have ever been to. The museum was interesting, but not quite as fun as I had planned. A lot of that had to do with the crowd, I'm sure. This was Monday at 10 AM, so I didn't expect that. Plus, I had been to the exhibit in OKC and a lot of it felt the same. The Grand Staircase was very impressive though, and that's something OKC didn't have. For a second there, you almost feel like you're there. I was quite disappointed I couldn't take pictures or video (but I did get to buy the pic in my photo gallery for $22!). Always the rebel, I took some pictures of posters that were in the bathroom. Then, my ingenious plan… I put my camera on video and stuck it out my jacket pocket and video taped the Grand Staircase and the cabin recreation. You should see this video. It is the most entertaining part of the whole trip. There is absolutely nothing of worth here. I got the floor a lot, the ceiling a lot, but nothing I thought I was taping. I shall keep it for posterity. We also went to Dick Clarks AB Grill (not that great) and to '57 Heaven. I had my reservations about paying $40 for this (for the pair), but it was really fun. It was really deserted (we were the only ones for a time), so we got to browse at our leisure. There were many, many 1957 cars and trucks restored to mint condition. I especially liked the trucks. The paint jobs on these things were amazing (we noted how boring today's vehicles are). They had also recreated 1950s scenes like Main Street, a repair shop, drive-in theater, motel, and a typical home. There were people there to ask questions too; they were really nice. After seeing a poster of the buried Tulsa car and an identical restored car (not THE car, of course) we talked to a man about it. They said they had people there when it was unveiled and were trying to buy the Tulsa car. He was saying what bad shape it was in… even more than I had heard. Lastly, we went to an IMAX show (of which I have never been). Very impressive show… I was amazed (we saw "Hurricane on the Bayou," BTW).

Day 4 was more the same weather wise. Still on the list was the American Presidents museum, but we couldn't find it and I think we were both ready to head back anyway. So, just under an hour less than what it took us to get to Branson, we were home. Oh, wait… we lost that when I took a wrong exit getting back on the Interstate and had to drive the wrong direction for 20 miles. And then back. I really shouldn't be on the road. So there you have it… a trip to Branson, MO without taking in a single stupid show.