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Christmastime in Branson Trip Report

As first-time Branson travelers, my co-host Annette and I had a great time. We enjoyed all six shows, the plentiful and delicious food, and the great company with the travelers. 

We had an easy bus ride consisting of Bingo, trivia games and movies. Our experienced Branson driver, Chuck, knew all the perfect stops to keep us moving at a good pace and fed at the right times. He surprised our travelers with an unexpected Branson Christmas Light Display (similar to the East Peoria Festival of Lights) courtesy of Peoria Charter and a beautiful detour at dusk around Table Rock Lake to the 165 Scenic Overlook. 

The food on our trip was delicious and plentiful. Lambert's Cafe, "home of the throwed rolls," provided more food than any one person should consume in three meals, let alone one! We started each morning with the popular and delicious breakfast buffet at the Grand Country Resort. We also dined at Jackie B. Goode’s Uptown Café and McFarlain’s Family Restaurant in Branson’s iMax Entertainment Complex. 

The entertainment was outstanding! Our first show of Samson at Site and Sound Theater was very entertaining. Our center floor seats were a neat experience to be so close to the live animals and actors as they used the aisles to enter and exit the stage. Sight and Sound Theater presents a highly technical set that wraps around the theater so there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The Magic & Comedy of Taylor Reed at the Jim Stafford Theater was entertaining and interesting. The Pierce Arrow Show provided hilariously funny family comedy and great music. We saw two shows in The Hughes Brothers Theater: The Hughes Brothers’ Christmas Show and SIX. Both were excellent. The Hughes family has over 30 Hughes kids in every show which makes them the "World’s Largest Performing Family". It was remarkable to see that much talent in just one family! The powerhouse vocals of SIX was my personal favorite. This family of six brothers sing a cappella and perform everything from contemporary pop to R&B to classic rock ‘n’ roll to doo-wop to gospel to patriotic. Our final show of the trip was at the Clay Cooper Theater for more family entertainment from The Haygoods Show. This family of five brothers and one sister provides great music with state-of-the-art effects and unstoppable energy. Many passengers commented this year’s entertainment line-up was some of the best they’ve seen!

Thank you to all who traveled with us. I hope you enjoyed the trip as much as Annette and I did! Branson 2018 did not disappoint.

Susan Miller
Assistant Vice President & Retail Manager