Branson, Missouri is known for its live theater shows, but there’s so much to do in this beautiful area of the Midwest! At 7.5 hours from Chicago, Branson makes for a great holiday break trip. Branson offers families a connection to the outdoors with boating, biking, golfing, hiking, fishing, cave exploring, and swimming. My family recently checked out Midwest gem for a family road-trip vacation to find all the best things to do in Branson with kids!
All the Best Things to Do in Branson with Kids!
Amusement Park: Silver Dollar City
It’s impossible for me to list only one good thing about Silver Dollar City, because there are so many! This amusement park has plenty of rides to please all ages. My children range in age from 1 to 6, and admittedly I was concerned there would not be enough for them to do here. I was very wrong! There are plenty of rides for “all heights,” many “children only” rides, and quite a few “ride with adult” rides they could enjoy.
Silver Dollar City is not only an amusement park with rides, though. They feature crafters and artisans from the Ozark mountains dressed in traditional attire from the 1880s. You can watch taffy makers, blacksmiths, soap makers, bakers, candle makers, wood carvers, and so many more throughout the park. This was truly fascinating.
In addition to the artisans, there is entertainment galore! Everywhere you look there are more performers or shows to catch. You can hear some of the Ozarks best entertainers right there in the park.
In addition to the rides, performances, and artisans in Silver Dollar City, you can also do the Marvel Cave tour right in the park! Your ticket includes this 60 minute tour down into the limestone cave, which dates back to exploration in the 16th century. This tour takes you deep beneath the surface to explore many of the natural limestone formations and waterfalls. The tour consists of 500 steps down, and approximately 200 steps up, which I truly had to think twice about with my young family… but we all made it! My children still talk about it being their favorite part of the trip.
In addition to the amusement park and the cave, Silver Dollar City offers entertainment options of Showboat: Branson Belle, as well as Whitewater, the outdoor water park. While we did not explore these this trip, we plan to keep them in our “back pocket” for our next family vacation to Branson.
Live Theater Options for Families in Branson, MO
We stopped at a Branson tourism center on our way into town to check out the live theater options for our family. Our eldest daughter loves animals and professes her desire to become a veterinarian regularly, so we chose to see the Amazing Pets show at Grand Country. This show and theater are very family-friendly. The show begins with a segment inviting any kids that have a joke to come up and tell their joke to the crowd. Very cute! Our kids thoroughly enjoyed seeing the house cats and dogs perform.
Other options for kids included the Amazing Acrobats of Shanghai, the Sights & Sounds Theater production (at the time, the show was Samson), or Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Show.
Where to Eat in Branson, MO
There is no shortage of places to eat throughout the area. If you have a taste for something, I am sure you can find it, from pizza to barbecue to sushi! We received the recommendation to try Billy Bob’s Dairyland. This is a 1950s themed diner with your typical burgers, fries, and milkshakes, but boy were they yummy! Heads up if you do visit, it is cash only.
Where to Stay in the Area
We had the privilege of staying at Big Cedar Wilderness Club. The Wilderness Club is the vacation club portion of the larger Big Cedar Resort. This place is amazing! If you are looking for a wilderness resort type vacation, this is the spot!
The resort offers several pools and hot tubs, lazy river, water slides, lake access with a small marina and beach, campfires, health club, kids club, shopping, dining, golfing, Fun Mountain (a kid’s dream come true), playgrounds, and plenty of resort activities. Each day, there is a listing of the activities at the resort. You can participate in as many or as little as you would like! There are resort shuttles throughout the grounds to take you from place to place – no need to park or walk. Our kids’ favorites were the many pools, Fun Mountain, and the bonfire.
Fun Mountain on the grounds of Big Cedar features an indoor ropes course (for the littles), and outdoor ropes course (with live gators below), bumper cars, go carts, slides, kids club, restaurant, virtual climbing wall, arcade, video golf, bowling, and laser tag. My kids could have spent all day here!
Top of the Rock
Situated just inside the grounds of Big Cedar is Johnny Morris’ Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve. This is a beautiful area situated at the highest point in the Branson area. Top of the Rock features the Ozark Natural History Museum, Lost Canyon Cave, golfing and amazing dining.
On our last night, we took the Lost Canyon Nature Trail, which is a scenic tour of the area, 2.5 miles, via an electric golf cart. The tour takes you past waterfalls and through a cave — make sure to stop at the Bat Bar for a drink!
We culminated this adventure with dinner at Buffalo Bar. The food and service was wonderful. Nightly, there is a sunset ceremony which features a bagpipe performance and firing of a Civil War cannon. This ceremony honors the Scottish golfing tradition.
If you are looking for more ideas of family road trips, check out our travel section for more ideas!
