I have often heard of Branson, MO as a fun town. I have visualized it to be a honky tonk kind of place, perhaps even a nod to the southern charm of old. I have never had an overwhelming desire to go, nor have I gone remotely close enough to make the additional trip. It is 3-5 hours away from towns that I think are more enticing (St. Louis, Memphis, Tulsa) so a day trip to Branson from any of locations is probably not likely.
So today is the day. After my brief stop last night in Tulsa yesterday, I continued east to Branson to experience the draw that so many have to that city. When I arrived on their main boulevard, I was surprised by what I saw. It was not the honky tonk tourist trap I expected, but one that was akin to so many beach towns on the Atlantic coast. The place overwhelms with loud lights and kitschy tourist attractions: wax museums, petting zoos and museums of oddities. You can almost hear the place sucking money out of people's pockets. Though the boulevard is not long, the tourist attractions seem endless.
I, for one, cannot imagine the money spent here. $50 for dinner and a show, $25 for a few rounds of go karting, $20 for entrance to the aquarium (disclaimer: these are not real ticket prices, these are conservative guesses). A day alone for a family of four could easily be $500.
Though it would be fun to go to the famous Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede show, the overwhelming sense that you are in a tourist trap does not do much to lure me back.
Comments