VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

AMY BURTON:

Hi everyone! This is Amy with TPF! Trips, Places and Fun! And today we're going to be talking about some of the fun things you can do on the Branson strip, highway 76. This is the place where all the fun happens. It's also the place where you may run into some traffic, but there is so much fun stuff around you that we're hoping that even in the midst of bumper-to-bumper traffic you will be entertained. So we're going to just start by, if you are coming back from Silver Dollar City, so, Silver Dollar City is in Branson West, if you were coming down all the way towards the Landing. We're just gonna start and pick out some different attractions along the way.

THE BUTTERFLY PALACE

So the first attraction you would encounter as you're heading down from Silver Dollar City is the Butterfly Palace. Head on in there. They have a great place where you can see all sorts of butterflies flying around. The kids can grab an explorer's hat and some magnifying glasses and just check out all the lovely butterflies. It's like something you've never seen. They also have other exhibits, so they have a reptile exhibit they they even have a mirror maze. So there's other places in Branson where you can pay to go through a bear maze, but here it's all included in your ticket and it's a really great maze too. I can't always find my way out, or sometimes I come back out the entrance which isn't what you're supposed to do, but it's a lot of fun.

BIGFOOT ON THE STRIP

Alright, so heading on down I'd like to highlight Bigfoot on the Strip. If you just want to be flung into the air or do some death defying drops through things like that you can do that here at Bigfoot on the Strip. I was not brave enough to do them, but my husband and my boys were, so they did it. They had a lot of fun. There's also a movie ride you can do, even participate in the arcade, mini golf, all sorts of fun things like that.

WHITE WATER

So afterwards you are going to pass White Water. White Water is owned by Silver Dollar City. It is so much fun in the summer, lots of water slides, you know, the lazy river, the wave pool, all those traditional things that you'll encounter at a waterpark. So definitely check out White Water if it's hot and you want to cool off.

CICI’S PIZZA

Across from White Water, if you decide you're hungry and you want to stop for a bite, there is Cici's Pizza. Now you have Cici's probably all over the place but there is a really great arcade in here so you can stop for some pizza and also have some fun playing some games with the kiddos. Really, you know, the traditional Cici's, but they're right on the strip and very convenient and fun.

RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Who could pass up Ripley's Believe It or Not? So you'll see this huge robot just standing outside. You'll get in there, you will see all sorts of unique oddities that you can't see anywhere else anywhere, from the world's tallest man, the shrunken heads, it's all in there. So if you want to gain all kinds of knowledge about stuff you never knew you needed to know about, head on in to Ripley's Believe It or Not. 

BRANSON FERRIS WHEEL

Across from Ripley's is the Branson Ferris Wheel. Now this was brought in from Chicago and now it’s an icon or a landmark of Branson. You can see it from all over the city, especially at night. It's so gorgeous. It's all lit up. Sometimes they'll do light shows on the Ferris Wheel, so definitely look at it. Check it out even if you're not going to ride it. The Ferris Wheel is owned by The Track, and the track has several locations on the strip. So if you want to play some arcade games, play some laser tag, go go-karting, things like that, definitely check out one of The Track locations.

TITANIC MUSEUM

The next thing I'll highlight on this trip is the Titanic Museum. Now this is a sobering yet exquisitely done tribute to the sinking of the Titanic. You will see all kinds of artifacts, you'll be given all kinds of information. There's an interactive exhibit. It's great for people of all ages, all the way, you know, from kids, all the way up through adults, and there is so much to do and see here. It really is a beautiful museum and it's so immersive sometimes you feel like you're right there on the Titanic in the midst of the action, so it really will pull at your heartstrings. It is, of course, the sobering story of a sinking of the Titanic, but really well done and something I highly recommend.

HOLLYWOOD WAX MUSEUM

Next you will see a giant monkey, gorilla, but not monkey, there's a difference. You'll see a giant gorilla crawling up the side of a building. This is of course King Kong, and you are at the Hollywood Wax Museum. You can go in there. The great thing here is that you can take pictures with all these celebrities, who of course, they're in wax form, but that's really fun. Lots of great photo ops. There they also have mini-golf. There they have the Castle of Chaos, which is kind of like a scary interactive movie ride type thing. And they have a mirror maze, so you can check out all that out or just at least hit the wax museum if you just want to do one thing, because it's pretty cool.

BUCKETS-N-BOARDS

Across from the wax museum, I just want to highlight one of our favorite shows in Branson, and that's Buckets-N-Boards. Come on out and see Matt and Gareth, they are a hoot. So not only is it percussion, as you might imagine, but there is also improv comedy, singing, even some gymnastics moves, a little bit of everything here. I believe they run probably spring and summer so check out their schedule on Buckets-N-Boards dot-com. That's buckets the letter n boards dot com. You'll have a lot of fun there.

GRAND VILLAGE SHOPS

Heading further down Highway 76, you're going to come to the Village Shops. So lots of great little shopping and dining in this area, but we just want to highlight one of our favorite restaurants in Branson, and that's the Sugar Leaf Bakery and Cafe. Great food here, especially if you want to check out some sweets, you cannot find anything better in Branson. So we will talk more later in a subsequent video about our favorite restaurants in Branson, so make sure you press the like button, subscribe and hit that bell so that you can hear more about that when the time comes.

GRAND COUNTRY

A little bit further down the strip you're going to come to Grand Country. Grand Country has a little bit of everything. They have Splash Country, which is an indoor water park. They also have a variety of shows to choose from. There was an animal show, there's comedy shows, country show, so come check those out. There's a great buffet, so if you're wanting to get some good home cooking, you can find that there. They have the Fun Spot, so some arcade games indoor go-cart, mini golf. It's great for everybody, so come and check it out.

DOLLY PARTON’S STAMPEDE

No trip to Branson would be complete without Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Do you agree with me? Let me know your favorite Branson must-see the comments below. Now the Stampede is a dinner theater, so you're gonna get a great meal. You get to eat with your hands, all different courses, you will be so full when you leave here. And you'll be watching a show with, of course, a lot of horsemanship, but also a ton of audience participation, some singing, some comedy, a little bit of everything, Really a great, can't be missed show.

FRITZ’S ADVENTURE

Next door to the Stampede, you will see Fritz's Adventure. It cannot be missed. Head on in here in any kind of weather and you can experience a ropes course, some climbing obstacles, some laser thing that you got to try to get down under, tons of things. You can climb into an airplane that's hanging from the ceiling. This will give you a workout, so if you want to get in there and you want to burn some calories this is the place to do it. Fritz’s also hosts the Aerodium, so if you are the brave type and you want to go flying through the air, check this out. It's pretty incredible. I haven't done it yet, not sure if I'd be brave enough. As you can probably tell by now I'm not the bravest person when it comes to crazy or unusual rides but for those of you who are, this is probably just the thing for you.

DOWNTOWN BRANSON

Heading a little further down the strip you are going to pass through downtown. So downtown Branson has lots of great shopping and dining. They have Dick’s Five-and-Dime, which is a little general store that's been there forever. Lots of great things to see and do there so definitely make sure to just take a break, walk through downtown, if you get a chance.

BRANSON SCENIC RAILWAY

Now going through downtown you're going to go pass the Scenic Railway. If you want to take a gorgeous, scenic trip into Arkansas, and that also goes through some scenic areas in Missouri, depending on which way they're going. Definitely make sure to check this out. My husband and I took the dinner train and this was fabulous. We got to eat as we watch that beautiful scenery go by. It's a real treat.

BRANSON LANDING

So 76 is gonna dead end into The Landing. Now The Landing is this really cool outdoor shopping mall, lots of places to eat, play and dine there, so you definitely want to check it out. In the middle of it they've got this really cool fountain water, fire thing where you can see shows every hour on the hour. So make sure you stay around for that.

Now I really hope you've enjoyed this scenic trip down the Branson Strip. I just picked out a few of the things that there are to see and do. There was really so much I could never cover it all, but these are some of my favorites. If you have some favorite, comment in the section below and we'll see you next time. Safe travels everyone!