Posts Tagged ‘missouri’
POV Branson Ferris Wheel PLUS Full Electrify Light Show!
POV Branson Ferris Wheel PLUS Full Electrify Light Show!
The Branson Ferris Wheel is a beautiful part of the Branson, Missouri skyline!
John and Amy take a ride and invite you along with them. PLUS, watch the FULL Electrify Light Display at the end of the video!
#branson #ferriswheel #travel #family #adventure #vlog #trips #vacation
STUNNING and BEAUTIFUL Dogwood Canyon near Branson, Missouri!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
This is Amy with TPS! Trips, Places and Fun! Today we're at Dogwood Canyon Nature Preserve. This is owned by Johnny Morris, the same guy who puts on Top of the Rock and the Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium and all those cool places, and this place is no exception. It is amazing. It's beautiful here. So we're just going to kind of give you a little tour.
All right, so we're here at what they call the Glory Hole here at Dogwood Canyon. Man this is amazing! It's so beautiful. There’s a waterfall, and just pan around there. Amy take a look, this is just amazing, phenomenal, beautiful. If you are anywhere near Branson, get out here to Dogwood Canyon. I'm sweating. We've been riding our bikes, uphill basically, so I think on the way back we're gonna go downhill. But on Amy's bikes she has a little bell which reminds me, subscribe and ding that bell so you can be notified the next time, I'm out of breath, the next time that we are out doing something fun like this here at Dogwood Canyon.
We hope you enjoyed this. Safe travels everyone!
FREE IN BRANSON! Dolly Parton’s Stampede’s Annual Whoadeo Family Fun Day!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Eva, are you excited about going to the Whoadeo?
Hey everybody, here we go, TPF! Trips, Places and FUN! And today we are headed over to Dolly Parton's Stampede. They have their annual Whoadeo. This is a family fun day, it's free, and so we're gonna take the kids and head off to the Whoadeo, right here in beautiful Branson, Missouri.
All right, so so we're going to the Whoadeo. We’ve got Eva, Jet and Ella right here. We're ready to rock! All right, Ella, tell us a little bit about it, what in the world are we getting ourselves into here?
Gonna go to Dixie Stampede, Dolly Parton’s Stampede, and we're gonna get some candy, we're gonna go on some bounce houses and we're just gonna have a bunch of fun. Bunch of fun! Look Jet, fun, fun, fun.
Hey guys, we are coming at you from Dolly Parton’s Stampede. They're hosting the Whoadeo today, so it's a lot of fun, it's something they do every year in the fall. I'm here with my buddy Harley, we're having tons of fun. A little known fact, I used to be a server at the Stampede, super fun job, carrying lots of heavy chicken pans, serving the guests. It was, it was a great time. So, I don't know if you all know this, but Dolly Parton has the Imagination Library that she sponsors. The Imagination Library is a great thing that they do for the community. When you have a baby you can sign up for this and your child can get a book every month until their fifth birthday, so that's pretty cool. It's a way that they encourage reading in our community. And so this event is actually put on by Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, something really, really cool, so definitely check that out in your community to see if it's available.
Yeah, good job Eva! Good job, wait a minute, what is that you go,t more candy?
Wait, you're the one that was here before. We had a discussion about this. I can't be here if you're there but you can't be there if your here. Of course, here is different in there, unlike here there not here then there is the same as here. Of course it is.
Fritz’s Adventure: We have a four-story ropes course, underground tunnels, slides that our entry are to get down on the floor, via ferrata which is our outdoor rock climbing wall, has tons of team-building, youth groups, birthday party, there's so much to do. Also most groups on the Aeroodium which is our skydiving simulator. We've got the suspended airplane, the city wall, storage containers, we have stuff that you can kind of go through, so really there is fun for everyone at any age. It's about family togetherness and fun and just overcoming fears.
Okay, so I divided up family and wait where you going little bit everything definitely a great time if you enjoy it and you want to see more please press that subscribe button hit that bell and be sure to give us a thumbs up safe travels everyone!
FUNNY reviews, bloopers and comments about Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri
You don’t want to miss the BLOOPERS at the end!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
People leave some of the funniest reviews online and we're going to look at some of them right now!
Hi everyone, this is Amy.
And this is John. And we're with TPF! Trips, Places and Fun! And today we're going to discuss some of the funny reviews left about Table Rock Lake and Table Rock Dam here in Branson, Missouri. Table Rock Lake was formed in the 1950s when the Table Rock dam was built. So the lake spans 800 miles of shoreline and over 50 thousand acres. So we're going to just take a look at some of these reviews. The lake is really, really beautiful. The dam, when they open the floodgates, you've never seen anything like that. Alright, so we're gonna look at some of these reviews and I'm gonna go through some of these here and share some of them with you and we will see what they have to say.
So these are reviews from review sites like TripAdvisor, Google, Facebook and so we're going to be pulling those up and taking a look, see what we can find. All right, so first we're gonna talk about Table Rock Lake. We have a five-star review. This one says it's one of the most beautiful lakes I have seen, fishing, tubing, skiing or just float and tan. Tons of fish and fun.
It's true, one of our favorite days of the year is when we rent a boat, we'll do it once a year and spend the whole day and tubing and swimming and huge fun.
Here's another five star: This lake is absolutely and most likely overlooked by Branson area visitors. That's true, a lot of people come to Branson for all the fun and stuff. In my opinion it's one of the top reasons to come to Branson.
Alright, now this reviewer only gave three stars. Their reasoning was that the water was high and this is an overwhelming lake that's just too high and it ruins the whole experience. Take off a couple stars because the lake is too high and I'm hoping that they'll correct that someday. Two stars, he will spend ten minutes at least it's not that big. Okay, it's big. This thing is huge, its massive, eight hundred miles of shoreline. Oh we're going crazy on this one, wait ten minutes, non no. We're passionate about this point! I don't know why but we are. It's huge, its massive, it's, it's, I think the shoreline is is longer than the entire coast of California.
Hey, here's another one, two stars. Two stars, which is a poor rating, that's bad, read because it was hard to find. Hard to find. I don't know what to say.
So now let's check out some reviews for Table Rock Dam. Five stars: we enjoy being able to drive across the dam and take in everything, it is truly a piece of art and well worth checking out. I'm gonna have to agree. We did that today. We drove over the dam. It's a beautiful, beautiful drive. Five stars: we always stop by the day at the dam in Branson, great history behind the dam in Table Rock Lake and an architectural marvel. Again, agree, it's beautiful. Marvel. Stunning.
All right, now this one only gave three stars: a large concrete structure but if you have seen one dam that you have pretty much seen them all. Hmm that's really sad that they didn’t have a good experience. Yeah, I mean it's an architectural marvel but this one says it's just like all the others.
All right, this one is three stars: also it looks like any other dam but good to see they're damn close to the fish hatchery which would be good for the kids. I see what she did there. Be careful. Family show.
Alright, so now let's see what people have to say about the Fish Hatchery. it is, it's, it's a lot of fun to take the kids, not for a long time, but for just up maybe 30 minutes, an hour at the most. But to go to the to the bottom of Table Rock Dam and that's where fish, you'll see, I don't know how many thousands and thousands of fish and all of these, I don't know what you would call them, aqueduct, is that, maybe not, but but but containers of water in the ground, and that's where fish are. They grow and as soon as they grow to a certain length they are released into Lake Taneycomo. Lake Taneycomo is a cold water lake, it's at the bottom of the dam on the other side of Table Rock Lake, and Table Rock Lake is a warm water lake so you're gonna have bass and crappie and different types of fish, bluegill, but in Lake Taneycomo, trout, it's a cold water fish, cold water lake.
And so the fish hatchery produces and 400,000 pounds of trout in here. Trout are not native to Missouri so it's great that they have a fish hatchery here in order to be able to feed Lake Taneycomo. So let's see what people have to say about the hatchery. Five stars: Much to do and learn about here. Our daughter loves checking out all the animals both dead and alive. So children are going to love seeing everything dead and alive here. Five stars: had a blast at this location and our grandchildren enjoy feeding the fish. We fed the fish today, hopefully we have some video of that, it's pretty crazy. They throw the food to the fish and they just go crazy.
In a town that seems to suck your wallet dry this place is a nice little spot for some short free entertainment. This one says three stars: Since it's a fish hatchery you can't expect a lot of excitement. I don't know what they were expecting but, yes, there's fish. And you actually get to walk through, not big, but a little like a Welcome Center, there's, there's fish in tanks, there. Two star review: I think there are some fish. What we have, then give more stars, less fish, different fish, other than all I got something other than fish, at the fish hatchery, that would have been all right.
Thanks guys! We really hope that when you're in Branson you will check out Table Rock Lake and Table Rock Dam and the Fish Hatchery and decide for yourself. If you have any comments about Table Rock Lake or Table Rock Dam for the Fish Hatchery please comment in the section below and we hope that we've given you some great things to think about. Give a thumbs up, subscribe, and the other one, ding that bell! Alright guys, safe travels everyone! So sorry about this one.
BLOOPERS:
okay, okay, yes you break, in with that comedy. okay, ready y-yeah yeah you know sometimes he looks at me for a witty retort I'm waiting for the humor. sometimes I have nothing, nothing, sometimes it's better if I do have something to not say it. oh yes, yes, and not just about the dam. no we gotta redo that, oh yeah, all right, that's good over okay so they actually hatch trout at the fish hatchery which we found outfit they hatch trout I guess they like it like like a dinosaur egg um they breed, that they throw them, then call it, anyway, they grow, they house, bing brought into this world, so they they put them in Rock Lake, Taneycomo, they would die. Is that all that we have today for our fine friends? Well, I, wow, that went so fast. I guess we were just having so much fun, it's just, BAM, it's over.
FUN things to do on THE STRIP in BRANSON, MISSOURI
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!
A Look Inside America’s Number One Aquarium: Wonders of Wildlife in Springfield, Missouri
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
AMY: Hey everyone! This is Amy with TPF! Trips, Places and Fun, and I'm here with John, and today we're going to be talking about the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri. So we have a little known fact or a fun story for you at the end so just hold off to the very end and hear what we have to say. You're not going to regret it. Now, the Wonders of Wildlife has been voted America's best aquarium and the best new attraction by USA Today, so this is definitely something you want to get out there and see. It's by the creators of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris, and you'll want to know that this is separated into two different areas. So you have the wildlife galleries and you have the aquarium, and you can see one or the other or get a combo ticket to see both.
JOHN: So after you purchase your tickets, if you choose to go to both attractions, you're gonna go to the wildlife gallery first, and I'll tell you, it's absolutely overwhelming. All of the exhibits and the details and and the plaques that you can read and the information; definitely way more than we could ever address here in a short video. So take your time, if you have the time, take the time read all that you can read, look at everything that you can.There's phenomenal, beautifully done scenery and the animals are placed in real life type of scenes and it's themed in a way that I've really never seen anywhere else in my life, and I've been to a lot of different museums and aquariums and things like that. It's amazing. And so you're gonna see a variety of things including a Native American gallery. You're gonna see all sorts of different artwork and sculptures and various types of scenery and things like that. You're gonna look at Roosevelt's cabin, very, very cool. You're gonna walk in and you're gonna see a little fire in the fireplace, and you know, everything that they do here in the museum makes you feel like you're really there, especially the outdoor scenes, which that's really hard to pull off. They did it here. Many of you know the brilliance of Johnny Morris and Bass Pro they know how to do this. They do it so well. You're gonna see bucks and bulls and wolves and so many different types of animals. You're gonna see something called Sheep Mountain. It’s super cool. Amy really loves this, don't you Amy? Why don't you tell them about this.
AMY: This is totally cool. Lighting cycles through a 24-hour day every three minutes, so it's getting lighter, than it, you know, dawn comes. Then it starts to, you know, go throughout the bright day and then dusk comes, and then it gets dark. And so it's really cool to see that cycle as you're going through that, through that exhibit. That lighting is cycling through and it just adds such a cool level of immersion.
JOHN: And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I heard one of the staff members share today that they actually adjust the temperature as well, is that right?
AMY: That’s what I heard. The lighting is changing throughout the day and the temperature is also changing.
JOHN: So it's going it's getting warmer during the day, cooler at night, and so it's just one of those touches that just it's kind of mind-boggling that they, you know, added the detail like that. And so that's something that's, it's really pretty amazing, you know. Additionally, you're going to see something that they call Africa at night. And that's a, it's a really cool scene there. One thing to take note of, you are going to walk into a polar area that has penguins, and this is the only the only scene in the wildlife gallery that actually has live animals, is that right?
AMY: Yes, as far as I know this is the only place where you are going to see live animals. Most of the live animals are over on the aquarium side.
JOHN: So it might make sense that, you know, if you are only going to go to the aquarium and, something in the back of your head tells you that you want to see the penguins, you're not gonna see the penguins in the aquarium. The penguins are in the in the wildlife gallery, and so just keep that in mind, but those guys are really cool, those penguins, they're swimming and just doing penguiny kind of things, I guess.
AMY: Right, super cute.
JOHN: And so you're gonna you're gonna see the penguins there. There's tunnels for the kids to crawl through and to pop up and to see a different point of view there as the penguins are swimming around. Additionally, different areas there, and and I'm not going through all of them. I'm just selecting a few that stood out to me. There's a walrus and polar bears. There's a lion's den and so many different, just, just really, really cool things. So again, you take your time, walk slow, enjoy yourself and when you are done with that segment, you are going to emerge overlooking the aquarium and it's it's a stunning transition, coming out of what feels more, or I don't even know how to say it, maybe more natural or older or old into something that's that's suddenly vibrant and blue and fresh and it's really pretty amazing. And so we're going to talk about the aquarium, but before we do that, we need to stop and get something to eat, and I think there's a great place to do that.
AMY: Between the wildlife galleries and the aquarium you will find Fish Tales Cafe. Now this is a great time in between the galleries and the aquarium to kind of take a breather, relax a little bit, and grab a bite to eat at Fish Tales Cafe. They have a lot of great food. You'll find pizza. They even have gluten-free pizza so if you need that, that's there for you. They have some vegetarian options. They have salad, they have sandwiches, so lots of great things to eat. They even serve Andy's Frozen Custard, so if you're in the mood for some dessert you can get that there too. As you're sitting there you can see the penguins swimming up and down, there's a little aquarium there inside the cafe itself, so that's fun to watch as you're eating. And then you can just get refreshed, take a breather and then head on into the aquarium.
As John said earlier, the entrance to the aquarium is stunning. You've got an aquarium that's probably a couple of stories high and there are fish swimming the whole height of it. All around are different exhibits and you just walk kind of into this blue lagoon.Iit's it's hard to describe, but it is amazing once you get into the aquarium. There's so many different things to see and I'm not going to cover all of them because it would just be impossible in this short video, but I'll just highlight some of my favorites. You go through Shipwreck Reef, and this is another thing with it, when you walk through the doors and you see Shipwreck Reef, you're just stunned. It is just so immersive and so cool. Johnny Morris is not disappoint. You will just have to see this for yourself. Then, as you go past Shipwreck Reef, you can go past a theater. There's some different things to do in there. But then you can go into the swamp at night. Now, this takes immersion to a whole new level. Just as John was saying earlier they are able to make you think you're outside when you're inside, and so it's like you're walking through the swamp. You're walking across like this kind of swinging bridge, this rickety bridge, into a treehouse. Just so many things to do and see here, and lots of live animals to interact with. And it's not just fish. It's not just the things you might think that you would see in an aquarium. But you'll also see birds and turtles and alligators and just all different kinds of animals. And so, they also have something in here called the touch experience, so you can touch sea urchins and different things like that. So it's kind of cool to look down and see these little spiky creatures and be able to reach down and touch them. You can even swim with the sharks if you are so inclined and very brave you can gear up and go swim with the sharks. I did not do that but maybe you are brave enough to do it. So another really cool thing to see are the jellyfish. These, I don't know how they make them look like this, but I don't know if they're backlit or something, but they just have this really cool glow effect. And so the jellyfish are something we always want to take a picture of and kind of stare at in different lighting. The shark alley is in here, and you can take your photo inside of a giant shark mouth or jaws of a shark, teeth of a shark, so that's a great photo-op if you decide to do that, There is even a caves exhibit, so it's kind of like you're walking through just caves, underground caves…
JOHN: …as opposed to the above-ground caves…
AMY: …that's true caves are underground, but you're walking through it, again it looks so real. You'll see bats, real live bats and some fake ones, sometimes it's hard to tell which are which so it can be a little creepy. But you'll see bats flying around. They also even have black bears in the aquarium, so definitely something that you wouldn't think you'd see in an aquarium, but they do they have a couple of black bears there. One of the the neatest things to do is the stingray touch. So stingrays are swimming around and you can reach your hand in there and they just come right up. They, they are used to people touching them and they don't seem to mind it. So you can pet some stingrays, and then the very last thing to do there, and we always have a blast doing this, is they have what's called the sketch aquarium, and it's kind of hard to explain. But, you color a picture of a turtle or a fish or something like that and they kind of scan it and then it is in this, it's up on the wall. Your sketch is up on the wall swimming around. So we even did TPF travels so you guys could see it. Anyway, so this aquarium is really, really incredible, you know, the best in the US voted by USA Today. So definitely get out here and see this. You will not regret it.
JOHN: So in the beginning of the video we told you that was there was something fun, interesting, at the end that you definitely needed stay tuned in for, and here it is, I was recently talking with an employee of a sprinkler company who installs commercial sprinklers. He was sharing with me that the gigantic whale that is up there in the ceiling of the aquarium, huge, absolutely massive, he said that they were installing sprinklers actually in the whale. He was, he was going on to tell me about how Johnny Morris is very a particular about hiding different things that are necessary in order to have a business open, like sprinklers, but hiding them, making them blend in with the scenery. And so that's what they were doing. So he was telling me that there's actually sprinklers hidden in the whale and when they got up there to do the installation they noticed that there was a little doll, a little, tiny doll sitting there. Someone had thrown a doll into the whale and it's it's Jonah! And somebody threw Jonah up there in the whale. So when you see that whale up there in the ceiling you can know that, you'll of course you'll never never see it, but there there's a doll named Jonah hanging out inside the whale. And I guess if the story follows what we see in the Bible that after three day he's gonna get out? I don't know he's been in there longer than three days, I think he's kind of stuck.
AMY: Thanks for joining us on another episode of TPS. We hope you'll tune in next time for some other fun activity.
JOHN: And by all means be sure to give us a thumbs up and then subscribe and click the bell so you can be notified the next time a video is uploaded. See you guys next time!
AMY: Safe travels!
How to have fun at Silver Dollar City in the rain
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
AMY: Hi everyone, this is Amy with TPF, Trips Places and Fun! And I'm here with John and today we would like to talk about Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. Silver Dollar City is an awesome theme park. It is themed after the late 1800s or so. There are staff members who are walking around in period costumes, you can see crafters who are making things from that era, just a really really unique park. It also has a lot of great rides. You can see and ride coasters and water rides. You can see shows, lots of different attractions. We were there recently and it was raining so we thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about things to do at Silver Dollar City when it is raining, when the weather's bad, when a lot of the rides are shut down. So if it's raining and there's no lightning the rides may still be open you may still be able to get to ride the coasters and the train and the water rides. But in the event of lightning, they're going to shut down a lot of things. However this doesn't mean you have to leave the park. There are still a lot of fun things to do, so we're going to get into talking about some of those things.
JOHN: Probably the most obvious attraction to enjoy at Silver Dollar City when it's raining or when it's very hot or very cold is Marvel Cave. Marvel Cave is one of America's largest caves. It's an absolute must see, must do. You're gonna have the time of your life there underneath the ground. The temperature stays, I think it's right around 62 degrees year around, and you're going to experience a lot of twists and turns, a lot of stairs, I think there's around 600 stairs ,so that's something to keep in mind when you're considering whether you want to head out on that venture or not. But if you do, you're going to hear some awesome stories from the cave guides and they're gonna tell you things. For example, one interesting thing is they once flew five hot-air balloons there in the main chamber there in Marvel Cave. And so it's huge, its massive, and one thing to keep in mind also is when it rains a lot the cave will flood and there are times that they will either re-divert the the tours, take you a little bit higher, or sometimes the flooding is so extreme that they actually do have to close the cave until the water leaves the cave system. So you have a couple different options. You have a traditional tour, which is what most people take. It's free by the way. There's no extra cost and that those tours run throughout the day at Silver Dollar City. Or they also have some lantern tours that you can check out. So all in all definitely check out Marvel Cave. Marvel Cave came first and Silver Dollar City was built around it. And it's quite an adventure.
AMY: So another great attraction that you can participate in when the weather's bad is Grandfather's Mansion. Grandfather's Mansion is a quirky, late-1800s fun house. So as you go through the mansion you may see twisted passageways, narrow staircases, you can peer into some secret rooms, see some funhouse mirrors. It just takes a few minutes to go through but sometimes my kids will go through it over and over and over. It really is kind of a traditional classic attraction there at Silver Dollar City, and the bonus is that you can do it in any kind of weather.
JOHN: So when the skies open up and the rain starts coming, one place that people flock to are the shows. I personally love all of the shows there at Silver Dollar City, specifically the Saloon Show. We saw that yesterday and it's a brand-new show this year. It had me just busting up. It's hilarious. It's fast paced, loads of fun, and it's it's it's about 27 minutes long or so, so it's something that doesn't take a huge chunk out of your day. But it's definitely worth it get in line early if you can, and head on over to the saloon. Inside they're gonna serve you, I believe, root beer floats and popcorn. And so you're gonna really have a great time there in the saloon. That's one of my all-time favorites at Silver Dollar City. Then you can head on over to Heritage Hall. They have a variety of different shows there depending on what the season is. Right now they have a cowboy show that's extremely well done, very, very entertaining with horses and and gunfire and tricks and rope tricks and whip tricks and all sorts of different things like that. There's dogs and dog shows and all, this this feels like a, I don't know, maybe a Buffalo Bill type attraction back in the day. There are all sorts of different things that you can see there so I would recommend that if you can get into that show before the season changes. We're getting close to Christmas time so we're gonna have some amazing Christmas shows coming up. In fact, that's the very best time of the year to visit Silver Dollar City, in my opinion. Those shows are phenomenal. One more show that I'll highlight is the Cajun Connection. These guys have been around for a long time and you can head on down to the Dockside Theater and it's right there by the Lost River of the Ozarks. It's an outdoor theater, but it's covered, and so when it's raining just head on in there and listen to some good old Cajun music. So there are a lot of shows depending on the season, the time of the year at Silver Dollar City, and you are going to enjoy all of them.
AMY: Of course something else you can do when it's raining is head inside to one of the many stores at Silver Dollar City and do some shopping. Silver Dollar City is known for the amazing crafters that are there. You can see things like glassblowing, blacksmiths. You can shop in an amazing candy store and get some incredible chocolate. Just all different kinds of crafts, paintings, sculptures, soap making, so many unique things there to see and buy. You can also eat so if you are stuck in the rain and you need to get out of it for a little bit find something to eat in one of the amazing restaurants there. You could have pizza, you could go to a couple of different buffets. You could eat barbecue, salads lots of different things, great treats there, and so a lot of different things there to grab to eat. And you can get out of the rain because it's covered, a lot of its inside, so if you need to take shelter for an hour going shopping and dining are great options.
JOHN: So when it's lightning, thundering, most of the rides are gonna close there at Silver Dollar City. But there are some that will remain open. We'll talk about a couple of those starting with The Mine Ride. It's The Flooded Mine. It's a classic Silver Dollar City attraction, been there for years and years and years and it's something that I like to do just to get out of the weather, again whether it's hot or cold or raining. You just ride this ride, it's all indoors and you are going to be in a boat floating very slowly through various scenes with prisoners and water everywhere. It’s flooded, and you have guns in your hands and there's targets everywhere so you get to shoot as you float by all of these different scenes with the prisoners with the guards with, you know, the bars and the rocks that's are blowing up with dynamite. And it's all animated and there's explosions and really, really awesome, really cool, and the kids love it. It's great for the whole family, any age. So The Flooded Mine is a definite must do, a classic ride here at Silver Dollar City.
AMY: Whether it is sunny, hot or cold, no matter what, we always want to take time to ride Fire in the Hole. It is one of our favorite rides here at Silver Dollar City. And it is a dark ride, so you are riding through the dark on a little coaster, mini-coaster, and you are going to see scenes of the Baldknobbers and just some Ozark history there, and you'll be riding through and seeing some different things happen. You'll see buildings catch on fire, you'll see a train coming, all sorts of interesting things. And then you will hear someone yell “Fire in the hole,” just like that, as you descend some some little hills. So it is just really, really fun, something that you want to do in any weather, but definitely if it's raining.
JOHN: One of the newer areas of the park at Silver Dollar City is Firemen's Landing. And this is something the kids love. There's several different kids rides there, and you know, of course, if there's no thunder and lightning those rides are gonna be running. But if you do need to retreat indoors or if the rain is just too hard, they do have an indoor area. It is a, what would you call it, I guess, not a ball pit necessarily, but it has ball cannons where you are shooting these these soft balls. There's hundreds and hundreds of them and there's many different levels. And there's little vacuum hoses that you can suck these balls up and they go into something, pop out at the top. and that’s a great way to put it, a ball factory. And so there it is, a ball factory right there in Fireman's Landing, and it's great for kids of all ages. Any time my kids have any sense that they're anywhere near Fireman's Landing they've gotta go and they've got to go play in the, what did you call it again, the ball factory.
Amy: Those are some things that we could think of to do at Silver Dollar City in the rain, but if you have some additional ideas please come comment below and let us know. Now if your only day to go to Silver Dollar City is in the rain, during bad weather, you might want to hold off for a sunny day because there are a lot more things to do when it's nice weather. But one benefit to going on a rainy day is that the park is pretty empty, so if you would rather give up some of the coasters in order to have fewer people on the park then that's just something to consider.
JOHN: Now definitely hit that subscribe button and then click the bell so you can be notified every time a new video is released.
AMY: Safe travels!
Top Things to do with Kids in Branson, Missouri | Best Family Attractions in Branson, Missouri
Branson vacations are perfect for families and the kids! Discover some of the top things to do with kids in Branson, Missouri!
At Escape Code we are often asked if our escape rooms are a good activity for kids. Our response? Escape Code is an amazing attraction for kids of all ages to experience! Without question, Escape Code is among the top things to do with kids in Branson, Missouri!
Solving mysteries whether you are young or not so young is thrilling, and the experience at Escape Code is sure to be memorable!
Since we are so convinced that children are an important and wonderful part of Branson tourism, we just have to share some of our other favorite family attractions in Branson!
- Silver Dollar City
- The Track & Branson Ferris Wheel
- Sight and Sound Theater
- Table Rock Lake
- Showboat Branson Belle
- Dixie Stampede
- Branson Landing
- Fritz’s Adventure
- IMAX Theater
- Shepherd of the Hills
- Titanic Museum
BOOK your adventure at Escape Code, one of the TOP FAMILY ATTRACTIONS in Branson, Missouri, HERE!
Top things to do in Branson Missouri | Top attractions in Branson Missouri
Top things to do in Branson, Missouri
When enjoying a family vacation, friends night out or a date with the love of your life, it’s helpful to know what the top things are to do in the city your are visiting.
The team at Escape Code loves the variety of entertainment in Branson, Missouri. Of course, we are biased, but we really do believe Escape Code is most definitely one of the top things to do when traveling to Branson, Missouri!
In fact, it’s not only us who is excited about the adventure at Escape Code. Read these reviews from some of the guests to our escape room:
- This was by far the best escape room we have been to. The boys loved starting the Revenge mystery blindfolded and handcuffed. ~Diane
- The Escape Code staff members were fun and professional. The room set up was fantastic! The props used were authentic looking and set the scene beautifully. If you are looking for an activity that your entire family or group can enjoy, Escape Code will not disappoint! ~arkgator
- One of the coolest things to do in Branson! ~Madelynrylee
- SO MUCH FUN! My husband and I had such a great time doing the first room, we went back to do the other 2 the same week! Well worth the price and the most fun we had while we were in Branson. I'd give 5 stars and a high recommendation to go if you're looking for an escape room (or just a fun time out) anywhere close to here! ~Danica
- So much fun! Definitely in the top 2 attractions that we did while on our vacation! ~playacarprincess
- Above all other Branson attractions, this is a must do! We had so much fun racing the clock to escape our room! Its very well thought out and is an absolute blast! ~Josh
- I absolutely love escape rooms, and have been entertained from USA to Greece – this is BY FAR the nicest, best organized, well thought out experience yet! Great fun that you will keep talking about for hours after!!! ~Carey
- This was the highlight of our trip and we couldn't stop talking about how fun it was!! This was our first time to do an escape game and we really didn't know what to expect. However, this turned out to be an absolute blast and we can't wait to go back! This will be as high on the list as Silver Dollar City, just because it is something you don't see everyday!! ~LeighAnn
LEARN MORE about one of THE TOP THINGS TO DO IN BRANSON, MISSOURI—ESCAPE CODE, and book your room NOW!
Of course, there are many other amazing places to visit in Branson when you are on your vacation!
Here’s the short list of some other attractions that we love to visit ourselves.
We couldn’t end this article without adding them to the list of top things to do in Branson, Missouri!
- Silver Dollar City
- The Track & Branson Ferris Wheel
- Sight and Sound Theater
- Table Rock Lake
- Showboat Branson Belle
- Dixie Stampede
- Branson Landing
- Fritz’s Adventure
- IMAX Theater
- Shepherd of the Hills
- Titanic Museum