An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri - Part 6

Christmas Sleigh at the Branson Belle Landing

The last three days were mostly driving on the bus with stops at Drury Inns in Terre Haute, Indiana and Troy, Michigan. At the Michigan Hotel we ran into a whole bunch of people who were staying at the hotel and were planing their Black Friday attacks on the consumer world. They were just a bit weird! We had dinner at noon at a Cracker Barrel. We had the turkey dinner special and we therefore had our second thanksgiving day! Turkey, ham dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potato casserole, and biscuits.

Home Friday night in Ottawa about 8 pm. There was a lot of driving on this trip but the shows were worth it and we will probably do this again.

This was supposed to be country music tour and there was country music played, however, being so close to Christmas the emphasis was on Christmas Music.

An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri - Part 5

The fourth and last day in Branson we attended three shows. In the morning we were introduced to the Cat's Pajamas Vocal Band. We weren't to sure about them at first, but as it turned out they put on a great performance. I would go to see them again. They really went out of their way for our bus group. They greeted us before the show in their bath robes and after the show they came on the bus to say goodbye.

The second show of the day was a dinner cruise on the Showboat Branson Belle. We ate supper as the boat cruised around their local lake. After supper they put on a great variety show.
The star of this show was the multi-talented Janice Martin.

The third show of the day, in the evening was the Soji Tabuchi Christmas show. They put on a good show but by then we were "showed out."

An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri - Part 4

The third day in Branson we went shopping in the morning at the Tanger Outlet Mall. In the afternoon, we attended the Daniel O'Donnell show. This was the show we really wanted to see and it was as good in person as on TV. I bought several music CDs and look forward to playing them this winter. This is a show I would go to see again!

In the evening we went to the Andy Williams Theatre to see the Andy Williams Christmas show. This was a great variety show, introducing a lot of new talent including the Cat's Pajamas.

 

Following this we toured a bit to see the Christmas lights.

An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri - Part 3

The second day we had a driving tour of Branson in the morning plus a tour of the College of the Ozarks Campus and also a wine tasting session at the Stone Hill Winery. We bought our limit to take home.

 

We then attended two shows. The first was the Texas Tenors. Their music was great but way too loud for most of us. Bought a CD and had it signed by all three and had a picture taken with them. This is something I have never done before.

 

The second show of the day was the Ozark Moubtain Jubilee with the Bacon Family at the Grand Country Resort. This was show was also too loud until we moved towards the back of the theatre into some empty seats.

An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri - Part 2

The first day in Branson we had a behind the stage tour at The Sight and Sound Theatre and then in the evening we went back to this theatre to see Joseph! (and The Many Coloured Coat). This was a great production put on by a Christian group. Their hope was that attendees would get their christian message.

We stayed at the Grand Country Resort, where the daily breakfast buffet was included. One could eat to the bursting point here! We also had a couple of buffet dinners there as well. Gained 5 pounds over the nine day trip!

An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri.

An Ozark Mountain Christmas in Branson, Missouri.

This is a bus tour we took with Queensway/McCoy from Ottawa to Branson, Missouri. We left Ottawa really early in the morning, like 5:30 am, which meant we were up shortly after 4 am.

The first two and a half days were driving, stopping overnight first in Findlay, Ohio and then in St. Louis, Missouri. Both nights we stayed at Drury Inns. These were quite nice hotels and they also offered a free hot breakfast and hot snacks (supper) and free drinks in the evening.

In St. Louis we arrived early enough to take a tour of the Arch. This is a stainless steel Arch, 630 high at the top centre, which commemorates St. Louis as the gateway to the Amercian west. The arch is on the west bank of the Mississippi River. First time either of us had been that far west on the ground. This is a National Park. We took the tram ride to the top and looked out the portals onto the Mississippi River and the city of St. Louis. Nice views at dusk.