Wandering America
December 2007 - Part I
| Our Branson Tour We arrived Turkey Creek RV Village in Hollister, Missouri on Monday afternoon, got set up, and went to the grocery store to pick up a few items. While there we learned about a pizza restaurant named Pizza by the Chef and decided that would be dinner. It was excellent pizza, among some of the best we have had in our travels. Tuesday we did a drive around Branson just to get the "lay of the land". It is not at all what I expected. I had envisioned it to be more like Pigeon Forge, Tennessee only bigger. Pigeon Forge is in a valley and pretty much flat whereas Branson is situated on the rolling hills of the Ozarks and much more spread out, a very scenic area. Wednesday afternoon was registration with the HOP group and that evening we shared a catered dinner together at the clubhouse. The weekly itinerary was reviewed and last minute details finalized so that we would all be "ready to roll" on Thursday morning. Thursday, November 29th College of the Ozarks Breakfast was served at 8:00 and the buses loaded for our tour of the College of the Ozarks. This is a unique college in that there is no tuition. That's right, you heard me correctly, there is no tuition. College of the Ozarks is home to 1,400 students who work, rather than pay, for a quality education. The students earn their tuition by working 15 hours a week and two 40 hours weeks per year for the college. The College of the Ozarks is a 1,000 acre campus overlooking lake Taneycomo at Point Lookout, Missouri. It was founded as the School of the Ozarks in 1906, became a junior college in 1956, added a four year program in 1965, and became the College of the Ozarks in 1990. They have a student teacher ratio of 16:1 with more than 60 percent of the faculty holding doctoral degrees. Students who graduate from this college earn both a good work ethic and a quality education.  What is impressive is that the college is debt free and all of the funds for the buildings were in hand before any construction began and then the buildings were built by the students! When you look at the buildings on the campus you marvel at the quality of their construction. Here are some pictures of the chapel on campus. Many of the furnishings were made on campus at various craft shops. The chandeliers were made in the metal working shop, the pews were made in the woodworking shop, etc.. The architecture is just beautiful and the attention to detail is amazing when you stop to think that this building was built by the students at the College of the Ozarks. With the students responsible for the maintenance, needless to say, the campus is immaculate; just plain neat, clean, and beautiful.   Ralph Foster Museum The Ralph Foster Museum is dedicated to the history of the Ozark region and is located on the campus of the College of the Ozarks. The Museum houses thousands of objects representing archeology, natural history, fine arts, geology, and mineralogy. One of the treasures is the actual car used on the Beverly Hillbillies television show. It even has Granny's rocking chair and shot gun sitting on the top of the heap (no Granny though).  We found the most interesting part of the Museum the hundreds of "stuffed" animals on the third floor.         Here is a picture of Judy before she has her morning cup of coffee. :-)  Branson Landing After visiting the college we were turned loose at the Branson Landing which is basically a one and a half mile long shopping plaza with over a hundred specialty shops and restaurants. It is very nicely done with a "$7.5 million water spectacular". The water is choreographed along with the music and shows taking place on the hour. We had lunch at a Mexican Restaurant (but we weren't to impressed) and ended with a walk along the riverfront which we enjoyed.   Presleys' Country Jubilee The Presleys' Country Jubilee is "Branson's first family of entertainment" and "Branson's original show on the strip". The strip being route 76 which now hosts a large part of Branson's shows. The Presleys (not related to Elvis) have been entertaining in the Branson area for more than 60 years. They were an Ozark's family who played the underground stages in the depths of caves located in the Missouri hills. When the crowds became so large that the caves "couldn't hold 'em anymore" they bought a piece of land along route 76 located outside of Branson and built a theatre which is Branson's original country music theatre.     Silver Dollar City Silver Dollar City is a theme park where you travel back in time to the simplicity of 1880's America. There are 30 different attractions and rides, 60 craft shops, 40 shows of live entertainment, and a dozen eateries. The park theme was "An Old Time Christmas" with over 4 million Christmas lights decorating Main Street along with multiple Tree Lighting ceremonies and Christmas parades throughout the day. We enjoyed strolling around the city looking at all of the beautiful Christmas lights and the Christmas sing-a-long train ride around the city was fun as well.   We took in the production of "A Dickens' Christmas Carol" which was one of their "grandest productions ever". With its elaborate costuming, dramatic scenery, amazing special effects, and a excellent music score the show was just wonderful and we enjoyed strolling around the city looking at all of the beautiful Christmas lights and the Christmas sing-a-long train ride around the city was fun as well. was the highlight of our day.   The Tree Lighting Ceremony was very impressive with a huge special effects Christmas tree covered with over 300,000 lights. The lights glowed and danced in unison while piano virtuoso Tracy Heaston played several Christmas carols. With fiber optics, computers, and music it is amazing what they can do with a "simple tree lighting".     Saturday, December 1st The Shoji Tabuchi Show The Shoji Tabuchi Show is one of the most popular shows in Branson. With its grand theatre, gifted musicians, and superb dancers its no wonder. Shoji searches long and hard for the right professional musicians to form his band and each musician holds one or more music degrees. His wife, Dorothy, works with a renowned choreographer to bring the dance company to a state of perfection. All of this is showcased in a theatre that is a phenomenon in itself. Its decor is reminiscent of the grand theatre palaces of the 1930's.  Everyone says to be sure and see the bathrooms as they are simply something to behold. The ladies' powder room is complete with a ceiling reproduced from the 1890's Empire Period, stained and jeweled glass, magnificent chandeliers, and live orchids at every granite and onyx pedestal sink.    The gentlemen's lounge has black lion head sinks, black leather chairs, a marble fireplace, and a billiard room with a hand carved mahogany billiard table.   It was absolutely an excellent show with Christina, their daughter, making a special appearance. We were sorry to see this show come to an end as we were mesmerized from start to finish. This is a "must see" "put on the top of your list" show whenever you get to Branson.    Tell Shoji that Darrell and Judy sent you, he'll remember us because he specifically asked to have his picture taken with us. :-)  Stone Hill Winery Establish in 1847 by German immigrants the Stone Hill Winery gained recognition by winning gold medals in eight world fairs. By 1900 Stone Hill was the third largest winery in the world and the second larges in the nation. The winery fell on hard times during the Prohibition and was purchased in 1965 by the Held family who have worked to restore the winery to its former glory. Today they are producing award winning wines that are receiving acclaim both nationally and internationally. Our group was given a tour of winery followed by wine tasting. We found a Concord wine that we liked and purchased four bottles for consumption around the campfire. Dixie Stampede Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede is a dinner theatre with a good four course meal. The food was good and the show was good but we have decided that we are not "dinner theatre" people. We would prefer to go to dinner first and then take in the show later. It was too distracting trying to watch the show and eat our dinner at the same time. They do not allow any pictures to be taken during the show as the flashes startle the horses while they are performing.  This was a once in a lifetime show for us. We are glad we saw it but would not want to see it again. It was a fun show with a unique skating presentation of a professional ice skating pair descending from the ceiling on a skating platform, a live Nativity portrayal complete with shepherds tending their flocks while three Kings arrived on real camels, and rodeo competition with audience participation. One of our group members was chosen for one of the competitions (a horseshoe competition using toilets seats) and he won - Yay for our team! Sunday, December 2nd Mannheim Steamroller This was another superb show with very talented musicians playing our favorite Christmas music in the distinctive Mannheim Steamroller's signature sound. "The Christmas Music of Mannheim Steamroller was designed exclusively by Chip Davis for the Grand Palace as an extravaganza of grandiose proportion." The Grand Palace is Branson's largest theatre which presents many different high profile entertainers throughout the year.   "The show includes the famous Mannheim Steamroller videos, multi-media images, synchronized lighting, special effects and, of course, the world-renowned music of Mannheim Steamroller." We enjoyed the music so much that we purchased two Mannheim Steamroller CD's (I have several of their cassettes as I have always enjoyed their music).     Well, all good things must come to an end. We enjoyed the shows and our time in Branson. Being that there are over 160 shows in the area there will always be something new and fresh to see in Branson. We're not sure if we will return to Branson but would like to. We had 72 people in our tour group which meant that two buses were required to transport us.  We can't say enough good things about the Escapees HOP (Head Out Program). If you ever have the opportunity to go on one don't hesitate. Their prices are very reasonable and organization of the tour is "top shelf". Everything went without a hitch thanks to our hosts' planning and organizational skills.  Rainbow Plantation via Nashville, Tennessee We left Branson heading for Springfield and then turning toward Nashville. We needed another Grand daughter fix and to drop off some Christmas presents while there. Catia stayed with Grandma and Grandpa for a whole day which is always a special treat for us. She was not feeling 100% due to an ear infection but was a joy to spend time with none the less. The next day we went over to our daughter's apartment for dinner. She likes to cook for us whenever her schedule will allow for it. She is an event coordinator for Dave Ramsey's live events and travels quite a lot in the spring and the fall. Her apartment is really nice and the meal was delicious. It's nice to see our kids doing so well. We arrived back at Rainbow Plantation exactly two weeks after left. Our neighbors were glad to see us and it didn't take us long to get back into the swing of things. That very afternoon we went out to a buffet lunch at the Gift Horse Restaurant with ten other couples from our neighborhood. Until Next time - Merry Christmas to all. |