Branson, Missouri Gears Up For Another Successful Season

"Stick to what you know" could be the motto for Branson this year as the Ozark resort town focuses on its wholesome country, pop music and family entertainment roots, plus recent upgrades in shopping and hotels, to ride out the national economic downturn.

Branson tourism leaders are hopeful they can continue a track record of outperforming the national industry, projecting between 2 and 3% more visitors than last year's 8.4 million. That would be just at or above the Travel Industry Association's forecast of 2% growth in leisure travel nationally.

"We are promoting our values and our value," Dan Lennon, vice president of the Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce, said. "We want people to think about Branson as great place to bring families together."

Branson officials say costs for tourists there are below national averages. The average daily hotel rate is $75.90, compared with a national tab of $103, according to industry research group Smith Travel. The average show ticket in Branson is $29, while Las Vegas shows currently average $130 to $150 per ticket.

During the 2001 recession, Branson saw a 1.4% decline in tourists, but it rebounded in 2002 with 3.5% growth as people stayed closer to home following the Sept. 11 attacks. In the past two years, Branson's numbers grew 14%, while the national figure was 3%.

Tourism expert Steve Morse says Branson stands a good chance of meeting its growth goals this year because many Americans will pick destinations they can drive to rather than fly. With jet fuel even more expensive than gas, airlines have raised fares and cut back on capacity.

"The drive-to destinations will do better than the fly-to ones like Orlando," said Morse, an economist and director of the Tourism Institute at the University of Tennessee.

The two biggest new attractions in Branson this year fit the template of wholesome family fun.
One is a huge new theater with a wraparound stage the size of five basketball courts that will open May 24 for the debut of Noah — The Musical, based on the Biblical story. The $65 million, 2,085-seat Branson theater is the first new location for Lancaster County, Pa.-based Sight & Sound Theaters, which bills itself as "the Christian Broadway."

The family owned theater company specializes in bringing Gospel epics to the stage with massive sets, glossy production values, dozens of actors, and in the case of Noah, 100 live animals and 200 animatronic animals.

Another major newcomer is the $2-million Roaring Falls water ride, which drops visitors five stories. It's part of an expansion at Celebration City theme park.

Morse said Branson and other destinations will likely also profit from tax rebate checks that are the centerpiece of President Bush's $168 billion rescue package for a wobbly economy. The rebates will put up to $1,800 in the wallets of a couple with two kids in the coming weeks.
And higher gas prices mean that people will want to drive to places closer to home.

"When gas prices go up, people in the Midwest say, 'Let's go to Branson instead of Galveston, Texas, or the Gulf,'" Morse said.

That fits Branson's pattern of visitation. About 60% of visitors typically come from more than 300 miles, with an additional 28% from between 100 and 300 miles and 12% from the local area, city officials say.

The resort town is targeting its advertising in smaller Midwestern cities this year to net those vacationers who want to travel no more than a day's drive.

It is pulling dollars it used in the big metro markets of Chicago and Dallas last year to advertise instead in cities such as Omaha and Lincoln, Neb., Paducah, Ky., Champaign, Ill., and Des Moines, said Branson Lakes Area Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer Ross Summers.

Peter Herschend, co-founder of the Herschend Family Entertainment company that owns major Branson attractions, including Celebration City, said the focus this year is on the things that have worked for Branson in the past.

"It is not only the theaters. It is the Ozarks, which make Branson unique, the lakes, and the world-class attractions," Herschend said.

He also mentioned a recent addition: Branson Landing, an outdoor pedestrian shopping center on Lake Taneycomo that opened two years ago with its own Hilton hotel and across the street from a new Hilton convention center.

"Strolling around Branson Landing, not just the shopping, is turning into a major attraction," Herschend said.

The Landing has a lakefront walkway, a water and fire fountain, waterfront restaurants and stores from Victoria's Secret to Bass Pro Shops, where you can buy hunting and fishing gear and boats.

The Landing was among the additions in the past few years aimed at drawing more families and baby boomers on top of a traditional clientele that came looking for country music. Newer shows featured more pop music, including the Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends and Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater.

Information courtesy of USA Today

Branson, Missouri Goes Upscale

Nearly everyone who's a regular visitor has an I-remember-Branson-when story. Here is Bob Allen's version: "When I first came down here, the only things in Branson were the Presleys, Silver Dollar City and bait shops."

Branson started as an Ozark fishing hole, with the Presley family setting up a metal building on Highway 76 in 1967 to provide wholesome entertainment for the sportsmen who used the man-made lakes. That simple start multiplied into some 50 theaters, earning Branson the title of America's live music capital. The evolution is continuing today, and Allen is a part of it.

Allen grew up in Springfield, Mo., where he was friends with Payne Stewart, the pro golfer who died in a plane accident in 1999 at the age of 42. Now, Allen is the club pro for Branson Hills Golf Co., which is putting the finishing touches on the Payne Stewart Golf Club, a tribute to his friend.

"Each hole of the course tells a story about Payne's experience on the tour," Allen said. "The golf course is $27 million, with five sets of tees from 7,400 yards. We can host national events, everything from Tiger to little tigers."

He led the way through the clubhouse, which has dark wood paneling, an outdoor pool and an area that will display memorabilia, including trophies won by Stewart and pairs of his signature gold-toe golf shoes. Everything in the clubhouse will be linen, crystal and silver — "no paper plates and Styrofoam cups," Allen said. "It's all going to be tip-top, Payne would be proud."

The public golf course will be the 12th in the Branson area — joining John Daly's Murder Rock as the latest additions — and cements Branson's role as a golf destination.

Add the upscale shopping at the new Branson Landing, the growing retirement and second-home community, and the recently opened convention center and second Hilton Hotel, and it's easy to see why Branson's backers say it has turned the corner in attracting the boomers needed to fill the vacancies left by fading World War II-era veterans and their spouses.

While the housing industry in other parts of the United States is ailing, Branson's market is holding its own during the national slowdown, said C. Craig Richards, president of Ozark Mountain Bank. "There's a lot of interest from people outside the area who see real estate in Branson as a good buy," Richards said. "The cost of construction is lower, as is the cost of land. People from California or Florida can sell their home there and buy three or four times the home for the money in Branson. We've got a good school system, good health service. That attracts people who are retirees but also families who want to get away from the big city. There's a strong feeling of family values in the area, probably tied to strong Christian beliefs."

The only downside, for Richards, is increased competition. "We've had five new banks in the last 10 years," he said. "They see the same numbers we do as far as commercial development and new home sales. In 1998, there were two homes that sold for over $350,000. Last year, there were more than 30."

And don't forget the new full-size airport scheduled to open next spring, said Dan Lennon, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce. "As soon as you get outside an eight-hour drive to Branson, some people perceive it's difficult to give up a day to get here," Lennon said. "With the new airport, it starts to be more practical for people to fly in. With those further out markets, Branson becomes a weekend getaway."

Branson's annual visitation grew 5.2 percent to 8.39 million last year, Lennon said. Over the last two years, total growth was 14 percent while the rest of the national tourism market was seeing 2 percent annual increases. How those numbers will shake out this year, in the face of high fuel prices and a sluggish economy, was an unknown, he added. Lennon emphasized that the culture that Branson was known for is alive and well. You can still find cornpone humor at the Presleys and Baldknobbers shows, motels still offer "2 for $32.95" in the off-season, go-kart tracks and water slides still line Highway 76, and traffic this summer will crawl as the commercial strip fills with gawkers.

But now you can shop for fancy undies at the Victoria's Secret at Branson Landing, or try out a new boat at the Bass Pro Shop dock on Lake Taneycomo. "The thing that brought the people in the 60s and 70s — the Ozark Mountain experience — that still happens, we've just added these higher amenities," he said. "Fifteen years ago, you'd have the Lawrence Welks. With the boomers, you have Dick Clark, the Acrobats of China, the Liverpool Legends."

The best known side of the town, the live music shows, also has a new player this season. The $65 million Sight and Sound Theater Branson will open May 24 with a stage area of 26,550 square feet, the equivalent of more that five basketball courts. The stage, largest in North America, is 300 feet long and wraps around three sides of the 2,085 seats, giving the audience the feeling of being inside an ark, with all the animals, for a production of "Noah — The Musical."

Sight & Sound Theatres is the nation's largest professional Christian theater company. Its headquarters theater in Lancaster County, Pa., is one of the most-attended live theaters on the East Coast with an annual audience of more than 800,000. Founded in 1976 by Glenn and Shirley Eshelman, the company produces epic biblical stories. Some 100 live animals, 200 "animatronic" animals and 45 human actors will be used in Branson to tell the story of the journey of Noah and his family.

"It's sometimes called Christian Broadway in Pennsylvania," said Joan Chowning, who ushered me into the theater where trainers were working with the live animals. "The employees all profess to be Christians. But we welcome the unchurched, as well as the churched, at our theaters."

Admission for both is $49 an adult, $25 for a teen and $15 for children.

As Allen, the golf pro, mentioned, Silver Dollar City has been around since the beginning. But it also continues to evolve, from a re-created Ozark mining town built above Marvel Cave and featuring arts and crafts, to a quality theme park in a landscaped setting with rides and a full schedule of live entertainment.

The biggest new attraction this season is at Silver Dollar City's sister park, Celebration City, where Roaring Falls, a $2 million water adventure, makes its debut this spring. General manager John Fitzgibbons gave a blow-by-blow description of the new ride: "Twenty passengers go up five stories in a boat, which falls in a 55-degree drop, ending with a splash that gets everybody in the boat, and everybody on the land nearby, wet. It has an Amazon theme, with crocodiles and hippos and fossilized rocks. There'll be fog and a mister going, and Amazon noises."

Celebration City, which is entering its sixth season, now has some 30 rides and attractions, including three roller coasters and a Ferris wheel. The park closes each evening with "Ignite the Night," which uses three projectors to display images on a water curtain, along with lasers and fireworks and music.

"We have a 50-foot Elvis walking on water and singing," Fitzgibbons said. "There's a dance party on the Great Lawn. We get kids, parents and grandparents up and dancing."

Silver Dollar City, which is a short ride away from Celebration City, also has a full schedule of events with World-Fest, April 3-May 4; Bluegrass & BBQ, May 10-June 1; National Kids Fest, June 7-Aug. 10; Southern Gospel Picnic, Aug. 28-Sept. 7; National Harvest Festival, Sept. 11-Oct. 25; and An Old Time Christmas, Nov. 1-Dec. 30.

Lisa Rau, spokeswoman for Silver Dollar City, said the park uses continuing feedback from customers to update attractions and facilities. "The bottom line is: We are not the boss, the guests are the boss and mostly Mom," Rauh said. "Roaring Falls is exactly what they wanted. A big, get wet, whole family, thrill ride."

Information courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Water Ride coming to Celebration City

Celebration City is building its biggest attraction since opening in 2003, and the largest new attraction for Branson in 2008.

It’s an Amazon journey through the mists before ending in a five story plummet and it’s called Roaring Falls.

“Roaring Falls is the biggest ride we have added since the park opened in 2003,” said John Fitzgibbons, general manager of Celebration City. “With an Amazon theme, complete with misty fog and jungle sound effects, riders on the adventure will find that the powerful river current carries the boats to the top of a massive waterfall.”

The five-story drop falls at an angle of 55 degrees and is estimated to cause a splash 60 feet high or more. The total ride time is about two minutes long, traveling through 250,000 gallons of water. Construction on Roaring Falls began in mid-January and is expected to be complete in time for the park’s opening on April 18.

Information courtesy of Branson Daily News

Image courtesy of Celebration City

What's New in Branson for 2008

Live Shows

Sight & Sound Theatre, opening May 24, presents NOAH - The Musical. This “Christian Broadway” production is an amazing bible-based show with more than 50 live animals and 50 animatronics animals and a 4-story reproduction of the Ark.

Andy Williams and Ann-Margret perform together at the Moon River Theatre June 6 through July 26. The new Andy Williams Variety Show opens September 5 through October 27. The variety show will be patterned after his Emmy-Award winning television shows and will have up to 6 different specialty acts performing with Andy.

There is a new morning show at Andy Williams Moon River Theatre. “The Entertainers” perform everything from dueling banjos to Phantom of the Opera, Motown to bluegrass, all by local musicians who are “stars” in their own right, from other shows in Branson.

The Oak Ridge Boys will open in their new theatre on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway. Country Tonite will move to the Oak Ridge Boys Theatre. Dalena Ditto's Country Variety Show will perform at the Oak Ridge Boys Theatre, April through December.

Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre welcomes Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers to their stage in a morning show. Dick Clark’s American Bandstand complex opens up Area ’57 with special events, such as BransonFest 2008, April 8-12, and more planned throughout the year.

Justin Flom and the Imaginary Theatre will feature Branson Divas and the Emmy award-winning comedian Bob Nelson.

Bobby Vinton will be performing at The Mansion this November and Tom Mullica as Red Skelton is appearing at The Mansion.

At the Welk Resort Theatre, The Rankin Brothers Classic Music Revue will debut in March and run through December. Matt and Mark Rankin, along with their cast of outstanding musicians and performers, will present timeless, classic hits covering six decades of music. The Welk Stars Reunion is set for Sept. 3-7 and The Tillis Family Reunion, starring Mel Tillis & Pam Tillis, will return from Sept. 16 through October 25. Tony Orlando’s annual Veterans Salute is Nov. 11 and he will join The Lennon Sisters for an all-new Christmas Celebration, November 1 through December 6.

Yakov Smirnoff welcomes country star Joe Diffie to Yakov’s theatre in September. Shows will feature his friends and family members, as well as comedian Paul Harris.

Attractions

The internationally-awarded 1880s-style theme park Silver Dollar City launches its biggest festival year ever, with new original stage productions, performing groups, and festival showcases. New to open the Spring season: an Irish Celebration with World-Fest’s all new Irish production show, Feet of Fire, featuring authentic fire dancing. Then it’s Bluegrass & BBQ, celebrating Americana at its best with hundreds of award-winning bluegrass performances and fresh-off-the-grill foods. Summer brings family adventures at the park’s biggest Kids Fest ever, presenting a nationally-recognized slate of entertainment with The Magic of Peter Gossamer, a Kid Concoctions interactive world of play, a VeggieTales live stage show produced exclusively for Silver Dollar City, and even an Ice Circus with skating performers from around the world. Fall’s Southern Gospel Picnic features the top traditional and contemporary entertainers in the genre; and the National Harvest Festival brings the largest gathering in America’s Heartland of demonstrating craftsmen, harvest-time foods and musical performances, plus special events: A Salute to the American Cowboy and an all-new Tribute to the American Farmer. An Old Time Christmas, nationally recognized by media from USA Today to Good Morning America and Southern Living as one of the best holiday light shows in America, dazzles with the 5-story, Special Effects Christmas tree and all-encompassing sound and light show on the Square and the all-new Frosty, an interactive show for kids.

Debuting in September, Silver Dollar City, long known as “Home of American Craftsmanship,” celebrates its roots with a very special project to highlight the theme park’s most authentic focus: the interactive art of demonstration. The new Silver Dollar City Culinary & Craft School is designed to pass along knowledge of America’s heritage through fine crafts, handiwork and culinary arts. Interactive classes will be held within the stylishly decorated and themed timberframe structure, set on a hillside within the City, with experts from top chefs to renowned craftsmen teaching culinary classes and craft seminars. Along with the seminars from national experts, Silver Dollar City Master Craftsmen will feature heirloom displays, multiple demonstrations and hands-on activities for take-home skills.

The Branson Entertainment Hall of Fame & Museum, located in the Branson Mall, honors those instrumental in Branson’s entertainment success and showcases historical items for public viewing daily.

Butterflies at Branson is a community-wide art exhibit that will be decorating the Branson area from March 29 until October 10. Area artists, including Yakov Smirnoff, will turn a huge fiberglass butterfly into a work of art to benefit a local charity.

Celebration City, Branson’s Biggest Nighttime Attraction, presents the biggest park expansion to date, and the largest new ride in the Ozarks for 2008. Roaring Falls, a $2 million water adventure ride, takes riders on a water-filled journey through fast-moving rapids and features a 5-story, 55-degree angle drop for an enormous splash finale. Celebration City is a 20th-century themed family amusement park featuring more than 30 rides and attractions including Ozark WildCat, a wooden roller coaster eight stories high. Celebration City hosts "Ignite the Night," a spectacular multi-million dollar nighttime special effects show presenting a stunning finale to the day’s fun along with a boardwalk full of games, uniquely themed shopping and family-style dining.

There is new fun on the water at Gage’s Branson Landing Marina & Shoppes. Branson Landing Cruises offers daily excursions aboard the luxurious 100-foot yacht Landing Princess or the authentic paddlewheel riverboat Lake Queen in the midst of spectacular Branson Landing and Lake Taneycomo waterfront.

Tall Timber lumberjack show is moving to Hwy 76 West in 2008, located two blocks west of Silver Dollar City, across the street from Uncle Ike’s trail rides.

White River Fish House at Bass Pro Shops in Branson Landing sits on Lake Taneycomo. You can feast on local favorites like catfish and trout or enjoy a delicious hand-cut juicy steak, grilled to perfection. Come hungry for your next adventure at White River Fish House.

Developments

The new Branson Convention Center offers convention and conference goers 220,000 square feet of flexible space in a stunning, state-of-the-art setting. A curving, exposed timber pedestrian concourse gives visitors a pleasant view of the Lake Taneycomo waterfront as they travel between the center’s meeting and exhibit facilities and the adjacent Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel.

The Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is located within walking distance of Historic Downtown Branson and the sprawling new Branson Landing shopping, dining and entertainment district. The new Hilton offers guests a chance to experience the pampered luxury of a metropolitan hotel in the heart of small town America. The 12-story hotel has 293 rooms, including 194 traditional rooms and suites, and 99 condotel units that will also be available for nightly rental.

There are two more championship golf courses in Branson – the Murder Rock course at Branson Creek and the Payne Stewart Tribute course at Branson Hills.

The Branson/Lakes Area community is looking forward to the first flight landing at the new Branson Regional Airport in May of 2009.

Information courtesy of Branson Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce

Schedule of Branson Veteran's Homecoming Celebration Events

Branson's 14th annual Veterans Homecoming Week kicked off Monday with an opening ceremony at the Mansion Entertainment and Media Center and a ribbon cutting at the new Veterans Welcome Center.

The week-long event, billed as the largest Veterans Day celebration in the nation, features a host of activities for veterans and their families through Sunday. New this year is the Veterans Welcome Center, located at Missouri 165 and Green Mountain Drive.

Sponsored by the Department of Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars, the center will serve free lunch to veterans ($1 for family members) throughout the week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by two hours of free entertainment.

Veterans also can sit down to free chow today through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Celebration City.

Free shows and ongoing activities abound — a sampling of events is included below. For an expanded list, visit www.bransonveterans.com or call the Branson Veterans Task Force at 337-8387.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

"Sunchon Tunnel Massacre Survivors" book launch at Celebration City Theatre, 9-11 a.m. Six survivors of the Sunchon Tunnel Massacre during the Korean War are scheduled to attend. The event is free and open to the public. Call 230-5555 for more information.

Rose Petal Ceremony and Luncheon at Keeter Center, College of the Ozarks, 10:30 a.m. The Branson Women's Veterans Committee will host the ceremony to honor women veterans who have died for their country. Following the ceremony is a luncheon with special guest speaker Lt. Col. Vicki Merryman, retired from the U.S. Army. The Rose Petal Ceremony is free of charge. The luncheon cost is $20 and reservations are required. Call 339-6823 for more information.

Opening Ceremony for the Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at Welk Resort, 10:30 a.m. The wall is traditionally open daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m. through Nov. 11, Veterans Day. Free for viewing to all. Call 337-7469 for more information.

United States Navy Drill Team at Branson High School Gym, 7:30 p.m. The United States Navy Ceremonial Guard, founded in 1931, will give a free performance. Call 337-8387 for more information.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Veterans Homecoming Meet and Greet Reception at the Mansion Entertainment and Media Center, 9 a.m. A reception honoring Branson Veterans Task Force's guest of honor Eddie Beesley, Sue Downes and Christon Stone. Reception is free and informal, followed by a 10 a.m. showing of the musical "Celebrate America," which is free for veterans, $32.50 for others. Call 239-1333 for more information.

POW/MIA Network's Vietnam Memorial Wall Service at Welk Resort, 8 a.m. Program includes music by the LeCroy Sisters, wreath laying and special speakers. Call 336-4232 for more information.

Gold Star and Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Wives Luncheon at the All American Cafe, 10:30 a.m. Complimentary brunch for Gold and Blue Star Mothers and Gold Star Wives. Call 337-8387 for more information.

Women Veterans and Tuskegee Airman Presentations at Celebration City, 9:30 a.m. Lt. Col. Vicki Merryman, Bronze Star recipient who served her country in the Army for two decades speaks at 9:30 a.m. George Boyd, Tuskegee Airman, will speak at 10:30 a.m. Call 230-5555 for more information.

Free Outdoor Concert by the 399th Army Band from Fort Leonard Wood at Factory Merchants Mall, 2 p.m. Call 337-8387 for more information.

Candlelight Military Memorial Service at Skyline Baptist Church, 6 p.m. Call 337-8387 for more information.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Korean War Veterans Association Mini-Reunion at Settle Inn, 9 a.m.-noon. Annual event honoring those serving during the "Forgotten War," held in the Stonehenge Room. Call 365-1389 for more information.

Friday, November 9, 2007

11th Annual Military Gala and Banquet Saluting Special Operations at Chateau on the Lake. Evening includes Medal of Honor recognition, POW/MIA candlelight service, Special Operations salute, fireworks, Mozark MOAA's True American Hero Award, Ambassador of Patriotism Award, entertainment and dancing. Advance reservations are required. Call 866-481-GALA for more information.

World War II Living History Encampment at Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, 9 a.m. The 84th Infantry Division will set up camp, re-enact battle, and display equipment, uniforms and weapons. Event lasts through Saturday. Call 337-8387 for more information.

Raising of the world's largest flying American Flag at RFD TV The Theatre, 1 p.m. Call 332-2282 for more information.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Veterans and Active Duty Military Honor Day at the American Presidents Museum, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is free for all veterans and active duty personnel to the museum. There will be a special display of World War II Pin-up Girl Art in the Gallery Hall. Call 334-8683 for more information.

Battle of the Branches Boxing Match at Eagle Plaza, noon to 3 p.m. Veterans are encouraged to cheer on the boxer representing his or her branch of service. Tickets are $10 each or $20 for VIP seating. Call 334-3693 for more information.

Luau and Marine Corps Birthday Celebration and Tuskegee Airmen Reunion at Chateau on the Lake, 6 p.m. Reservations required. Call 777-4063 or 336-6350 for more information.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

73rd Annual Veterans Day Parade, downtown Branson, 11 a.m. Sponsored by American Legion Post #220. Call 337-8387 for more information.

Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Show at Welk Resort Theatre, 2 p.m. Free tickets have all been reserved and may be picked up at the Welk Resort Theatre box office Nov. 1-9. Any tickets not claimed by 5 p.m. on Nov. 9 will be available at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 10 on a first come, first served basis. Call 337-7469 for more information.

Kickin' Round at a Veterans Hoedown at Welk Resort Theatre Parking Lot, 5 p.m. The grand finale of Veterans Homecoming. Cost is $15 per person. Reservations are required. Call 339-4222 for more information.

Information courtesy of Springfield News-Leader

CityHopper Getaway Package for Branson, MO

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