Christmas in Branson is a Winter Wonderland of Fun

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Branson, Missouri.

Twenty years ago, the entertainment district in this resort town in the Ozarks shut down for the season. Then, one by one, the attractions realized what a draw the Christmas holiday would be and now hundreds of thousands of visitors brave the chilly weather to flock to Branson in November and December.

Singer Andy Williams truly represents the classic American Christmas show for most folks over the age of 40.

His Christmas show in 2008 keeps that spirit alive. Mixing in some familiar favorites like "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" and "It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", Williams sings and dances with the energy of someone 20 years his junior.

The show has great music and laughter. Willims does a bit with Bob Anderson, a world class singer and impressionist. Anderson is dead on in impersonations of a drunken Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole and last but in no way least - Andy Williams.

Williams sings while Anderson mocks his mannerism behind his back on stage. The kicker is when Williams and Anderson - impersonating Williams - sing a duet.

Williams foregoes an intermission to get as much Christmas spirit into one show.

Williams does two shows - one at 3 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. - from Monday to Saturday every day from Nov. 1 to Dec. 13. The theater is closed on Nov. 26 - the day before Thanksgiving. There are no matinees on Nov. 24-27.

What a country!

Yakov Smirnoff loves America. And he loves Christmas.

His Christmas show in November and December packs them in even though the shows are in the afternoons and morning. The Russian jokester’s monologues and film clips chronicle a career of standup comedy and work on TV and film. In one clip he plays, he tells the late Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show that America has a lot of things you can’t find in the former Soviet Union.
Like warning shots.

Yakov has a nice blend of spontaneous comments and audience participation. In a mock presidential news conference, he takes questions from the audience while pretending to be the president. And as funny as the show is, Yakov tells a sentimental story of his first Christmas in America and how through the generosity of three perfect strangers, he found some new friends in the New World.

Yakov performs his Christmas shows at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Nov. 18 and 20 and December 2-3 and 9-10. He does only the 9:30 a.m. show on November 15, 19, 22, 25-26 and 29 and Dec. 4, 6-7 and 11-12. On the following dates, he has only one 3 p.m. show - Nov. 16, 21, 23 and 30 and December 5.

An Irish Christmas

A dozen talented vocalists - some from Ireland and a few from America - put on an amazing vocal show during the Christmas season at Branson.

The Branson Variety Theatre hosts sold-out crowds for this group of singers and dancers.
Beside some familiar Christmas tunes, the 12 Irish Tenors sing old favorites, including "Danny Boy", "That’s Life", "You Raise Me Up", "Hey Jude", "Twist and Shout", "Yesterday", "Cockles and Mussels", “Nessun Dorma," "Music of the Night" and more.

Their rendition of Danny Boy alone is worth the price of admission.

The 12 Irish Tenors perform their Christmas show at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. on November 16, 23 and 30 and Dec. 7. The show is at 10 a.m. only on Nov. 18 and 20 and Dec. 2, 4, 9 and 11. The shows are presented at 3 and 8 p.m. on Nov. 17 and Dec. 1, 5, 8, 12, 14 and 19-20. The show is at 3 p.m. only on Nov. 25 and 27 and Dec. 16-18. There is only one 8 p.m. show on Nov. 19, 26 and 28 and Dec. 3 and 10.

An Old Time Christmas

Much of the history of Branson revolves around Silver Dollar City and the rich Ozark Mountain heritage. That theme is in full swing this November and December with Silver Dollar City’s An Old Time Christmas.

The 1880s-style theme park has more than 4.5 million Christmas lights. The Square has more than a million lights alone. There are 350 miles of lights plus more than 1,000 decorated Christmas trees.

The 50-foot tall Christmas tree on the Square has 350,000 LED lights. The Christmas on Main Street show is incredibly synchronized - to one hundredth of a second. There are 100 light changes every second.

“With the addition of even more lights and effects, we’ve dramatically enhanced the atmosphere of the Square,” said Trudie Kelly, Silver Dollar City visual supervisor. “The LED lights also help to cut back on energy consumption throughout the park.”

For the adventurous, the park’s roller coasters are open at night for a spectacular view of the lights. Inside, the Broadway-style production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol adds to the Christmas spirit. This is an original adaptation of the classic story.

Also, at Silver Dollar City, the employees can say, “Merry Christmas” instead of just “Happy Holidays.” Silver Dollar City is open Wednesdays through Sundays in November, Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 14 and open daily December 18-23 and December 26-30. On most days, the hours are 1-9 p.m.

Festival of Lights

The Branson Area Festival of Lights started on Nov. 1 and stays until New Year’s Eve.
The drive through the display is on the Shepherd of the Hills Expressway Lane, across from the new Sight & Sound Theatre (home of Noah, the Musical).

The festival begins with a one-mile drive with more than 230 colorful light displays and almost one million lights. The festival is open daily from dusk to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday and from dusk to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

Branson Landing

We stayed at the Hilton Promenade on Branson Landing. That puts you right in the center of one of the most scenic parts of town and in the middle of a convenient shopping district.

It’s a great place to plan to watch the 60th Annual Adoration Parade and Lighting Ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 7.

The two-mile parade route goes right through history downtown Branson.

Titanic Display

A small wicker suitcase that once belonged to Millvina Dean - the only living survivor of the Titanic disaster - will be on display at the Titanic Museum in Branson until Dec. 31.

“This will be the world’s first look at an important piece of Titanic history, one that’s not been seen by the public for 96 years,” said John Joslyn, owner of the museum. “We feel privileged to be given this unique opportunity to honor Millvina Dean and her contributions to Titanic’s legacy and to showcase one of her most valued possessions - a small, memory-filled suitcase.”

Dean was a baby girl when the unsinkable Titanic sank 96 years ago. Her mother and young brother survived while her father perished. Arriving in New York with nothing but the clothes on their backs, a stranger gave this small suitcase filled with donated clothing.

The museum has a treasure of artifacts, photos, history and memorabilia of the Titanic plus a full display of the Titanic movie.

More than a million visitors have come to Branson to see this museum.

Information courtesy of Tulsa Beacon

Twelve Irish Tenors Add Performance Dates in Branson

The Twelve Irish Tenors in Branson are pleased to announce the addition of six more performance dates at the Branson Variety Theater. Due to popular demand, The Twelve Irish Tenors have extended their performance dates to include the week of December 14th- 20th. The Twelve Irish Tenors are a wonderfully talented group of men who create exceptional harmonies based on some of the greatest music of the 20th century. A touch of Irish charm is added to the music selections, creating a musical event that is truly breathtaking.

The additional performances are scheduled for:

Sunday, December 14th: 3pm & 8pm

Tuesday, December 16th: 3pm

Wednesday, December 17th: 3pm

Thursday, December 18th: 3pm

Friday, December 19th: 3pm & 8pm

Saturday, December 20th: 3pm & 8pm

Country Music Capital Branson Turning into Top Golf Destination

A case could be made that Branson is sort of the mini-Las Vegas of the Midwest, just add corn bread and take away the casinos.

The little town south of Springfield, high in the Ozarks, has exploded in the last couple of decades into the gangly epicenter of live country music, country kitsch and country money.

It all started with a cave, believe it or not - they have Ripley's here, too by the way.

About 100 years ago, people came to see Marble Cave, which is actually limestone. Then they made a movie about the area from the best-selling book, "The Shepherd of the Hills," starring John Wayne, and people started flocking in.

A couple of brothers calling themselves the Baldknobbers began putting on shows, showcasing both country and western music - in case you're wondering, there is a big difference between the two. Slowly, musical acts began trickling in until they reached a flood, and in 1991, "60 Minutes" did a story on the town.

Then things really took off.

They're still going strong, and have only felt the country's economic woes mildly; the value of new construction in 2006 in Branson topped $200 million, breaking all previous records. People may be feeling the money pinch, but you can't keep them away from the Presley Country Jubilee.

And it ain't all country. You want to see Andy Williams, Tony Orlando, Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Osmonds, Twelve Irish Tenors and Yakov Smirnoff, you come to Branson.

Or how about a Red Skelton impersonator? Come to Branson.

When a place gets this big, it often starts thinking about becoming a golf destination, because, let's face it, golfers spend a lot of money.

That's where Branson is at. They have about a dozen courses in the area now, and some of them are excellent.

"We're just starting to get to the point where we can call ourselves a golf destination," said Cliff Easum, the head pro at the Thousand Hills resort.

The area will get a huge boost when the Payne Stewart Golf Course opens some time in the fall.

Must-play Branson golf courses

• Branson Creek Golf Club isn't just the class of the Branson area, it's the class of Missouri, according to many golf publications.

The golf course plays up and down the hills of the high plateau that takes up most of southern Missouri. Those holes that play along the high, rocky ridges give off grand, misty views, and the holes that plunge down to the valleys are perhaps even more scenic, with purple-flowered hills rising gracefully above the fairways.

It is a dazzling layout in this part of the postcard-ready Ozarks, and its scenic beauty is matched only by the artistry of the Tom Fazio design.

"I've played all the nice courses in Missouri, and there aren't any that compare to this," said Easum.

You won't find many public, daily fee golf courses of this caliber. One beautiful hole flows from the next, and although there seems to be a plethora of dogleg lefts, every hole brings a separate adventure.

The scenery is everything you'd expect from a mountain course high in the Ozarks: Lakes, ponds, little mountain streams and rugged rock outcroppings to go along with the purple redbuds, white dogwood, and pine and cedar trees.

The green fees here are substantially cheaper than they would be for a golf course of this standing in certain other parts of the country.

• LedgeStone Championship Golf Course unfolds inside the ritzy Stonebridge Village, just outside Branson. The Ozarks aren't a mountain range in the typical sense, but LedgeStone is, for all intents and purposes, a mountain golf course with sweeping, distant views and steep, rocky hills rising above the fairways.

It is an excellent course, consistently ranked among the best in the state by golf magazines. The course was designed by Thomas Clark, who's done such courses as the TPC at Avenel in Maryland and Blue Ridge Shadows and the Woods Course at Kingsmill Resort, both in Virginia.

At LedgeStone, Clark let the surroundings showcase the course; it climbs up and down the steep terrain, with some serious elevation changes. LedgeStone is indeed a dramatic layout, 6,800 yards from the tips with a slope rating of 133, but it is also playable, especially if you don't get too bull-headed and play on the conservative side - at least on your first few trips around.

Golf Digest has described it as a "masterpiece of mountain golf architecture."

• John Daly's Murder Rock Golf and Country Club is 6,600 yards from the back tees. The next set of tees goes down to less than 6,200 yards, one of the few drawbacks to this lofty layout, high in the Ozarks and south of the live, country music capital of Branson.

In fact - gulp - it's been called "lady friendly" by Murder Rock officials, and we're not talking about Hooters girls. The course has few forced carries, and many of the greens are open in front, qualities many women enjoy.

"Obviously, it's not a long golf course," Assistant Golf Professional Mike Meade said. "But, it can be demanding as far as accuracy. The back nine, it can get breezy, and it's all about hitting the right spot on the green."

It gets breezy because Murder Rock occupies the highest place in Taney County, 300 feet above the neighboring Branson Creek, which itself is considered a mountain golf course. The view from the big window at Murder Rock's clubhouse bar is spectacular.

"I guarantee you this is the longest 6,600-yard golf course you'll ever play when the wind blows," Meade said.

The greens are excellent. They're Crenshaw bentgrass and have a very lush look and feel. Though slower and smaller than Branson Creek, the greens at Murder Rock have enough slope and undulation, but not too much, to make putting on them a pleasure.

Branson golf: Solid seconds

• Thousand Hills Golf Resort is a Bob Cupp design with fairways that dip, swoop and twist, falling off to rocky creeks and canyons. It has excellent elevation changes, despite being in the heart of the Branson strip.

The only factor holding this course back is its lack of length; it measures only 5,111 yards from the back tees with a par of 64. That includes nine par 3s. Thousand Hills is a good course to test your short game with all the par 3s.

• Holiday Hills Resort & Golf Club suffers from a myriad of problems. The fairways are too close together for one thing, and the course isn't in particularly good shape. It's a short course - none of the four tees measures over 6,000 yards with the longest being 5,625 with a slope rating of 115. It has a par of 68.

All that being said, the course does have its charms because it is busy; it's one of the locals' favorites. It does have history on its side. It is the oldest golf course in Branson - Charlton Heston used to play here. Also, there are some interesting green complexes and some of the mounding around the greens is imaginative, and the fairway mounding does what it can to keep wayward balls in the proper fairways.

Information & Image courtesy of Travel Golf