Think There's Nothing to Do in Branson in January or February? Well, Think Again.

It is official. It is now the “off-season” in Branson, Missouri, so many people think there is no reason to come here at this time of year. Well, those people would be wrong. There is still plenty to keep most people happily entertained plus they can do it without fighting the crowds.

My number one suggestion is to just rent a condo and relax. After all, the holidays are over and you deserve it. We did just that in January of the last two years when we came to help our son recoup after he had had surgery. We rented a condo at Tree House Resort on Indian Point Road (the same road that Silver Dollar City is on) overlooking Table Rock Lake. These are not the newest or the fanciest condos in Branson, but they are plenty nice enough, they are well maintained, and they are much cheaper than any other condo I contacted. I THINK we paid $75 a night for a 2 bedroom and we got a free night after 4 or 5 nights. Of course, you would have to check for this year’s off-season prices, because the rate we managed to get may not apply this year. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time watching movies, reading, sleeping in, watching the activity on the lake and taking care of our son.  The best part was that we got to spend some alone time with Daniel which was very hard to do since he had a girlfriend and since he lived with 3 other roommates. Both surgeries were relatively minor so he was actually able to visit with us when he wasn't sleeping off the anesthesia and the pain meds.

If you need more to do than that, then there are plenty of nice restaurants to visit and you can shop at the 2 outlet malls, Branson Landing, or some of the many specialty shops. There are also a number of museums you could visit:

•  Ripley’s Believe It or Not
•  The Hollywood Wax Museum which recently completed a $5 million dollar renovation
• The Veteran’s Memorial Museum
• The Branson Auto Museum
• The Harold Bell Right Toy Museum (purportedly the world's largest)
•  The Ralph Foster Museum and Edward’s Mill on the College of the Ozarks campus, or
• The Dinosaur Museum
• The Titanic Museum

 The only museum that we have visited is the Titanic so it is the only one that I can personally recommend. I have to say that it is a great museum! Before you even enter the parking lot you’re captivated by the building, which is a two-story replica of the Titanic. The museum is full of artifacts and has a number of areas that are interactive. When you first enter you are given a boarding pass with the identity of one of the actual passengers, and at the end of the tour you find out if you lived or if you died. You can also look throughout the museum to see if there is any mention of your person at any of the exhibits. FYI--I have been to the museum three times now and two of the times I died.

I know that some of you who are reading this blog have visited one or more of the other museums and I encourage you to write a comment telling the rest of us your opinions of what you have seen. I will try to visit a few of the other museums myself during the next 2 months and will fill you in when I do.

Another place you might find interesting this time of year is the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure. At any given time, you will walk among 1,000 living butterflies.Until January 15th, their exhibit is called White Flight and features real white butterflies, living angel statues, twinkling lights, and beautiful holiday music. If you are into photography, I understand that you can find some great photo ops here. If you like wine (and if you are a friend of mine then I know you do), you can visit the Stone Hill Winery for a free one hour tour that ends with a wine tasting. Palate in downtown Branson also holds a wine tasting on Thursdays. I could not tell from their website if they hold tastings in the off season, though. I almost forgot to mention trout fishing. I'm not crazy about fishing anytime of year, and I'm sure not getting out on that water in the cold, but I know there are many people who will fish in any kind of weather. I know this is true, because I see them out on Lake Taneycomo every day--rain or shine, blistering hot or freezing cold. In fact, I read that this actually a great time to fish for trout. There are several guides in the area who will take you out if you don't have a boat of your own. There is a guide that lives in our neighborhood that seems to stay busy all year if you are interested. He runs a service called Chartered Waters.

Surely by now you get the idea. There is plenty to do in Branson even in the winter. After a 2 week hiatus a few of the shows will even fire back up occasionally, so come on, don't let a little cold stop you from having fun.