Branson
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Attractions
For a look into Branson area history, stop by the Ralph
Foster Museum at the College
of the Ozarks campus. The three-story museum offers more than
40,000 square feet of exhibits. Visitors can see the original car from
the hit TV show, The Beverly Hillbillies. Other exhibits include antiques,
weapons, Indian artifacts, dolls, and natural history displays.
Bonniebrook
Museum was once the home of Kewpie Doll creator, Rose O'Neill.
Today this Victorian home serves as a museum, gift shop, and restaurant.
The museum holds the largest collection of Kewpie collectibles in the
world. Exhibits include original dolls and molds as well as some of O'Neill's
books, poems, and artwork. The museum is located at 485 Rose O'Neill Road.
Call (800) 539-7437 for additional information.
Talking Rocks Cavern,
located 5 miles south of Branson, has been described as the most beautiful
cave in Missouri. Highlights of Talking Rocks tour include crystal formations,
musical stalactites, soda straws, and calcite curtains. For details call
(417) 272-3366.
Marvel
Cave was opened as a tourist attraction by William Lynch in 1894.
Today it serves as one of Silver Dollar City's main attractions. The cave
is Missouri's deepest cave and is a registered national landmark. The
60-minute tour descends 300 feet below ground to the Cathedral Room, one
of the largest cave entrance rooms in the United States. The tour continues
to a depth of 500 feet below the surface where visitors can ride a unique
cable train to the surface. Call (800) 952-6626 for details about Marvel
Cave.
The Veterans Memorial
Museum serves
as an educational center and memorial to United States veterans of the
20th century. Incredible exhibits from World War I, World War II, Korean
War, Vietnam War, and Desert Storm can be seen in the 18,000-square-foot
museum. Museum halls list more than 400,000 names of World War II soldiers
who died in service. The Veterans Memorial Museum is home to the world's
largest war memorial bronze sculpture. The 70-foot-long sculpture shows
50 life-size soldiers running up a beach. The museum is located at 1250
West Highway 76. For details call (417) 336-2300.
Silver
Dollar City is an 1880's theme park built around Marvel Cave.
Marvel Cave was the original attraction until the Herschend Family
decided to diversify in order to draw a bigger crowd and created Silver
Dollar City. A combination of 19th century Ozarks and 21st century technology
make Silver Dollar City an incredible experience. The 40-acre theme park
offers thrill rides, stage shows, glassblowers, potters and more than
50
unique shops. Call (800) 475-9370 for more details.
The Branson Scenic Railway
offers visitors a 40-mile railroad excursion through the Ozark Mountain
foothills. The train departs daily from the Old Train Depot located in
historic downtown Branson. There are six different cars for passengers
to explore and the trip is narrated with a wealth of Ozark history. More
information about the Branson Scenic Railway can be obtained by calling
(417) 334-6110.
Branson's most photographed building, Ripley's
Believe It or Not Museum, is an unusual building. It reflects
on the 8.0 earthquake that occurred at New Madrid, Missouri, in 1812 with
it's disheveled facade. The museum has seven theme galleries with more
than 400 exhibits of unbelievable, one-of-a-kind items. Ripley's Believe
It or Not Museum is located at 3326 West Highway 76 and is hard to miss.
Call (417) 337-5300 for more information.
Located at the Shepherd
of the Hills Homestead,
Inspiration Tower is the second highest point in Missouri.
The 230-foot lookout tower was built in 1989 to commemorate the 100-year
anniversary of Harold Bell Wright's first visit to the Ozarks. Visitors
can ride one of two glass elevators to an enclosed observation deck. The
impressive tower weighs in at more than three million pounds and can withstand
winds in excess of 170 miles per hour. For more details call (417) 334-4191.
Shepherd of
the Hills Homestead was named in honor of a popular piece of American
literature, Shepherd of the Hills, written by Harold Bell Wright. The
homestead features the original structure of Old Matt's Cabin that contains
antiques, pictures, and historical items. A 90-minute tour of the homestead
includes Old Matt's Cabin along with a church built in 1901, Inspiration
Tower, and the outdoor amphitheater. The theater has a stage the size
of a football field to accommodate the cast of 80 that present the action-packed
tale of the Shepherd of the Hills. For more information call (800) 653-6288.
Run
by the Missouri Department of Conservation, Shepherd
of the Hills Hatchery is the state's largest trout producing facility.
The hatchery raises more than 350,000 pounds of rainbow and brown trout,
80% of which is placed in Lake Taneycomo. The hatchery offers tours, exhibits,
aquariums, a video presentation, and four nature trails. It is located
at the foot of Table
Rock Dam on Highway 165.
8/03
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