BRANSON, Mo. From a temperature perspective, it seems as if the Winter of 2011-2012 forgot to come to a large part of the country including Branson, except in name. The unseasonably mild weather since Fall almost mutes the fact that the official first day of Spring begins at 12:14 (CDT) on March 20. Temperatures and weather aside however, as the other harbingers of Spring begin to manifest themselves, Branson’s Ozark Hills come to life, not only with their natural beauty, but with the sounds and sights of people simply having fun and enjoying themselves as they bask in the first natural blush of Spring.
The first wave of those celebrating Spring Break in Branson are just in time to experience the explosive natural beauty of the Ozarks with a spectacular display including the Bradford Pears, Dogwoods and Redbuds along with the opening of Branson’s great live shows, activities, shopping and attractions, including the opening of “Silver Dollar City.” The majority of Branson’s major attractions such as the Titanic Museum Attraction, “Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum,” “Hollywood Wax Museum,” “Veterans Memorial Museum” and many others are open year round, but Spring brings the excitement of the reopening of many of Branson’s other exciting seasonal attractions such as “Ride the Ducks,” “Branson Scenic Railway,” Branson’s many outdoor mini golf courses including “Shoot for the Stars Mini Golf” and of course, its biggest and most popular attraction, Silver Dollar City.
Silver Dollar City, Branson’s largest and most popular paid attraction, is an internationally recognized 1880’s style theme park that opened its 2012 season on March 15. The park features over 30 rides and attractions including its high-flying multi-looping world class roller coaster “WildFire” reaching speeds of up to 66 miles per hour; demonstrating craftsmen working at crafts that have been passed down from generation to generation; some of the best live shows in Branson; unique shopping and food and a series of world class festivals starting with “World-Fest,” the country’s largest international festival, running from April 12 through May 6
Spring brings freshness and renewal to most of Branson’s live shows as they present their new 2012 shows. From the addition of “Rumble in the Tree Tops” at “Dixie Stampede,” the spectacular new production of Joseph and shows as varied as the Acrobats of China, “The Baldknobbers Jamboree,” Presleys’ Country Jubilee, Haygoods, “it presented by the Hughes Brothers,” “the Duttons,” SIX, “George Dyer,” “Grand Jubilee,” Shoji Tabuchi, Pierce Arrow, “Jim Stafford,” “Doug Gabriel,” “Legends in Concert” and “Amazing Pets,” just to mention a few, Branson’s offers a variety of live entertainment that is unrivaled in any destination city of its size anywhere.
Branson is almost as famous for its shopping as it is for its live shows, attractions and other activities. “Branson Landing,” with its lakeside location, fire and water show, restaurants, “Bass Pro Shop” and 100 other retail shops, two factory discount malls, countless specialty shops in historic downtown Branson and throughout Branson provide a unique and unparalleled shopping opportunity.
Spring activities for a lot of people include golf. The mild winter and excellent course maintenance has Branson’s world class golf courses, including the Payne Stewart Golf Course at Branson Hills, Thousand Hills, Pointe Royale and Branson Creek, among others, ready to provide a great golfing experience for the seasoned champion tournament player and challenge for the beginner as well as.
Stephanie Milton, Director of Marketing for the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services, also reminds potential visitors that the Spring of 2012 will be very special in Branson. The city of Branson is celebrating its Centennial with special activities on April 1 and 15 and the Titanic Museum Attraction is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic during 2012, including a Night to Remember on April 14 and other events. For additional information on any of the shows, attractions, events or activities mentioned in this article please feel free to contact the Branson Tourism Center by either calling their toll free number 1-800-785-1550 or through their website www.BransonTourismCenter.com.