Wednesday, July 31, 2019, Branson, MO Wrap

OK, I guess I might as well get this out upfront - Branson was not our kind of place. We gave it a shot but we are not really the type of people who enjoy spending big bucks on shows. That is not to say we did not enjoy our stay. The outdoor mall, Branson Landing, was interesting and we spent a little time listening to an outdoor concert while window shopping.

We especially enjoyed the College of the Ozarks, also known as "Hard Work U," where we had a very memorable dinner and explored the immaculate grounds. It's a tuition-free four-year university that allows students to work at one of more than 100 campus jobs or industries in lieu of tuition.

Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks

Probably more memorable than Branson was our trips to Springfield, MO, where we visited the very nice Springfield Botanical Gardens (although it was a very warm day for walking around outside).

The Askinosie Chocolate factory tour in Springfield, MO, was a unique experience where we learned way more about chocolate than we could have imagined. A retired lawyer with time on his hands started the business just because he found chocolate interesting.

David eats a little bit of a dark chocolate bar every night, but he prefers the 3 bars for $2.79 variety from Ikea.

By far, our favorite attraction, if I may use that word, was the Bass Pro Shops flagship store in Springfield. It was larger than many malls we have visited and filled with history that could have easily filled more than a day of exploration.

Bass Pro Shop's national headquarters boasts nearly 500,000 square feet of shopping, museums and a restaurant.

Upstairs you will find a museum devoted to the history of Bass Pro Shops complete with a mockup of the liquor store where it all began.

That was one impressive alligator gar swimming around in his own little pool

This was one of the seven aquariums found throughout the store.

I loved the National Rifle Association Sporting Arms Museum. It had an amazing collection of arms and also an impressive collection of art. I also enjoyed the National Archery Hall of Fame Museum.

I did not realize there was such a connection between Bass Pro and NASCAR. I found the displays interesting but I'm sure real fans would have been even more impressed. 

Bass Pro Shops Motorsports Museum would thrill any NASCAR fan.

In Branson, we took in a couple of shows including "SIX." It was an a'Cappella group of six brothers that we found extremely impressive. We sat on the second row so we had an up-close and personal connection with the group and still had a difficult time understanding how all of that sound was just vocals. They had a delightful show filled with a wide variety of music almost everyone would enjoy.

We chose this show because our camp host recommended it and could get us tickets for $18 each (instead of $37). We were not disappointed.

Growing up in the 70's we were both fans of the group 3 Dog Night so we thought we would give it a shot. They really tried and we enjoyed the show but there was no way we could have believed we were actually listening to the real band.

As a bonus, I guess, to the 3 Dog Night show we were treated to Mick Jagger doing his greatest hits. Well, again there was no way to believe he was really Jagger but he clearly had studied the performer and did a good job of mimicking his movements and expressions so it was still enjoyable.

In summary, we enjoyed ourselves but it is highly unlikely we will ever find the desire for a return visit to Branson, MO.