Top Family Activities in Branson

If you haven’t been to Branson in a while, pack up the car and drive to this family friendly town in the heart of the Ozark Mountains.

Branson is not the same as it was when I was a kid in the 1980’s.  I remember going to Branson as a kid with my family, and I remember some small things for kids to do, but I also remember the huge theaters where all the Country Western Singers would be.  There are still some of the theaters, but some of the Big ones now sit empty, and there is plenty of Country Singers as well as other entertainers having shows, but Branson has definitely turned into a Family Oriented Town.

The Go-Karts, Mini-Golf, Adventure Parks, Coasters and other family entertainment now line the famous Route 76 Strip.

There is plenty to do for families with small kids to families with teenagers.  Bring plenty of $$ as each activity is not cheap, but all the activities we choose were well worth the money spent on our fun end of summer vacation!

In this post I will share with you all the fun we had while in Branson for 4 days!

GO-KARTS & BUMBER BOATS

They are everywhere!  Just drive down the strip and you will several Go Kart places.  We choose The Track with Wild Woody – the 4 Story Wooden Go-Kart Track – this is the one next to the Branson Ferris Wheel.

The Go-Karts we very fun, and the wooden 4 Story Track was fun to go on.  You got to go around the track 4-5 times, so it was a long ride.

We paid $12.00 for my two daughters to ride together – the driver must have a valid driver’s license to have a passenger.

At the same facility, they also had Bumper Boats.  This was another fun experience.  My younger daughter loved that you could squirt all the other boaters!

We paid $9.00 each for both of my daughters to ride their own bumper boat.

Branson Coaster

Flying down the mountains and enjoying the beautiful scenery from your own roller coaster car!  The ride is not motorized, just the momentum of going down the hill!  Don’t worry, you don’t have to walk back up, there is a mechanism that brings you back up the hill.

The Branson Coaster is directly across from Price Chopper and Walmart on the Strip and opened in 2017.

The Branson Coaster is directly across from Price Chopper and Walmart on the Strip and opened in 2017.

This is a newer Alpine Coaster that offers 2 riders per car – so this was the perfect location for us.

Both my daughters could ride together.

Rides costs $15.99 for drivers of two-person cars, and $10.99 for riders.  Additional rides cost $7.99 for each person.

Of course my girls wanted to ride again, and you can do additional rides anytime the same day, so we choose to come back later in the day for the 2^nd ride.

FRITZ ADVENTURE

This huge indoor climbing, zip lining, adventure park is a fun way to spend a rainy day, or even one of Branson’s hot and humid days.

Cost:  Adults:  $29.95 for an all day pass, and you can come and go if you want

Children:  $21.95 (ages 4-11)

Non-Adventures:  $11.95 (this is what they charge to just watch) – I was not a fan of paying just to sit and watch.  But I did and got to see my daughter and husband have lots of fun!

Spend the day going around the amazing zip lines that even go almost up to the ceiling.  I was not brave enough to tackle this, but my husband and daughter sure did!

On the main level there are places to run around and get your energy out, and then you can choose to start the climb up the zip lining towers.

The bottom floor is full of tunnels and other obstacles that make climbing, running and adventuring a new fun experience.

We did not experience it, but Fritz Adventure also has a new Aerodium, where you can actually fly!  This was a great sight, and I’m sure not for the faint at heart!

SnowFlex Tubing Hill

This was my daughter’s favorite activity.

And truthfully for the time spent, the most bang for your buck!

It is a little pricy at $34.99 for adults and $29.99 for children – but you get to tube down the hill for an entire hour!

Just a short drive north of Branson you will find Wolfe Mountain.  Watch for the signs, as the turn to get to the facility does sneak up quick on you.

How fun is it to go tubing in 90+ degree weather!!  The hill is actually watered down, so you might even get cooled off as you rush down the hill!  There is also a moving ramp to take you back up to the top-  so all you need to do is stand on the moving walkway and you go back to the top.

We went early in the morning on a Saturday, so it was not super busy, so there was not a lot of lines, which helped getting more runs down the hill.  We were told that evenings were busier, especially during the summer months.

FUN LUNCH/EATING LOCATIONS

Cakes N Creams

Along the Famous 76 Strip in Branson, you can find all your favorite chain restaurants, but why not try something different.

We choose to eat lunch at a cute 50’s inspired Diner – Cakes N Creams!

This place was fun on the outside as well as on the inside.  You felt like you walked back in time and were in a real 50’s diner.

Anything from Patty Melts, to Burgers to even a brisket sandwich were on the menu along with all your favorite shakes and desserts!

We choose the funnel cake sundae!  WOW!  It was good!

This was a fun restaurant, and the food was just as good!

PROMISED LAND ZOO

As we were driving around the strip we came across the Branson Promised Land Zoo.  We usually don’t go to other zoos, since our home town of Omaha, NE has one of the highest rated zoos in the United States.  But we were out and about, and a drive thru zoo sounded fun.

You can either enter through the main entrance and experience all the exhibits first or we choose to do the drive thru first then walk through the exhibits.  At first it was hard to believe that all the land was right behind the famous Branson strip!

We were surprised that you could see so many animals as you drove through.  We have been to other drive thru parks, and a lot of the animals are nowhere to be found, but not at Promised Land.  Lots of the animals were even right by the fence.

Cost:

We choose the Basic Admission – which is just the drive through and the exhibits.

Adults:  $18.95

Children: $10.85

If you would like any up close encounters, there are additional charges.  Please see website for ticket prices.

Once you drive thru all the animals outside, you can go into the main building you can see all the additional exhibits.

The other exhibits have goats, birds and several other animals.  There is even a sloth exhibit you can pay extra for and even feed them.

The Promised Land Zoo is very well kept and the animals seemed to be taken care of.  I would recommend if your time allows experience this zoo in the middle of the strip.

Shopping

There are some great shopping spots in Branson.  You can go anywhere from the little T-Shirt shops to The Tanger Outlets to a fun and entertaining Branson Landing.

Tanger Outlets – Branson

We spent one morning walking around looking at the stores at the Tanger Outlets.  There are all the normal outlets, including Under Armor, Nike, Kate Spade, Coach, etc as well as a couple fun shops like Harry and David, Seasons (Home Décor) and Girley Girl.

For an evening of fun along Lake Tanycomo, make sure Branson Landing is on your list.  This shopping and dining center is all outdoors and not only has several restaurants and shopping venues, it also has a water show set to music, an Arcade and a bowling alley coming soon.

We actually ate lunch at Garfields- located near Bass Pro Shops, and it was a great lunch location, and walked around before we left for another activity.

Another evening we ate at Big Whiskey’s located near the center of the mall by the Water Show.  This was a great All American Restaurant serving anything from burgers, steaks, pasta, salads, etc.

The rest of the evening we spent at Arcade City, which had lots of fun games that you could win tickets for as well as claw machines with prizes like a Kate Spade Wallet or a Giant Stuffed Animal.  Of course this was the highlight of the evening for my 7 year old!

We ended our night at a stop at one of the Candy stores, and then watched the Water and Fire show!

Pirate’s Cove Mini golf

Just like go-karts there are several locations to play min-golf in Branson.  The courses get very busy in the later evening when it is not so hot out.  We went about 8:00 at night on a Thursday during the summer and it was very busy, but we were still able to play without a lot of waiting.

Cost:  Adults:  $9.50

Children:  $8.50

We choose Pirate’s Cove Mini Golf, as it looked the most interesting to us from the road, and my daughter liked pirates.  But there are so many other courses and themes to choose all over the strip.

Pirate’s Cove was very well done, with 2 – 18 hole courses.  We played Blackbeard’s Challenge, as the attendant told us it was the better of the two courses.   Some of the holes were very challenging, and some were pretty easy, so it was a great mix for us.

The holes, water features and obstacles were extremely well done.  Each corner of the course showed even more of the wonderful features, like waterfalls, and even a pirate ship.

This was a great course, and fun for the entire family.

Dogwood Canyon

A beautiful drive about 40 minutes from Branson you will find the Amazing Dogwood Canyon.

This place is spectacular.

I highly recommend making reservations for any of the tours they offer at least 2-3 days in advance.  We made reservations for a Saturday tour on Thursday, and were only able to get a late afternoon – 3:00 Tram tour.

To find out more and see all the amazing pictures of this beautiful place, please click on the button below to see my post on Dogwood Canyon.

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

What a fun family show and great meal.

For the price of some of the other shows on the strip, you get to see an amazing show with a full meal included!

I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house.  All seats have a perfect view of the arena and nothing seemed to have any obstructions.  So I would not worry about which seats to choose.

To find out more about Dolly Parton’s Stampede and see all the pictures of this fun family activity, please click on the button below to see my post.

Summary

Branson is a great family location.  There are plenty of hotels with pools, or even Condo Rentals that include a pool.  It is not the Branson of the 80s with just country shows, there are now lots of family oriented shows, activities and thrill seeking adventures.  You don’t even need to stay or play on the strip, enjoy kayaking in Lake Taneycomo, boating on Table Rock Lake or enjoy all the activities on the strip and beyond.  Branson has something for everyone.