FlyerTalk Forums - Branson, MO

For some reason I notice there are few posts on FT about Branson. I attended my wife's family's reunion there last week.

Branson is situated 50 mi south of Springfield, MO (SGF, the nearest airfield) served by AA, UA, DL affiliates (Eagle/Express) and by LCC G4 (Allegiant Air) that flies to/from LAS using MD-80s. Branson is also 150 mi N of Little Rock, Arkansas (served by WN). It's not easy to get to SGF, nor is it cheap unless you fly G4.

Branson's official population is 6,050 yet there was a traffic jam everywhere we went. There are 127 hotels, mostly motels, and only a few chains (Radisson, Motel 6). There is a 2000-room Hilton hotel and convention center under construction. (Other chains such as Hyatt, Marriott, etc. are noticeably absent.) With those exceptions, all the lodging is independently operated (such as Aunt Ramona's Classic Motor Inn, which features Uncle John's collection of restored classic autos). There are dozens of restaurants including chains such as Golden Corral, Red Lobster, IHOP, Sonic, and Steak & Shake, and many independents such as the Wooden Nickel Steakhouse and Granny's Cafe.

What has put Branson on the map are the showrooms -- would you believe more showrooms than Vegas??!? Seems that many performing artists, nearly all country music performers, found they could build and own their own theaters and not have to share the dough with promoters or other middlemen. We aren't into country music, so we saw comedian Yakov Smirnoff whose schtick, of course, is life in America after his family's emigration from Soviet Russia. Yakov's own 1,200-seat theater was packed, what a country!

Somehow, Branson manages to thrive despite 1) being in the MFN; 2) with no local airport let alone an LCC; and 3) no other draws such as casino gambling -- the entire town is rated G, no cussin' (but you can get a drink if you want). There is talk of building a local airport, and boy could they use one. What would be great is if WN would fly here. Even greater would be if the new airport were a hub - what a great layover. The cost of everything is down-to-earth, and I would heartily recommend investing in real estate here.

There are numerous attractions for the whole family such as boating, bass fishing, theme parks, go carts, and specialty museums such as Ripley's Believe It Or Not. A good time will be had by all.