Known for being the live entertainment capital of the world, the city of Branson knows exactly how to entertain all ages and interests with colorful attractions, kid-friendly shows, fun restaurants, educational museums, and theme parks.
If you’re planning on heading to Branson, we recommend you check out these 30 Great Ideas For Family-Friendly Attractions, Restaurants, Shows & Museums in Branson, Missouri!
Attractions
1. Silver Dollar City
Nestled in the heart of the Ozark Mountains is Silver Dollar City, a unique theme park attraction that holds firm its spot in the Top 10 Best Amusement Parks in Country by USA Today. This 1880s-theme park covers over 100 acres of space and attracts up to two million visitors every year with annual festivals, live music concerts, 100 resident craftsmen, and more than 40 rides and attractions within the park.
2. White Water
Open seasonally May through September, White Water is all about summer fun, pools, slides, and sunscreen. This 13-acre recreational water park also features 2 million gallons of water, poolside cabana rentals, a 500,000-gallon Surf’s Up Wave Pool, and the signature 40 ft plunge, KaPau Plummet.
3. Branson’s WildWorld
Branson’s Wild World is an indoor and outdoor local attraction featuring petting zoos, aquariums, and unique animals at every turn! When not viewing wolves, lions, bobcats, macaws, and sharks, there’s several other fun activities for guests to partake in including blacklight mini-golf, free-play arcade games, and a special room where you can feed ring-tailed lemurs.
4. Butterfly Palace & Rainforest Adventure
Sitting up high up on a hill is the Branson Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure. Guests who come to the palace can walk through the Butterfly Aviary where thousands of live tropical butterflies from exotic rainforests all over the world have made their home. The Butterfly Palace is also home to the Rainforest Theater, Emerald Forest Mirror Maze, Banyan Tree Adventure, and the Living Rainforest Science Center.
5. Coral Reef Indoor Mini Golf
Coral Reef Mini Golf is an exciting, under-the-sea-themed, 18-hole indoor mini-golf course offering free games, photo opportunities, and a spacious venue perfect for gatherings like school groups, birthday parties, and family reunions.
6. Fritz’s Adventure
If you — or anyone in your family — likes to climb, crawl, or slide, it’s time to head to Fritz’s Adventure for 80,000 square feet of tunneling, rock climbing, and indoor zip-lining! Fritz’s Adventure features everything a monkey child could want with suspended bridges, ropes course, tunnels, and a suspended airplane to explore. For the parents who want to keep their feet on solid ground, there are luxury massage chairs to enjoy and food and drinks you can purchase from Fritz’s Cafe.
7. Branson Scenic Railway
The Branson Scenic Railway departs from a historic depot in Historic Downtown Branson and takes guests on a 40-mile round trip across the Ozarks. Seating is unassigned, so passengers are welcome to tour the train during their journey including exploring the three dome cars (which offer panoramic views) and the concession area in the Silver Lake Car. April through October, Branson Scenic Railway offers a special four-course dinner ride at 5 PM (reservations required).
8. Arcade City
Conveniently located at the Branson Landing shopping center, Arcade City provides dozens of opportunities for entertainment, prizes, arcade games, claw machines, and ticket options!
9. Branson’s Historic Downtown
Downtown Branson gives visitors all they need in one spot, including local cafes, shopping outlets, train rides, theaters, and the popular Dick’s 5 & 10, where there are isles and isles of retro toys, old-fashioned candy, and unique collectibles.
10. Branson Parks & Lakes
Whether looking for a camping spot, a hiking trail, or a park to play ball, there are 16 park locations, 3 lakes, and dozens of camping and hiking trails around the Branson area. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below…
*Branson Parks: Lakeside Forest Wilderness Area, Murphy Park, Branson RecPlex, Stockstill Park, Sunset Park, Caudill Park, Old Branson School, Parnell Park
*Branson Lakes: Lake Taneycomo, Bull Shoals, Table Rock Lake
*Branson Hiking Trails: Shepherd’s Adventure Park, Waterfall Hiking Trail, Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area, and the White River Valley Trail System
Branson Museums
11. World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex
The World’s Largest Toy Museum Complex is comprised of six museums filled to the brim with toys, collectibles, and displays from every era. Within this complex, guests will find they don’t have to walk far to visit each section of the museum, which is as follows: Harold Bell Wright Museum, the National BB Gun Museum, the Stearnsy Bear Museum, the World of Checkers Museum, and the Paul Harvey Jr. Museum. Kids and kids at heart will see toys from every collection, including Barbie dolls, Disney collectibles, Star Wars action figures, Roy Rogers memorabilia, Hot Wheels, and a room full of model trains.
12. Ripley’s Believe It or Not
With over 450 unique artifacts in 8 galleries, Ripley’s Believe It or Not keeps things interesting with ever-changing displays, blow-your-mind illusions, and unbelievable art. Guests can spend a couple of hours or all day at Ripley’s as they venture through the self-guided tour and maybe ask themselves once or twice if they Believe It or Not!
13. Titanic Museum
The Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson journeys guests through the past, surrounding guests with more than 400 Titanic artifacts and letting “passengers” experience what it was like to walk the hallways, parlors, and a replica of Grand Staircase with some interactive displays along the way.
14. Hollywood Wax Museum
Spend the day rubbing shoulders with the best of Hollywood stars at the two-story Hollywood Wax Museum in Branson, MO. Inside, guests can meet life-sized replicas of celebrities like Michael Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Lee, Ben Affleck, and Clint Eastwood. Guests can also walk the red carpet, take selfies, or head over to one of the other on-property attractions like Shoot For the Stars Mini-Golf, the Castle of Chaos 5D theater experience, or Hannah’s Maze of Mirrors.
15. Branson WonderWorks
WonderWorks is an upside-down museum attraction that bends the mind, inspires the imagination, and calls guests to think “outside the box.” WonderWorks is a newer Branson attraction that offers 48,000 square feet of education and entertainment with more than 100 unique exhibits to explore and experience such as the Zero Gravity Room, Bubble Lab, Astronaut Training Gyro, and the Hurricane Shack.
16. Aquarium at the Boardwalk
Also new to the Branson family is the Aquarium at the Boardwalk attraction where over 7,200 sea animals reside. Also waiting inside is an original 5D submarine adventure, a 24-foot high Kelp Forest, a gorgeous 16-foot view of coral reef, and the chance to meet creatures like Finn, the Giant Pacific Octopus. Special discounts are available for groups!
Restaurants
17. Mellow Mushroom
If your kids like a fun atmosphere, bright colors, and delicious stone-baked pizza, you can’t go wrong with Mellow Mushroom at the Branson Landing, open seven days a week!
18. Cakes N’ Cremes 50s Diner
A classic 50’s diner with everything a family could need from affordable menu options to mouth-watering sweet treats to a seasonal Drive-In theater located behind the building. Some menu items include burgers, pizza, and ice cream sundaes.
19. Grand Country Buffet
Start the day off right with Grand Country Buffet’s plentiful breakfast buffet serving fresh fruits, bacon, cereals, yogurt, and farm-fresh eggs. Stop by later in the day for Grand Country’s lunch/dinner buffet serving items like roasts, salads, fresh-baked bread, and desserts.
20.Mad Hatterz Eatz & Treatz
Themed after the wonderous 1951 Disney film Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatterz Eatz & Treatz offers homemade soups, stuffed spuds, sandwiches made with Philadelphia bread, and daily desserts — all available in this fun, locally-owned cafe.
21. Cicis Pizza
Enjoy affordable prices, pasta, salad, dessert, and all-you-can-eat pizza made with 100% cheese, fresh dough, and garlic butter crust.
22. Branson Board Game Cafe
For just $5 per person, guests can choose from over 1,000 board games to play at Board Game Cafe. Speaking of a cafe, guests can grab a cappuccino, latte, or deli sandwiches from the front counter upon check-in. There’s also a private room available to rent for special celebrations, parties, and reunions.
23. Fuddruckers
If you’re driving around town looking for the world’s greatest hamburger, give Fuddruckers a visit. Fuddruckers prides themselves on making fresh, 100% USDA All-American premium-cut beef so you can taste the difference in every bite. Besides offering great burgers, Fuddruckers also encourages large group dining and provides outdoor seating and catering,
Shows
24. Amazing Pets
Performing out of the Grand Country Music Hall, Amazing Pets is a great family show featuring exciting tricks and unique acts done by the stars of the show — skilled dogs and trained housecats! These furry friends are not only talented but many are rescues from animal shelters across the country. Guests of the show will also see beautiful exotic birds and other magical surprises along the way.
25. Buckets N’ Boards
Buckets N Boards Comedy Percussion Show is a unique stage production brought on by two masterful musicians and comedians, Matt Levingston and Gareth Sever. Matt and Gareth are sure to keep audiences entertained and laughing as they play every instrument (and non-instrument) with skill, do comedic acts, and create some fun spontaneous moments with the audience.
26. The Haygoods
The Haygoods bring the house down with every performance! This incredibly talented family of six pulls together tight harmonies, energetic choreography, state-of-the-art effects, and over 20 different instruments played throughout the show!
27. Hamner’s Unbelievable Variety
Dave Hamner and his beautiful wife Denise have spent years touring their magic and illusion show all over the country and the world. Their dream to produce and present a family-friendly variety show to every age is exactly what they’ve done and done well! Get ready for hold-your-breath magic acts, comedy, dancing, flying bird illusions, aerialist acts, cyr wheels, and maybe even the appearance of Gakita, the jungle gorilla!
28. Presley’s Country Jubilee
Nearly 50 years in the making, the Presleys have consistently done what they do best — keep audiences laughing, smiling, and entertained. The Presley family built the first-ever live music theater in Branson and continually bring country, gospel, comedy, and bluegrass to audiences from all over the country!
29.ReVibe
ReVibe! is a new family-friendly musical production that brings the best of young talent to stage with energetic, choreographed dance numbers and tight-knit harmonies covering every genre from modern, to classic, to everything in-between.
30. Reza
“Edge of Illusion,” is a ground-breaking production designed to captivate and connect with audiences on a more personal level. From start to finish, Reza puts on a mind-blowing magic and illusion show full of intrigue and mystery with a variety of small and more significant acts. For some of the special magic tricks, Reza might ask for assistance from a younger audience member! Overall a very impressionable and inspiring performance from Reza who changes his shows and acts every year.
Photo Credit: Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau on Flickr.com
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