Playing in Branson

After a couple of pretty full days traveling to and in Branson, we were ready to take it easy for a bit.  So, on Tuesday morning, we called the front desk to make sure that the paddle boats were still available for use and then headed down to the lake shore.

Due to how late in the season it was, many resort amenities were closed up.  The pools and water slides were drained, the fishing gear was locked up, and pontoon and motorboat rental was no longer available.  However, the paddle boats were not quite winterized yet, so we decided to take a spin on the lake.

Shortly after 10:00, the time we were told that we could take out the paddle boats, we arrived at the dock.  The place looked pretty closed up, but we had been assured that someone would be down there to help us, so Elijah walked up to the door and gave it a good yank.  About 10 seconds later, we heard what I thought was a vacuum running, so we popped around to the back of the dock house to see if anyone was there.

Of course, it wasn’t a vacuum running; it was the warning hum that a really loud alarm would soon be going off.  And that’s exactly what happened.  An ear-splitting siren started wailing, and we nonchalantly wandered away.  When we got back to our condo, we called the front desk and told them what we had done.  The person at the desk kind of laughed and told us that someone would be down to the dock shortly.

So, we walked back down to the dock, by which time the police had arrived.  The policeman and the boat guy chatted a minute, and the policeman offered to cuff Elijah and haul him to the slammer.  But then he thought better of it, told us that he would be getting back to his nap now (no joke), and drove off.  The boat guy unchained the paddle boats, warned us about getting too far from shore because of the wind, and wandered off to get some work done.

While this was not exactly the best way to start the morning, all’s well that ends well, right?!  We spent some time enjoying the sunshine and paddling around a small part of Table Rock Lake.

After our dubious paddle boating adventure, we grabbed a quick lunch at the condo and headed into Branson.  Jeff’s parents had bought tickets to watch another show that afternoon, and we had promised the kids some mini golf in the meantime.  We had driven up and down the strip in Branson enough by now for the kids to have picked exactly where they wanted to go:  Lost Treasure Golf.

So, Jeff strapped Jeremy on his back once again, and we were off for a round of golf!

When we purchased our golf games at Lost Treasure, the lady selling tickets told us that we could get another round of mini golf at a reduced price either there or at another course called Dinosaur Cove.  When we finished up at Lost Treasure, we only had about an hour before we needed to pick up Jeff’s parents, so we decided to wait and see what they wanted to do later on that evening.

We spent the hour at an outlet mall, where we had seen signs for a Croc outlet.  I bought each older child a pair of Crocs for $10 each and Charlotte a lined winter pair for $15.  All in all, a good bargain!

After we picked up Jeff’s parents, we decided to visit the Stone Hill Winery.  This area of Missouri is actually pretty famous for its wines, so Jeff and I had a quick tasting.  Of course, we found a few things we liked, so into our very crowded car went a few bottle of wine!

Then, it was supper time, and we debated where to go.  We had been told that Branson Landing was a great place to find a restaurant that wasn’t as touristy as those in the town proper.  However, it was a longer drive out there, and the kids really wanted to play another round of mini golf, so we opted to stay in town and eat at a place called Florentina’s Ristorante Italiano.

While I wouldn’t call this a big mistake, we probably would have been happier making the drive.  No sooner were we seated than a man approached our table with a camera and insisted that we all pose for pictures.  No sooner had we ordered our food than he was back with key chains and photo booklets featuring our pictures, a genuine Branson souvenir for a “reasonable” price.  The waiter delivered our food so fast that we hardly had time to finish our bread and then brought the check right after he delivered our food.

We experienced this in Europe whenever we had the misfortune of stopping in a touristy place, but it is particularly annoying in a place like Branson.  When we pay that much for food, we expect to be left alone to enjoy it, but that was certainly not the case.  Live and learn.

After our aggravating supper, we headed over to Dinosaur Cove Golf.  Jeremy got strapped on Granddaddy’s back this time.  This golf course featured a volcano that spit fire out the top, something that made us all the jump the first time it happened.  But we had a fun round of golf, this time with Grandmama playing too.

By this time, it was dark, and we were ready to head back to Still Waters.  We played a few games and then tumbled into bed.  Jeff’s parents were headed home the next day, and we were headed to a nature park.  Our vacation was rapidly wrapping up!

Next time:  Dogwood Canyon and being in three places at once.