Things To Do In Branson Missouri In June – The city of country music and tour buses is undergoing a personality change. Eight Branson leaders, including Craig Wescott, Jeff Seyfried and Mayor Karen Best, discussed what’s next for our region’s tourism mecca. Here’s Branson’s next move.
Photo courtesy of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and CVBS State-of-the-art attractions, infrastructure upgrades and new branding strategies are shedding a fresh, new light on the 417-land tourist mecca.
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Surrounded by 177 acres of wooded hillsides, Jeff Johnson sits in one of the few stretches of Branson unlit by neon and headlights.
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Here, you’re surrounded by paper river birches and hornbeam trees, dense forest and the eerie, mysterious beauty of the Ozark Mountains makes it easy to step back in time to the days that drew people to Branson. Located on the outskirts of town, Johnson is in the center of Branson’s original tourist attraction. No bright lights, no guitars, no strings, no dinner theater. Just trees, nature, old carriages and log cabins.
Welcome to Shepherd of the Hills Homestead Adventure Park. Here’s a slice of Ozark life before Silver Dollar City’s roller coasters rose from the rocky hills. It was here before Johnny Morris’ pristine golf courses gained national attention. It was here before the Mabe and Presley families turned a 5-mile stretch of Highway 76 into the live music capital of the universe. Now, that’s part of the story Brunson is struggling to survive.
Since first celebrating township title in 1912, Branson has undergone many transformations, from fishing haven and outdoor retreat to center for country music and live theater. But some wonder if his recent shift could put Branson in danger of losing his roots. Johnson, the new owner of Shepherd of the Hills Homestead Adventure Park, is one of those interested. “The history of this area will be lost,” he says. “And our history is important. A lot of people think Branson started because of country music, but before the rides, before the lights, a shepherd walked these hills.”
In 1907, that pastor was Father Howitt. Howitt is the main character in Harold Bell Wright’s best-selling novel The Shepherd of the Hills. The book’s web of love, faith, self-discovery and family loyalty unravels in the fictional town of Mutton Hollow, a sleepy town in the Ozarks. The simple lifestyle of the backwoods community quickly attracted visitors, who were eager to see if the unspoiled beauty described by Wright really existed in the rugged mountainside. For decades, travelers have flocked to the farm that inspired the book. It wasn’t until 1957 that the story of The Shepherd of the Hills was reworked as a play and performed in an outdoor amphitheater built on the property.
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Photo Courtesy Shepherd of the Hills Homestead Adventure Park In the early 1900s, Shepherd of the Hills Homestead Adventure Park was Branson’s first tourist attraction. Jeff Johnson bought it in 2017 and added 21st century amenities.
By this time, Silver Dollar City had become Branson’s main attraction, and by 1963, the 1880s theme park was Missouri’s #1 tourist attraction. Back then, the number of visitors to Branson was nothing compared to the tourism boom the city enjoyed after 60 Minutes crowned it the Live Music Capital of the Universe in 1991. At that time, there were stars like Loretta Lynn, Andy Williams, Tony Orlando. And much more. Performed in Branson, the city on his third or fourth label line.
Live music is a big draw, and the city’s tourist season is beginning to extend beyond summer. But two decades later, Branson is once again tapping into a new tourist niche. This time, the focus is on sports and the outdoors. Award-winning golf courses now host nationally televised tournaments, and ziplines stretch through the treetops as new ballparks and waterslides attract a new batch of visitors. Overall, tourist numbers are up, but a lingering reputation as a Stetson-clad vacation spot with tour buses filling the streets is somewhat of a hindrance. “As our season grew, it grew with musical performances and country music,” says Craig Wescott, CEO and co-owner of The Track Family Fun Parks. “It was great, but it painted us into a corner at one point.”
1907: The popular novel The Shepherd of the Hills is published and visitors flock to the humble farmhouse that inspired the book.
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1950: The Herschend family buys Marvel Cave and takes over tours. About 8,000 visitors enter the cave every year.
1958: Table Rock Lake is created and Ozark lakes and rivers become a more popular fishing destination.
1960: The Herschends unveil their new 1880s-themed amusement park, Silver Dollar City. The family built the park’s first ride in 1962 and opened an annual craft festival in 1963.
1967: The Presley family built the first live music theater in Branson. Today, the city hosts more than 140 exhibitions.
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1991: 60 Minutes tells a story about Branson and calls the city the live music capital of the universe.
2014: Top of the Rock reopens and Branson begins building new outdoor attractions to showcase the natural beauty of the Ozarks.
Wescott grew up in Branson. His father started the family business in 1981. At that time the tourist season was for four months. “If your doors are open after mid-May or mid-September, it’s a waste,” says Wescott. “Tourist attractions are family oriented with some musical performances.” Today, Branson is much more than country music, and its tourist season gets closer and closer throughout the year. It’s been a 30-year collaboration between city officials, the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and the CVB and the city’s business community, but it’s finally coming to fruition.
Indeed, 2016 was a breakout year for Branson. About 9 million people visit the city and not just for the country music. New attractions like golf, baseball, and indoor water parks have helped boost the city’s tourism numbers, but that doesn’t mean Branson’s work is done and it can lose its reputation as a home. “We’re still learning that people don’t realize we have more than just music shows,” Wescott said. “Performances are still important to the market, but they are also changing.”
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Even at a glacial pace, the average age of tourists living in the Ozarks is also changing. For many years, visitors to Branson ranged in age from 56 to over 75. In recent years, there has been a decline in the over-75 population as the city has shifted its focus to a slightly younger population. “It’s family attractions with an open focus,” Wescott said. “It ranges from lakes to new golf courses.” With thousands of hotel rooms and attractions for all ages, Branson is poised to become a new destination for athletic competitions, business meetings and national association meetings. In 2015, Branson made a major breakthrough in this area when it hosted the Student and Youth Travel Association, a national organization of tour operators, travel agencies and students, “working to provide travel experiences for students and youth to enhance their social lives.” According to the institution’s website, “Culture and academic growth”. In previous years, the group has visited New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto and Albuquerque, New Mexico for its annual convention, but in 2015, attendees found themselves in Branson, Missouri.
The Christian minister who wrote the book about faith, redemption, love and romance no doubt left a lasting impression on Branson and was a big driver of the way the city is today.
“Some of them came here kicking and screaming,” Wescott said. “But they loved it. Now their families are coming back.” Wescott was one of several Branson business owners who organized the event in hopes of showcasing the area’s appeal as a student destination. During the meeting, he met a man from Kansas City who had never been to Branson. Because? “He said he was never here because he didn’t like country music,” Wescott said. To some area business owners, that might be a silly answer, but Wescott laughs. He had heard this argument a thousand times. “All people heard was, this is the big guy, the capital of country music,” he says, and he understands why Branson has that reputation. In the 1980s and 1990s, this explanation was not far-fetched. “That’s when we saw the addition and growth of the music scene,” explains Wescott. “And that brought in another customer … the kind who see three shows a day on buses.”
But that generation is now away from the tourist crowd. To stay relevant and maintain tourism, Branson needs to attract a younger audience who want to visit the city year-round. Some traders and residents are worried about this. No one wants Branson to be the Vegas of the Midwest. For many, part of Branson’s appeal is his family atmosphere
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