On Thursday night after Tumbling, we drove to Grammy & Grandpa's to stay the night so we could get an early start on Friday. We arrived late but had enough time to play a bit and have a snack before heading to bed.
Friday morning we were a bit slow getting started but had our first stop at Missouri State! It was so fun to show the kids where we went to college, give them a tour of campus and take a look around to see all that has changed (and there is a lot!). We also found the bricks in front of the student union that our parents bought for us at our graduations - pretty cool!
Of course, a trip to Branson really isn't complete without a stop at Lambert's, the home of the throwed rolls! We got in with a pretty short wait and had a super tasty (and overly filling) meal before finishing our trip to our destination!
Next up, we stopped at Top of the Rock where we went on the golf cart tour along a nature trail and through a cave. The views are breathtaking and the kids thought it was great fun! Afterwards, we went to the Ancient Ozark History Museum built at Top of the Rock. We weren't sure what the kids would think but they really had a great time walking around and checking out all of the Native American artifacts and seeing the history of the "wild west".
Saturday started great when we had breakfast at the hotel before we drove to Silver Dollar City for the day! We rode the train first (our train got robbed - OH NO!) then we went on several rides, enjoyed a yummy lunch and then tried The Lost River ride for the first time. The kids stayed (relatively) dry while Chad & I got soaked. The kids thought this was hilarious!
Later that evening we went to the Dixie Stampede. The kids LOVED the pre-show, show and even the dinner! It had been probably 15 years since we had been and it was fun to go back - such a great show all around!
And of course, the kids were dying to go to the hotel pool so we wrapped up our night with a dip in a pretty chilly indoor pool!
Sunday morning started bright and early with another trip to Silver Dollar City! The park was pretty quiet on Sunday morning which was great! We rode rides all morning and never had to wait in line for anything!! We went back to our favorite's from the day before, including the teacups where the kids rode without mom this time so they could spin super fast! Then we went to Fireman's Landing where the kids rode the bouncing dogs and had fun shooting balls in the big ball room! Next up we rode The Last River ride again. This time, the kids got SOAKED (especially Garrison!)...they did not think this was as hilarious as we did! We dried out a bit over lunch and then rode The American Plunge where we got wet again. Both kids liked the ride but Garrison loved it so he & I rode it again! We explored the park a bit more and then left around 2:30 to rest and figure out a plan for the rest of the evening.
The plan came together with a trip to ride bumper boats, the new Branson Ferris Wheel, bumper cars and a trip to Andy's Frozen Custard! Peyton was super pumped she was big enough to drive her own bumper boat! We had so much fun bumping and shooting water at each other!! The Ferris Wheel was fun and you could see a long way! We're glad they moved it from Navy Pier in Chicago so we could take a spin! :)
Monday morning we decided to Ride the Ducks! The morning wasn't too hot yet and we had a great tour through Branson, checking out Table Rock Lake, the dam and many other sites before "launching" the Duck into Table Rock! After we launched, the kids had a chance to drive the duck - they are now official captains!
Next up we drove down to Dogwood Canyon. This is a gorgeous nature reserve with miles of walking/biking trails, waterfalls, fishing and a big animal park area. We took the tram ride through the park which was perfect! We got to see much of the park and the kids loved seeing the animals the most! We saw white tail deer, elk, longhorn cattle and buffalo. Maybe the highlight, sadly, was when a buffalo peed on himself while we were driving by - Peyton & Garrison thought this was the very best.
After a long day, we found a restaurant on the lake to enjoy dinner on our way back - the kids had fun feeding the geese, turtles and fish that came by the restaurant. We went back to the hotel and while I packed a bit, Chad took the kids swimming one more time. We wrapped up our trip with a few cartoons before it was time for bed.
Tuesday morning it was time to head home. Our last stop on our adventure was at Fantastic Caverns. Chad & I both went to school in Springfield and have driven past this place hundreds of times but neither of us had ever been. Fantastic Caverns is a drive-through cave and it was great! We learned a lot and the formations in the cave were gorgeous. Hard to believe it takes 100 years for a 1/2" of a stalagmite to grow from the ceiling of the cave. When you look at these formations, that shows you how long the cave has been there!
All in all we had an amazing vacation with the best part having time away from reality a bit and enjoying our family time!!!
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