Quick Family Getaway: Branson!
A good friend texted me late Thursday night asking if we'd like to stay in her vacation home in Branson over the weekend. She's offered it to us several times in the past, but our schedule hasn't allowed us to take advantage until now.
On Friday, the boys had their homeschool enrichment classes and Ben had to work so we packed, cleaned, got the animals set up, and then headed out in the evening. The nice thing about leaving in the evening is that it was smooth sailing all the way there!
The house is overkill for a family of our size, but it's beautiful and the boys just oohed and aahed. It's 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, plus a pool table and Foosball table. They were in heaven. We got in fairly late so we unloaded and then went to bed.
The next morning we slept in a bit. Had a quick breakfast of oatmeal (yay for staying in a house with a full kitchen!) and then headed out. We made our way over to the Grand Village Shops. Lots of cute little shops and restaurants. Plus a Santa to sit on.
[caption id="attachment_2316" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
It's not Christmas, yet, buddy![/caption]
And a big rocking chair.
[caption id="attachment_2317" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Ben and Boys[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2319" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Rocking Out[/caption]
We passed by some cute birds.
[caption id="attachment_2320" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Birdies[/caption]
We grabbed lunch at Sugar Leaf Treats. It was really good! They had hotdogs and brats that we ordered without buns. I got their house chicken salad on lettuce and then Ben ordered some awesome looking salad that had fruit on it. They also had gluten-free brownies and muffins that the boys loved. Even their water was good. It was infused with lemon and lavender! Yum.
We walked around a bit more and then headed back to the house. The boys played video games while we napped. After we woke up we grabbed dinner at Danna's BBQ, shopped at a few stores at Tanger Outlets and then headed over to the Sight and Sound Theater to see Jonah.
[caption id="attachment_2321" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Ready for Jonah![/caption]
Jonah was awesome! We all loved it! We sat in the stadium seating as close to the middle as you can get and they were great seats. There's a center stage and a stage on either side and I could see where visibility would be limited if you were seated down on the floor. We lucked out!
At one point, a large whale...puppet?...balloon?...came off the stage, right toward us. It was HUGE! I admit I was freaked out a bit which is completely ridiculous, but shows just how well the show is done.
The boys were transfixed and I love that they heard such a wonderful message. My only regret is that I didn't know about the backstage tour you can do beforehand. It's only $5 extra per persons and you get to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff which would have been really cool for my little actor (Luke). Oh well, next time!
We slept in again in the morning and then had to pack up to be out of the house by 10am. The Titanic museum was our big stop for the day. Both boys have learned about the Titanic in the past year and are fascinated by it. They were thrilled to go!
[caption id="attachment_2323" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Ready to set sail![/caption]
[caption id="attachment_2322" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Iceberg![/caption]
The museum was really well done and well worth the price of admission. There's a special tour geared toward kids so that's nice. And there's MORE than enough for adults, too. I thought we knew a lot about the Titanic already, but we all learned something. It was a neat way to even just get a better look at that time period, too. It kept Ben's interest so that says something!
By the time we finished, it was time for lunch. We didn't want to fight the crowds so we headed out of town and ate a late lunch on the way home. We got home in time to unpack, eat a light dinner, and veg out a bit.
At first, I wondered if we would regret going all that way just to see two shows, but with the shopping, meals out, and sleeping in/napping, it ended up being a perfect weekend for us. I can totally see doing it again sometime!
On Friday, the boys had their homeschool enrichment classes and Ben had to work so we packed, cleaned, got the animals set up, and then headed out in the evening. The nice thing about leaving in the evening is that it was smooth sailing all the way there!
The house is overkill for a family of our size, but it's beautiful and the boys just oohed and aahed. It's 5 bedrooms, 4 baths, plus a pool table and Foosball table. They were in heaven. We got in fairly late so we unloaded and then went to bed.
The next morning we slept in a bit. Had a quick breakfast of oatmeal (yay for staying in a house with a full kitchen!) and then headed out. We made our way over to the Grand Village Shops. Lots of cute little shops and restaurants. Plus a Santa to sit on.
[caption id="attachment_2316" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
It's not Christmas, yet, buddy![/caption]And a big rocking chair.
[caption id="attachment_2317" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Ben and Boys[/caption][caption id="attachment_2319" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Rocking Out[/caption]We passed by some cute birds.
[caption id="attachment_2320" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Birdies[/caption]We grabbed lunch at Sugar Leaf Treats. It was really good! They had hotdogs and brats that we ordered without buns. I got their house chicken salad on lettuce and then Ben ordered some awesome looking salad that had fruit on it. They also had gluten-free brownies and muffins that the boys loved. Even their water was good. It was infused with lemon and lavender! Yum.
We walked around a bit more and then headed back to the house. The boys played video games while we napped. After we woke up we grabbed dinner at Danna's BBQ, shopped at a few stores at Tanger Outlets and then headed over to the Sight and Sound Theater to see Jonah.
[caption id="attachment_2321" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Ready for Jonah![/caption]Jonah was awesome! We all loved it! We sat in the stadium seating as close to the middle as you can get and they were great seats. There's a center stage and a stage on either side and I could see where visibility would be limited if you were seated down on the floor. We lucked out!
At one point, a large whale...puppet?...balloon?...came off the stage, right toward us. It was HUGE! I admit I was freaked out a bit which is completely ridiculous, but shows just how well the show is done.
The boys were transfixed and I love that they heard such a wonderful message. My only regret is that I didn't know about the backstage tour you can do beforehand. It's only $5 extra per persons and you get to see all the behind-the-scenes stuff which would have been really cool for my little actor (Luke). Oh well, next time!
We slept in again in the morning and then had to pack up to be out of the house by 10am. The Titanic museum was our big stop for the day. Both boys have learned about the Titanic in the past year and are fascinated by it. They were thrilled to go!
[caption id="attachment_2323" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Ready to set sail![/caption][caption id="attachment_2322" align="aligncenter" width="200"]
Iceberg![/caption]The museum was really well done and well worth the price of admission. There's a special tour geared toward kids so that's nice. And there's MORE than enough for adults, too. I thought we knew a lot about the Titanic already, but we all learned something. It was a neat way to even just get a better look at that time period, too. It kept Ben's interest so that says something!
By the time we finished, it was time for lunch. We didn't want to fight the crowds so we headed out of town and ate a late lunch on the way home. We got home in time to unpack, eat a light dinner, and veg out a bit.
At first, I wondered if we would regret going all that way just to see two shows, but with the shopping, meals out, and sleeping in/napping, it ended up being a perfect weekend for us. I can totally see doing it again sometime!
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