Let’s Talk Babies

Fun in Missouri

We just returned from a great family vacation in Branson, MO and Table Rock Lake.  This was our second trip down that area, the first time being last year around this same time.

Branson is located in southwestern Missouri just a short drive from Springfield, MO and the Arkansas border (here’s a map).  That area of Missouri is absolutely beautiful.  Lots of rolling hills, lakes and rivers everywhere, and the vegetation is very lush and green.  We enjoy going there because not only is it just a short 4 hour car ride from St. Louis, but it is also very relaxing and fairly inexpensive.

We loved the place we stayed last year so we decided to stay there again this year.  We rented a 1 bedroom/1bath condo at the Stillwaters Resort.  The rooms are well decorated, spacious, and clean.  The resort itself is a great family spot as they have 3 pools (including one that is great for little ones), a nice little park, lakefront condos so you can get a fabulous view of the lake, water access, boat rentals, and an onsite restaurant.  The condos have kitchenettes so you can make a bunch of meals at home to save some cash.  We got a great deal because we went during of the very beginning of their summer season and they were having a 40% off sale.  The rooms are a bit pricey if you pay full price but the resort is always having sales.  Branson is full of hotels, resorts, campgrounds, and cabins so you should be able to find a place that meets your needs and price range.

One of the things I like most about going to Branson for a family vacation is the large array of activities available.  Everything from amusement parks, water activities, hiking, shows, and shopping.  There is pretty much something to make everyone in the family happy.  We didn’t go to any shows because I didn’t think Maya was old enough.  She probably would have done okay at one of the dinner shows, but I didn’t want to risk it.  Probably next year we’ll try to see something.  However, we were able to fill every day with fun activities and still wanted to stay longer and do more.  A few of the things we did were; swimming in the hotel pool, hanging out down by the water (Maya loved throwing rocks in the water), went to the beach, rented a boat, ate some great food, toured the Stone Hill Winery, went hiking, and did a little shopping.  We had a fabulous time and made some great memories.

We spent 6 days down there and could have stayed so much longer.  I love how relaxing it is, how nice everyone is, and how many things there are to do.  If you live in Missouri a trip to Branson is a great little family getaway and you can do it without spending a ton of money.  I’ll admit that before I went to Branson I had a pretty negative image of it.  I thought it was going to be just a bunch of weird shows and an amusement park, with not much to offer a city girl like myself, but I was nicely surprised at all it had to offer.  I definitely think we’ll try to take another trip down this year (we’ll probably camp next time because renting a condo every time gets too expensive).

All in all we had a great trip again this year and I definitely recommend this Missouri spot to anyone looking for a nice family vacation.

I’ll leave you with a nice shot of Maya enjoying an ice cream sandwich on our condo balcony!!

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