TravelWorld International Magazine Winter 2023

12
Branson Celebrates
An Ozark Mountain
Christmas
From bright lights and Broadwaystyle
shows to Christmas trees and
showboat cruises, Branson, Missouri,
has it all for the holiday season.
Branson has been celebrating an Ozark
Mountain Christmas since 1988, and
the celebration gets bigger and brighter
every year. Whether it’s your first trip
or your fiftieth, you’ll find something
new to experience and enjoy.
The town square at Silver Dollar City is
ablaze with twinkling lights.
Photo Courtesy of Silver Dollar City
Story by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann
SILVER DOLLAR CITY with its
6.5 million lights (That’s equal
to 680 miles of lights!) takes first
place as the holiday must-see in
Branson. This family-friendly
theme park offers something for
folks of all ages -- from one to
92, as the song goes. At An Old
Time Christmas, you can enjoy
lights, parades, rides, musical
productions, shopping, seasonal
foods, and even a cave tour.
As soon as you enter the park at the
Town Square, you’ll be wowed by the
eight-story special effects Christmas
tree with a synchronized light and
sound show. Just down the hill at
Midtown, you’ll find the park’s most
dazzling light display, where 1.5
million lights shine in an array of
designs and form a twinkling tunnel of
lights. New this year is the canopy over
Valley Road with rows of gleaming red
and gold bells.
A Dickens' Christmas Carol, a
Broadway-quality production, is an
original musical adaptation of the
classic story by Charles Dickens,
with elaborate sets, flying ghosts
and pyrotechnic special effects.
Seeing this show is a longtime
holiday tradition for me and
thousands of other SDC fans.
Kids of all ages enjoy the nightly
Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade,
led by Rudolph, the most famous
reindeer of all. Musical lighted
floats and dozens of costumed
characters wind their way through
the park. Look for 12-foot elves,
14-foot moose characters, 10-foot
candy canes, plus penguins and
marching wooden soldiers.
Staying true to its 1880s Ozark
village theme, the park showcases
more than 100 craftsmen. Watch
as glassblowers form colorful
ornaments, wood carvers create
carousel horses, blacksmiths
hammer out a variety of items, and
potters create beautiful bowls and
vases.
And you won't go hungry. Silver
Dollar City is known for its highquality
food service, from eat-onthe-go
funnel cakes to a prime rib
holiday buffet or traditional turkey
dinner. Buy a Tasting Passport for
an economical way to sample a
variety of the seasonal specialties.
Be sure to stop by Clara Belle’s
Cinnamon Bread Bakery for a loaf
-- or two -- of the irresistible, hotfrom-the-oven
cinnamon bread.
All this takes place within the
110 acres of the park, nestled
in the Ozark Mountains just
west of Branson. For a calendar
of operating days, visit www.
SilverDollarCity.com.
There is plenty of holiday-themed live entertainment
in Branson, where Christmas is celebrated from early
November through early January.
Photo Courtesy of Branson Convention and Visitors Bureau
Santa
appears
nightly in
the Holly
Jolly
Christmas
Light
Parade
at Silver
Dollar City.
Photo
Courtesy
of Silver
Dollar City
The 2023
Community
Christmas
Tree stands
next to the
Ferris wheel
in the heart
of Branson's
entertainment
district.
Photo Courtesy
of Branson
Convention
and Visitors
Bureau
13