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Table Rock Lake

Best Things to Do in Branson with Kids

June 11, 2021 · In: Travel

On the road again, just can’t wait to get on the road again.

We are officially venturing out on real vacations now. Last year was tough with having to change all of our normal vacation routines. When we did do anything, it felt weird and not the same. I know I am not alone with how things were last year. Our first vacation this year took us to Branson, Missouri, and it was absolutely wonderful! Here are the best things to do in Branson with Kids.

Best Things to do in Branson with kids, Arnie's Barn fun

Perfect for kids 3 and up when it came to our crew.

The drive was quite possibly the only difficult thing about our trip to Branson. Coming from Louisiana, it took around 10 hours one way. This included making 3 stops with the kids. It was all fun and adventurous once we arrived. My father in-law rented this amazing cabin that slept 6 adults and 6 kids. To say it was perfect is an understatement. It provided all that we needed.

Besides the cabin, there were so many different activities and things to do with the kids. It didn’t take us long to figure out the best things to do in Branson with kids.

A little bit of gliking will do everyone some good.

You all may be wondering what in the world am I talking about when I say gliking. Have you heard of the term glamping? Well, this is the same thing but with the concept of hiking. We took all the kids hiking and it was made easy with amazing trails, concrete sidewalks, as well as a fun scavenger hunt! Dogwood Canyon Nature Park was so much fun!

Dogwood Canyon hike
A & E tree house

There was so much to see with all of the waterfalls, landscape, ponds, a tree house built by the Animal Planet TreeHouse Masters, as well as a conservation museum.

Golf Cart ride through the mountains.

I never knew how much I would love riding a golf cart until I rode one through the Ozark Mountains. Top of the Rock Ozark Heritage Preserve was quite possibly the most beautiful tour I have ever done, minus my trip to the Galapagos Islands. We were able to ride through the mountains and see all the beauty that the Ozark Mountains as well at Table Rock Lake had to offer.

Best things to do in Branson with kids, Top of the Rock

Did I mention that we even got to ride through the Lost Canyon Cave? It was absolutely amazing! We got to truly experience the cave life as we rode through, including seeing a few small waterfalls inside. After our golf cart tour, we visited the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum before eating at Arnie’s Barn.

Lost Canyon Cave
Looking into a cave on Golf Tour Ride

The museum was even great for the kids as well as all the adults. It was neat to see all the artifacts from Native Americans. After being in awe of all that the museum had to offer, we headed to eat at Arnie’s Barn. It truly brought it when it came to Mexican cuisine. The cool thing about Arnie’s Barn is that it was Arnold Palmer’s barn that was transported and reassembled at Top of the Rock from his hometown in Pennsylvania!

Arnie's Barn food
Arnie's Barn salad
View at Top of Rock , Branson

Looking for fun and games for the kids?

No matter what trip we take with the kids, it always ends up including some fun and games. It is no wonder this type of activity would make for the best things to do with kids in Branson. Fun Mountain is also part of the Top of the Rock amusement. We headed straight there after we finished lunch at Arnie’s Barn. Here is all that we found at Fun Mountain!

Best things to do in Branson with kids, shopping center fun

There was an arcade that offered many games and the ability to get prizes from tickets won from the games. Other than the games, there is a climbing wall, go carts, and bumper cars. The lobby of Fun Mountain also has 3 different slides for the kids to slide down. This is free and a lot of fun for all the kids!

The most exhilarating roller coaster, a mountain coaster.

Looking for a thrilling activity while vacationing in Branson? The Runaway Mountain Coaster allows you to take in the Ozark in all its beauty as well as enjoy a full thrill of a 3000′ of track descending, spiraling, and curving down the mountain. Each cart is attached to an uphill pulley cable that takes you uphill to the top of the hill. Once you reach the top, you are then released from the cable.

Each cart has brake handles that can be pulled to slow down the cart if it gets too intense. Believe me, you are not going to want to pull on those breaks! My kids were all about the full speed going down. We ended up riding the Runaway Mountain Coaster twice.

Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium.

We love a great aquarium, and the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is the largest immersive wildlife attraction in the world. It was so amazing with all the sea life on display and the ability to go from one water-type to the next. Can’t forget to mention how we were able to ‘pet’ sting rays!

Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium Jellyfish
Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium
Best things to do in Branson with kids, aquarium

The kids were even excited about being able to color their own sea creature, then having it scanned and come to life on one of the walls on the first floor. I honestly could go on and on about how amazing this place is.

Pontoon boat, tubing, and Table Rock Lake

The last day of our trip was all about spending time together and enjoying Table Rock Lake with the family. We rented a pontoon boat for 3 1/2 hours and had the time of our lives! The scenery surrounding Table Rock Lake is absolutely beautiful. We had lunch on the water in the middle of water tubing. The kids LOVED tubing! Shoot, I loved it! It was a fun way to end our week trip in Branson, and the reason why it made the list for best things to do in Branson with kids.

Table Rock Lake Pontoon Boat Ride
Table Rock Lake
Tubing on Table Rock Lake

Contemplating Branson? Just do it!

If you have ever contemplated a vacation to Branson, book the trip. I cannot wait to go back. It quite possibly may be my favorite family trip thus far. Don’t get me wrong. I love our beach vacations and our trip to North Carolina and Pigeon Forge. Branson just had a variety of things to offer that was perfect for everyone. Book the trip and make a point to do all of these best activities to do with kids in Branson.

This map was made with Wanderlog, a road trip planner app on iOS and Android
Table Rock Lake

Other vacation posts: https://thesoutherlymagnolia.com/loews-hotel-new-orleans-a-stay-with-hospitality-and-comfort/ https://thesoutherlymagnolia.com/how-nashville-is-the-perfect-girls-getaway/ https://thesoutherlymagnolia.com/disney-world-vacation-with-kids/

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Best Things to Do in Branson with Kids

By: Clair · In: Travel

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Melanie says

    June 15, 2021 at 1:56 pm

    We’ve always thought about visiting Branson; no kiddos, but either a couples trip or maybe take my nieces and nephews along. It definitely seems pretty geared towards families. This is my first time hearing Gliking, but I love glamping, so gliking is right up my alley. Would love to explore the cave too!

    I just started revamped an old a travel link up and this post would make a great addition if you would like to add any travel posts. https://www.lifessweetwords.com/2021/06/travel-tuesday-link-up-features.html

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