Sunday, August 27, Day 1:
Today, we left the house around 6:30, arrived at the Robertsons, loaded their luggage into our car, and began our journey to Branson.
Our first stop was for breakfast at Jack's in Tuscumbia, AL.
I ordered gravy with sausage biscuits and a soda.
After breakfast, we began our journey west on Highway 72 toward Iuka, MS.
We traveled through several small towns, entering the interstate in Memphis.
We crossed the Mississippi River into West Memphis, Arkansas, stopping at the Welcome Center.
Our next stop was to meet friends at Western Sizzlin's in Searcy, Arkansas.
There, we enjoyed a lovely lunch while enjoying the company of old friends and making new friends.
After lunch, we headed north toward Missouri, stopping at South Mountain Scenic Overlook, where you can see Bryan Mountain Elevation 1760, McCutcheon Gap Snowball, Bear Creek, Searcy County Airport, Point Peter Elevation 2040, Round Mts., Buffalo National River, Boat Mountain Elevation 2221, Marshall, St Jo, and Harrison, Arkansas.
It's a great place to stop and take pictures.
We arrived at Paradise Point Resort in Hollister, MO, checked into room 9404, and took the elevator up to our room. We had three bedrooms, a kitchen, three bathrooms, a living room, and a pool room with a view of the White River.
We unpacked and headed outside, walking alongside the swimming pool, hot tub, and floating pool.
We were all too full to eat dinner, so we just snuck on some snacks.
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| Standing near the Swimming Pool |
Monday, August 28, Day 2:
We ate breakfast at the Hungry Hunter Restaurant, where they served substantial portions of food.
The pancakes would cover a huge plate. The bread made for French toast was homemade and served with two huge slices.
Eggs, Ham, and hash rounds were also served. Great place for a hungry man. I could not eat all of my French toast.
In Ridgeland, Missouri, we took a golf cart that holds four people down into the canyon for a 22.5-mile-long tour of caves and waterfalls. We would park the golf cart and explore several areas.
Inside the cave was a snack bar where you could purchase snacks and drinks.
After we finished the tour, we took the shuttle to the Top of the Rock, where we toured the American Museum of Natural History. The museum was filled with artifacts from the Woolly Mammoth.
After the museum tour, we were told to return around 7:30–8 P.M. for the sunset, which would feature bagpipe playing and cannon firing.
We rode to the historic part of Branson, stopping at B's Ice Cream Parlor for a strawberry cheesecake waffle Cone. We rode to Bass Pro Shop and then took a short trolley ride around the historic part of Branson.
We walked along the River Landing and saw several new restaurants, fountains, and fire-spitting pipes.
We ate lunch at World Famous White River Fish House, where I ordered 3 shrimp tacos. I could not eat all of them, so I just ate the shrimp.
We shopped at Elks but didn't buy anything.
We rode back to the Top of the Rock to see the sunset, tour the old church, and watch the canon being fired.
We came back to the condo, showered, and went to bed.
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| Sunset at the top of the Rock, Ridgedale, MO |
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| French Toast |
Tuesday, August 29, Day 3:
We ate a cinnamon roll for breakfast.
We rode to College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO, where we toured the War Memorial at the Keeter Center.
We ate lunch at Dobyn's Dining Room at the Keeter Center. I ordered steak soup with rolls and butter.
We toured the East End Mill, where I bought a handcrafted basket.
Next, we toured the Ralph Foster Museum, which housed artifacts on three levels.
This included musical talents from Missouri, musical instruments, Quilts, dishes, dolls, a circus, cars, and animals (taxidermy), such as polar bears, Grizzly Bears, Lions, tigers, buffalo, elk, and deer.
It included butterflies and birds of every kind, as well as an incredible amount of information, all contained within this one building.
At 7:30, we boarded the Branson Belle for a dinner cruise and show.
The show was great. It started a little slow, but finished with a bang.
It was another long day, so we went off to bed.
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Keefer Center at College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, Mo |
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| This little fellow will greet you with a loud growl! |
Wednesday, August 30, Day 4
I ate a bowl of instant oatmeal for breakfast, and then we were off.
Today, we are going to Silver Dollar City, Branson, MO, for a fun-filled day of shows.
We will also enjoy a train ride into the woods, only to be stopped by train robbers.
Then we will enjoy a hamburger and onion rings at the Lumber Camp Restaurant.
Today was the hottest day yet, and after all that walking, we were ready to leave the park.
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| Train Robbers |
On our way back to the condo, we stopped at Little Hacienda in Branson, MO, where I enjoyed a Margarita on the rocks and a Churro with Ice Cream.
Hubby ordered a burrito supreme.
We were all very full when we left the restaurant.
I took a shower and went straight to bed, not waking up until 2 A.M. Everyone was asleep, so I took out my journal and wrote for about an hour and a half, then went back to bed.
Thursday, August 31, Day 5
The last day of the month and our last day in Branson, MO.
Packed our bags, loaded the car, and were on our way around 6:30–7 A.M.
We stopped to fill up with gas in Black Rock, Arkansas.
We didn't stop for lunch until we reached Dyersburg, Tennessee
We stopped at The Bus Stop Restaurant, where I enjoyed a half-turkey sandwich with pasta, which was very good. We sat outside, for it was a very nice, excellent day.
We dropped our friends off and stopped at the car wash to wash off all the bugs that we had accumulated on the highway.
We were home by 5 P.M.
We had a great trip, but I'm glad to be home in my own bed.
Our next trip is a cruise unless we decide to take a day or overnight trip to the beach.
