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[marolinesdad]

I had asked about that last year and was told that they did to catch you attention to the speed.   It worked...  lol

[sanddunerider]

your right OKLa.  otherwise non of us would have lookeed at it twice..!!@ let alone every time we drive by!  LOL

[sanddunerider]

okey dokey!  just got into the room, Paige already had my room ready and my tickets for the todd oliver show tomorrow..

hit the city about 1:00, listened to the russian academic ban at the gazebo. pretty good music, decent lyrics. A little surprised at the LOWCUT top the lady singer had on. I actually thought i was going to get a real show!!

After that that headed for the opera house to see the powerhouse.. lets see, what to say?  how about 13 people all tap dancing in unison? or 12 fiddle players playing together? or 3 tap dancers and fiddling at 1 time? I think i can sum it up this show in about 5 words:
MUST SEE THIS SHOW! AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Got done there headed toward heritage hall for the circus, stopped and checked out HDH. they have made several mods to the entrance area (about4 times wider) added some seatin there, and added lost of stroller space. I like the way it lays better now. more open.

stopped and grabbed abite in the fricos barn. did the old faithful taco salad. large prtion and very good. i walked throuhg and looked at other plates. looked like everybody was serving large portions.  nice  price, 2 people and refills about 15.00.  not bad.

Was also impressed with the circus at the heritage hall, but to get a good seatyou need to get in line 45 minutes ahead of time. But very entertainng, and great acrobatics..  make sure you see it if you can.

finsihed up with the GAC sgow in Echo Hollow. was disappointed , i had been told it would be all new. yes there were a few new songs, and looks to me like 5 or 6 new singers/dancers. but 80% was the same as last year.. IF you have not seen it, GO it is a great show, I went 4 times last year. So this year may be alittle boring for me.

All in ALL a GREAT afternoon. 75 degress, no wind, no rain. beeeutiful day at the city.

Pictures of WW to come tomorrow, i will drive by there in tha morning.

[KBCraig]

hit the city about 1:00, listened to the russian academic ban at the gazebo. pretty good music, decent lyrics. A little surprised at the LOWCUT top the lady singer had on. I actually thought i was going to get a real show!!

What, no pics? 

[mhguy77]

Dropped in Sunday for a quick run around the city, the crowd was light and the weather was wonderful.  I went to Springfield for the Elton John concert Sat might ate at Touch restaurant and drove down to the Eagles Lodge for the night.  This was my first stay and Page checked me in made me really feel welcome. I will definitely be staying there again.  The park is starting to green up but they don't have any of the plants out yet, that makes such a difference for me.  Worldfest is a great time of the year as its not to hot. Short lines, perfect day.
A word about Access Branson for your tickets, I stopped in to get a gift certificate for the Bleu Olive and they were wonderful no pressure folks, gave me a handfull of buy on get one coupons and other stuff free.  The best part was there was no ploy to get me to do a time share tour.  Check this place out folks and please always let these businesses know where you heard about them, like the Eagles Lodge we end up helping ourselves.
Looking forward to a little Bluegrass and BBQ.

[sanddunerider]

sorry KB, i heard this was a "G" rated website...

[spgoad]

Hey all, new guy here.  I've been reading these forums for a little while now, and thought I would jump in and post. Unlike some of you who have known the history of SDC and have been going for years, my wife and I are pretty new fans. I went several times growing up, but I was pretty little and don't remember alot. Then, my wife and I got married last summer and went to Eureka Springs for the honeymoon, spending one day up in Branson at SDC and the landing. We loved it and said we should come back, but didn't know when. Just a bit before SDC opening weekend I felt the urge to get out of town and do something (I like to travel and haven't been able to get away as much after college), and so I bought us a couple of SDC annual passes and we went to Branson for opening weekend. We spent just Saturday and part of Sunday in the park, but loved the freedom of knowing we've got an annual pass and can come back whenever. It really let us take it easy and enjoy the excellent theming and atmosphere of the park. The Saturday we were there was threatening rain, so it wasn't too busy, we avoided lines all day really. We had a blast. We also learned the trick of bringing in 99 cent wal-mart ponchos and taking on the water rides when nobody else wants to. We stayed dry, but enjoyed the thrill of them without the massive line. Last August when we were there, the Lost River had over an hour long wait. I enjoy rides as much as the next guy, but I'm not big on lines. So, I tend to try and avoid them by being smart about when we ride what.

We are probably in the young end of the SDC fans crowd (both in our early 20s), but we really like the park. I'm a big theme park fan (especially Disney, made my first trip to Walt Disney World in January), and I have to say SDC really impresses me. I know I've seen comments about breaks in theming and modern things coming in, but as far as theme parks go, SDC has some of the best theming I've seen. I doubt anyone could ever top Disney in my book, but to me SDC competes really well in the area of a solid theme and atmosphere. SDC is much closer to us and of course alot cheaper. It also competes extremely well in the food category. I think that is about our favorite part. We love the skillet food, the bakeries, etc... sometimes I think we like SDC just to eat. With that in mind we are gonna make it over to World Fest soon and check out some of that food... our second trip as annual passholders! We are excited to be able to just hop over there for weekends away occasionally and to get to experience more of what SDC offers in terms of festivals and seasonal events. Really looking forward to checking out Christmas time! I'll make my way back here about we check out World Fest and let you guys know what we think. Thanks for the info on these boards, I enjoy reading it!

[History Buff]

Welcome to our addiction, spgoad.

[sanddunerider]

welcome! glad u had a good trip

[Parson B Ready]

Just got back from our trip to the city.  We went Thursday and Friday (4/21-22).  Thursday was cool and the crowds were light (only about 3,000 on park that day according to our very own Mr. HeHa).  We arrived in time to see the opening ceremony.  I had never seen it before.  It really summarizes what a special place SDC is.  Starting the day off with a flag raising, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the National Anthem, was a moving experience.  Some of the bluegrass music they were piping in had gospel references.  How many theme parks in the world can you find people reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and hear songs about the resurrection of Jesus?  I'm guessing only one.
Thursday was a big day for my 7-year-old.  Thanks to his cowboy boots he was wearing he was finally tall enough to ride Wildfire for the first time!  And I rode Wildfire probably for the last time.  I Like Wildfire, but the older I get the less it likes me.  Now that my 7-year-old is tall enough to ride it, my 14-year-old has a new riding buddy.  In addition to Wildfire, the kids rode Powderkeg, FITH, The Giant Swing, Flooded Mine, Thunderation, and Train along with a few rides in the Grand Exposition.  HDH is a neat little addition that my 2-year-old really enjoyed.  It is well done... Grandmother was with us and she and the kids rode Hugo and Mary's Carousel.  It is so nice to have that back in operation.  The wife and kids also saw the Russian Circus.  They said it was really good. While they were watching the circus, my oldest son and I watched Ray Johnson do a knife demo.  That was cool. He basically insulted us (in a funny way) the whole time he did the demo.  Rains hit around 4:00pm, so we joined the mass exodus and went back to the hotel.  We ordered pizza and relaxed until it was time to go see the "Noah" show at Sight and Sound.  The show was very well done from a technical perspective, some scenes were very moving, while some seemed kind of cheesy.  Grandma had always wanted to go, and since this was the last season, we went.  As a pastor, I was impressed with the fact that they offered and Invitation at the end of the program.  We went back on Friday. This day was a little more crowded (about a 20-minute wait to ride Fire-in-the-Hole with 3 trains running).  The crowd was between 6,000 - 7,000 according to Mr. Heha.  Still not bad.  This time, the weather cooperated until closing time.  Since it was warmer we hit the water rides today.  As many have already pointed out...American Plunge is in desperate need of some TLC.  The drowning man is now totally missing you just see the dog and the life preserver...and of course the tunnel....But I digress.  We rode the train again and this time the woman chosen to be "MA" claimed the Bolin Boys as her own.  This left the conductor a bit flabbergasted ("Lady, that's not in the script").  But it made the hold up that more funny, because they had to ad lib to finish the sketch.  The kids wanted to watch the circus again (I'm not a big circus person), so they went and did that while I just walked around the park and absorbed as much of the SDC vibe I could get.  We watched Canadian Powerhouse, that was a good show featuring step dancing (ie tap or clogging) along with some good fiddling.  We satisfied our SDC fixes--apple dumplings, blackberry ice cream, and (for my son) a pound of Wildfire taffy.  Finally we stopped off at Ozark marketplace and I completed my visit by playing a song on the dulcimer--"In the Sweet Bye and Bye" (it's the only one I know).  Several years ago, I purchased a dulcimer kit there.  My dad and I put it together.  My dad was killed in an accident about 4 years ago. So every time I go to SDC I play a song on the dulcimer in his memory before I leave. 
We stayed at Eagles Lodge and had a good visit.  They have a decent breakfast with fresh waffles that you can make on the waffle iron.  The rooms were clean and well kept, having a fridge and a microwave in each room is a real lifesaver when you have kids.  My 7-year-old made friends with Paige, now he wants to go back there and work for her at the hotel when he is old enough.  He even had me sign a "permission slip" and give it to Paige.  We will probably stay there again.  The stay was about $100.00 cheaper than it would have cost me at the other hotel we stay at in Branson. Thanks for getting us the discount there. All in all it was a good trip...it just went by too fast.  I hope to go back in September.  Until then....I'll have to get my fix at SDC Fans.

[How-doFolks]

Very nice & detailed trip review, sounds like ya had a great time. Thanks for postin'!!

[sanddunerider]

parsom, great review.. glad you had an uneventful trip,.

1 more thing, in case you didnt see the other postings, Paige at eagles lodge would like us all to go to trip advisor and "rate" her motel..  So if you have time.......... THANKS.

www.tripadvisor.com

[eagle1]

Sounds like you had a fun time, I remember when I was finally tall enough to ride the rides, it is a huge deal! I have thought of a great "job" title for your son - "Guest Relations" . Glad you enjoyed your stay and look forward to seeing you and your family again soon!

[Parson B Ready]

parsom, great review.. glad you had an uneventful trip,.

1 more thing, in case you didnt see the other postings, Paige at eagles lodge would like us all to go to trip advisor and "rate" her motel..  So if you have time.......... THANKS.

www.tripadvisor.com

Just finished that.

Sounds like you had a fun time, I remember when I was finally tall enough to ride the rides, it is a huge deal! I have thought of a great "job" title for your son - "Guest Relations" . Glad you enjoyed your stay and look forward to seeing you and your family again soon!

You realize now that Caleb is going to want an official Name Tag next time we stay there!

[sanddunerider]

Hey parson!  Paige can do the name tag thing. Last time I was there I go me a "official" Eagles lodge shirt!1  LOL