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[Firstvisit1967]

We have yet to take our youngest group to the show.  I love going in the fall when the temp drops and they serve hot choc.  Hate the picture takers before the show. 
Taking the home tour, tower and the show have become a bit pricey.  Can spend the day at SDC which has more to do, see some good shows, for a better price.

[Bransonreg]

Shepherd of the Hills is probably my favorite place in Branson to visit.  The turn of the century era is my favorite time era.  I have been going there since I was 8.  I turn 38 next week.  I never get tired of seeing the performance.  Times have sure changed though.  When I was a kid my parents, two sisters, and me used to pack a picnic meal and go out there about three in the afternoon.  We kids played around the character statues and mom and dad just relaxed.  Once we ate we would head down to the theater for the show.  I remember my parents carrying my two sisters back up the steep walk way.  We never road the jeeps.  I have four kids now and all but the youngest has seen the play live.  We watch the dvd all winter long to satisfy us in the off season.  Yes I am a very big fan of SOTH.

Bransonreg

[docspeleo]

I watched the show last year and loved it.. terry sanders was hilarious.
this year i finally made it into inspiration tower for the first time it was a nice ride to the top with my eyes closed.. lol
i'm terrified of slow glass elevator rides

well, that's it.. hahaha

the view from the top is amazing i liked the open air portion better than the top

[KBCraig]

Two nice videos, about 5 minutes each.

I'm glad to see the wagon slide has become an iconic part of the show. It was something my dad always loved, and seeing the video makes me wish he was still here to see it. 

I just noticed we don't have a TUBE mod here... Shave, can we get that?

Here are the direct URLs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjIFCXgjWp4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeI0zPQ4e_8

[rubedugans]

Having read the book, seen the show, and having collected almost all of HBW's works (go figure, me...collecting things!), I love this book/show. I went on a 13 hr trip (Alabama/Florida) this week, and have difficulty reading in vehicles w/out feeling bad, so I downloaded the audio book of SOTH from iTunes, and just listened to that! The voice took a bit to get used to at first, but it is the full unabridged version.

[Junior]

Love Shepherd of the Hills! I have fond memories of the place. I graduated high school in Branson in 1980, and graduating with me was Kelly Trimble, whose dad, Mark, OWNED "the farm!" Kelly and I sat together with some other friends each day at lunch at the high school, and he once invited me to a sleep over, where a bunch of us guys would take sleeping bags and spend the night in Old Matt's Cabin. I regret I never had the chance to take him up on his offer. Kelly and I graduated with a girl named Shawna Snadon, and her dad, Gary, bought the farm when Mark Trimble sold it! Shawna was a great gal, we worked together in the summer of '81 at Hee Haw Theater in Branson. Several of the people I worked with at SDC had night jobs at Shepherd of the Hills. See how many of these names are familiar to you: Terry Sanders, Jeff Kimes, Jennifer Cameron, Bill Signs, the list goes on.

[rubedugans]

I didn't go until I was in my 20's and that means I had been going there for 20+ years before attending. I had read the book and loved it, we just never went! I enjoyed the play, and was very happy with the portrayal of the book. I would think that spending the night in Old Matt's now would not be allowed, if it is....SDCFANS SLUMBER PARTY!!!!!!

[Firstvisit1967]

We have not been to the show in years.  I do love the hot choc and hot apple cider in the fall.  When we last went for the day we found it a bit to pricey for what we got.  Love the show not fond of the park.
Does it really cost that much for someone to ride to the top of the tower? 

[Junior]

Interest in "historical" attractions in Branson has dropped significantly. In recent years SDC has cut back on the arts and crafts stuff, a staple since the park was founded, in favor of rollercoasters and other things that attract a younger demographic. Shepherd of the Hills attendance has dropped in recent years. In the days I worked at SDC, it would have been impossible for "Veggietales" to be presented there, 'cause it really does not fit the 1880's theme. When My wife and I visited SDC during the kidsfest a few years ago, the shops were stocked with all sorts of neon colored plastic and rubber toys (crap) that would not have passed the muster for theme twenty five years prior. TRENDS CHANGE. PROGRESS OCCURS. TO BE PROFITABLE, A BUSINESS MUST ADJUST TO CURRENT FADS, POP CULTURE, and so on. To be honest, very frank, Mark Trimble probably sold SOH at the right time, now Gary Snadon has to charge more for things like the tower and the play in part because not as many people attend. I've noticed in recent years the play schedule has been pulled way back from what it used to be. In the "old days" when I lived in Branson, you could never pass by the homestead without their being a parking lot full of cars, and people all over the place. Last time my wife and I visited, we pulled right up next to the McDaniel homestead, walked through the gift shops, and left in about 30 minutes. There were more employees there than visitors, and that was in August. Has anyone ever visited Bonniebrook? It's the home of the lady that invented Kewpie dolls. It's north of Branson just off Highway 65. When my wife and I visited there about three years ago, we had the place to ourselves. I took a tour of the house, and I was the only one on the tour. The caretaker of the place, who lived on site, gave me the tour. When my wife and I were leaving, only one other visitor was there. The historical attractions and arts and crafts were most popular in the 1960's and through about the mid-1980's. For better or worse, it's a part of the romantic past we all remember from your youth.

[sdcforever]

In recent years SDC has cut back on the arts and crafts stuff, a staple since the park was founded, in favor of rollercoasters and other things that attract a younger demographic. Shepherd of the Hills attendance has dropped in recent years.

SDC sent out a survey last year asking about new craft demonstrations on park, so it seems they're considering adding to (or at least changing some) of the crafts on park.  Perhaps greater visibility of the crafts at SDC will increase interest in SOTH.  It's a stretch, but it's possible.

[History Buff]

^I was thinking about that same thing recently.  I do hope, however, that with the aggressive move of some of those proposals it doesn't end up being just a "factory tour", but that it retains the romantic quaintness of the Ozarkian olden days.

[KBCraig]

Personally, I hate the tower at SOTH. It would be one thing if it was themed like a fire tower or otherwise fit in, but it's just plain ugly.

[History Buff]

I always remember when the tower was first built.  Mercy Purvis the third-and-a-half would make fun it (implying that it ruined the landscape) during the evening show with Rodney Dillard and the Dillards.

[amazonman]

I love Shepherd of the Hills!I only went once but the family usually wants to do other things or we run low on funds.I need to correct myself,ive been to the play once and two years ago i went up in the tower and took the tour.There were not very many people last time i went.

I think partly why the crowds are not what they used to be at SOTH is cause there is so much more to do in Branson.Maybe its just cause the times they are achangin or people have or both.

[DeweyBald]

The Christmas dinner Cowboy Campfire thing was pretty neat.  My entire family attended that when we went to SDC over Christmas.  The "Trail of Lights" wasn't all that great though.....bumper to bumper and some of the themes made me say out loud a few times..."what were they thinking?"  It's pretty neat to drive around the area though.  Behind the stage was pretty cool.  After 40 years of Branson, I never knew what was behind the "mill".