Trip to Missouri - need advice

[the other micki]

Well, my DH does not want to go to Disney on an annual basis, so on our 2010 vacation, we'll be visiting Missouri. We're going to start in Branson for a few days, then visit Marceline, Hannibal and finish up in St. Louis. Couple of questions: we'd like to see one or maybe two shows in Branson. We have DD15 and DSs 9 and 7. Can anyone recommend shows that will keep the kids entertained? Any ideas on good lodging? Thinking we may stay around Table Rock Lake.

Also, while in St. Louis, we'll visit the Gateway Arch and will be attending a Lewis and Clark festival while there, but what else would you suggest? Has anyone been to The Magic House Children's Museum?

Thanks so much!

[Twinsowner]

I can't really help you with the shows but we have visited Branson the last 3 summers. You can do Silver Dollar City of course which the kids should like. There are pamphlets EVERYWHERE in Branson for the shows so finding one will be no problem. The lake area is great and there are some older but not that expensive resorts down past Silver Dollar City. If you are interested in staying in town though might I suggest the Horizons resort by Marriott. Great location and we usually get a 2 bedroom full kitchen suite for about $150 after a AAA discount. It is very nice and has probably the best pool in Branson. Coming from Denham you should drive through a town named Harrison, Arkansas. It is about 25 miles before you get to Branson and there is a small local resturaunt on the main road named The Neighbors Mill. It is well worth stopping if you have time. They make their own bread and have incredibly fresh sandwiches and muffins, etc. Also we always eat at a local favorite in Branson called Rocky's italian. Kind of a hole in the wall but very good and its right by the boardwalk. And for Pizza we eat a a place on the strip called Luigis Pizza Kitchen. If you have any questions PM me and maybe I can help. Have Fun!

[Tick-Tock]

Check out the City Museum in St. Louis. A strange and wonderful place for kids.

We visited Silver Dollar City on a family vacation when I was a kid and all enjoyed it.

[justice11]

disney or missouri? i was going to mention the city museum also, we just did the arch and really enjoyed it, we also did the riverboat cruise and it was kinda boring. hannibal has a lovely riverboat ride, my daughter said the night one is really neat, dinner and dancing. wave to me when you go by i am on interstate highway 70 at jonesburg. have a great time our weather has been great.

[Altair]

The Magic House is alot of fun, but can get very crowded at times.
Check out the Old Courthouse near the Arch, it's famous for the Dred Scott decision.
Also Missouri Botanical Garden is beautiful and the zoo is first rate.
You can also hit the Ozark National Scenic Waterways and see some beautiful scenery and springs.:thumbsup:

[BowTie7]

Another recommendation for City Museum in St Louis. Also note that the Zoo, Art Museum, Science Center and History Museum are all free and located close together in Forrest Park. If your schedule allows, a side trip to Springfield, Illinois is about 2 hours away with many great Lincoln sites, especially the Presidential Library and Museum.
As for Branson shows, you will have many (like over 100) to pick from at every hour of the day and night--many have family packs for parents and all the kids at a single price. Silver Dollar City is a great option--check what festival will be going on when you're there--the kids fest runs most of the summer

[the other micki]

Thank you all so much! Your suggestions will be very helpful, I'm sure! We are going in early/mid-May.

Anyone else? :D

[BowTie7]

If you're thinking about Silver Dollar City--be sure to check the schedule. Unlike most midwest parks, it opens at least 5 days a week from early Spring. Park can be nearly empty (especially no lines for the rides, shows can fill up with senior visitors) on weekdays.

[KEYONNAH]

As a kid my parents took us to Six Flags, Meramac Caverns, St. Louis Zoo, and Grant's Farm. There is alot of little things on the different exits on Rt 44. Hope this helps

[wire0monkey]

Check out the City Museum in St. Louis. A strange and wonderful place for kids.

We visited Silver Dollar City on a family vacation when I was a kid and all enjoyed it.


City Museum is an amazing place, and some architectural magazine voted it one of the top public spaces in the world. Bring knee pads.

The Magic House is an amazing kids' museum, and is one of the top kids' museums in the country. They just opened new exhibit space, too.

The St. Louis Zoo is a very good zoo, and it's free for general admission. There's a small charge for the zoo train and the children's museum. (If you're on a budget, I'd say take the train and skip the children's museum.) The St. Louis Science Center is near the zoo and is also free for a general admission.

If you're driving, driving up the river road from Alton, Illinois to Grafton, Illinois is one of the prettiest sections of the Mississippi River. You can have lunch in Grafton. There's a small museum at the lock and dam in Alton where you can get a tour of a the lock and if you're lucky, watch a river barge go through. It's run by the Army Corps of Engineers and is free. It's very small, but sort of cool. Alton is about 30-40 minutes from downtown St. Louis. If you're feeling historical, you can stop and see the Lincoln statute on the way. Oh, and look for the Piasa Bird!

Also, if you're driving, you might want to go to Cahokia Mounds. Southern Illinois - St. Louis was the site of a giant Native American city that built earth pyramids. It has a museum about the site and you can climb the biggest pyramid. It's 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis.

If you feel like a 90 minute drive from St. Louis, you can go see the Lincoln presidential museum in Springfield, Illinois. It's very good, but some have complained that it's "Disneyfied." (They used some animatronics.)

Don't forget to get BBQ while you're here. We have some of the best in the country. I like Super Smokers, myself, but there's lots of good stuff around.

[wire0monkey]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a review of the ribs at some well known BBQ places today.

Their choice for best ribs: Pappy's Smokehouse 3106 Olive Street, St. Louis • 314-535-4340 The master guy over there used to work for Super Smokers, so I pretty much agree that they do a very, very good slab of ribs.

All of the reviews are here:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/restaurant/story/92A3CFF369DADBFC86257617007BAC34?OpenDocument

[the other micki]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had a review of the ribs at some well known BBQ places today.

Their choice for best ribs: Pappy's Smokehouse 3106 Olive Street, St. Louis • 314-535-4340 The master guy over there used to work for Super Smokers, so I pretty much agree that they do a very, very good slab of ribs.

All of the reviews are here:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/restaurant/story/92A3CFF369DADBFC86257617007BAC34?OpenDocument


MMMM...I love me some BBQ! Definitely will be checking Pappy's out! Thanks, Dawn!

[the other micki]

Another question...What's a good family hotel in St. Louis? Preferrably something with a pool, cont. breakfast, that doesn't cost too much...

TIA!

[sndral]

We visited Branson and the Ozarks a few springs ago and really liked it. We stayed @ a place called Stonebridge in a nice 2 bedroom condo unit. It was beautiful, there was a fireplace in the living room, 2 huge bathrooms both with large jacuzzi tubs. We sat out on the screened balcony overlooking a treed ravine (known as a 'holler') in the evenings. The show I remember was Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede - much like Medieval Times, except w/ a civil war theme, everyone (ages 11-74) enjoyed it. The kids really liked Silver Dollar City near Branson, we spent a day there, and the kids would have loved to go back. We also enjoyed touring a couple of caves.