Attractions

Be sure to stroll through Branson Landing, a lakefront downtown development featuring shops (including a Bass Pro Shop and Belk department store), restaurants, and a Lake Tanycomo promenade.

The Shows

It all started in 1959 with the Baldknobbers Jamboree (tel. 417/334-4528; www.baldknobbers.com), when four brothers began performing twice a week in a converted building by Lake Taneycomo. In 1968, the Presleys' Country Jubilee (tel. 417/334-4874; www.presleys.com) opened the first theater on West Highway 76, after years of performing to sell-out crowds in cool underground venues -- Ozark caves. Both are still going strong, offering wholesome, family-oriented country music, dancing, and comedy.

They're joined by 49 other theaters, most with performances from mid-March or April to December and with two shows a day in peak season. Ticket prices average $22 to $40 for adults (more for dinner shows) and are half-price or free for children. It's a Branson tradition for many performers to sign autographs after the show.

Branson was once known as the place for live country music. Although Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, the Oak Ridge Boys, and other country greats still return for engagements at Branson theaters, the past 10 years have witnessed an explosion in Las Vegas-style production shows. Andy Williams was the first major noncountry star to build a venue here, the Moon River Theatre (tel. 800/666-6094 or 417/334-4500; www.andywilliams.com), in 1994. Nowadays, entertainment includes everything from magic shows such as the Kirby VanBurch Show (tel. 417/334-7140) to nostalgia-inducing shows such as Lost in the '50s and Stuck in the '70s (tel. 417/337-9333; www.starlite-entertainment.com for both). For comedy, Yakov Smirnoff (tel. 866/559-2568 or 417/339-2568; www.yakov.com) leads the pack with his unique insights into the quirks of everyday life and relationships between men and women.

One of the hottest shows in town is that provided by violinist Shoji Tabuchi (tel. 417/334-7469; www.shoji.com), whose repertoire ranges from country and jazz to classical and Broadway and whose shows include elaborate production numbers, lasers and other stunning visual effects, an 18-piece orchestra, and gorgeous costumes. A great hit with families is the high-energy comedian/musician Jim Stafford (tel. 417/335-8080; www.jimstafford.com), with his fun-filled, action-packed show full of music, spectacular special effects (including a 3-D virtual thrill ride made in-house), and hilarious comedy.

For amazing physical feats, there's the Incredible Acrobats of China (tel. 887/212-4462 or 417/336-8888; www.acrobatsofchina.com) with their gravity-defying performances, and the visually stunning Cirque (tel. 800/884-4536 or 417/336-1220; www.remingtontheatre.com) with its fantasy-provoking theatrical sets and costumes and incredible displays of athleticism onstage and in the air.

The Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show (tel. 800/520-5544 or 417/336-3000; www.dixiestampede.com), owned by Dolly Parton and billed as "Branson's Most Fun Place To Eat," is one of Branson's most popular dinner shows, featuring roast chicken, potato wedges, corn on the cob, and other dishes served without silverware (you're supposed to eat with your fingers), along with a buffalo stampede, horses, trick riders, races, singing, and dancing. Audience participation in friendly competition between Confederate and Yankee rivals, however, may offend some.

Branson's oldest and most widely beloved theater is the Shepherd of the Hills Homestead and Outdoor Theater (tel. 800/653-6288 or 417/334-4191; www.theshepherdofthehills.com), an outdoor amphitheater which for more than 45 years has presented evening reenactments of Harold Bell Wright's 1907 novel, The Shepherd of the Hills, which introduced the Ozarks to the world. The mystery/love drama unfolds on a football-field-size dirt stage with 80 performers, 30 horses, a fire, a shootout, a hoedown, comedy, and, essentially, entertainment for the whole family. During the day, the grounds are open for homestead tours of Old Matt's Cabin (the original home of the main characters in the book), a trip up Inspiration Tower for fine views of the Ozarks, and horseback trail rides.

A Value for Theme Park Visitors

Those who plan on visiting all three parks -- Silver Dollar City, Celebration City, and White Water -- can save money with a CityHopper Pass costing $79 for adults and $69 for children. You can buy the pass at any of the three parks (it's good for 4 days), order it online at www.silverdollarcity.com, or call tel. 800/475-9370. Three-day, two-park passes are also available.

Museums

Branson bills itself as a year-round home for America's veterans, and nowhere is the city's commitment to veterans more apparent than at the Veterans Memorial Museum, 1250 W. Hwy. 76 (tel. 417/336-2300; www.veteransmemorialbranson.com), which honors those who served in both world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf. Uniforms, personal histories, weapons, photographs, and thousands of memorabilia ranging from Adolf Hitler's World War I dog tag to a bicycle used on the Ho Chi Minh Trail are on display. Those who remember one of America's most beloved couples might want to pay their respects at the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, Highway 376 and Green Mountain Drive (tel. 417/339-1900; www.royrogers.com), packed with photographs and the couple's eclectic collection of memorabilia and personal effects, including guns, cowboy clothing and boots, cars, and guitars. Trigger and Buttermilk are preserved here, two 45-minute films document the stars' lives and careers, and Roy "Dusty" Rogers, Jr., performs twice daily at the adjoining Happy Trails Theater.

Visitors to Titanic: The World's Largest Titanic Museum Attraction, 3235 W. Hwy. 76 and (tel. 417/334-9500; www.titanicbranson.com), can walk a replica of the ship's grand staircase, see the difference between first- and third-class staterooms, view 400 artifacts (each with a personal story), and learn about the fateful last hours of the doomed journey. Kids are drawn to Ripley's Believe It or Not!, 3325 W. Hwy. 76 (tel. 417/337-5300; www.ripleysbranson.com), like moths to a flame for its collection of oddities from around the world, optical illusions, TV shows (both old and new), and world records.

Train & Boat Trips

Departing from downtown Branson's century-old depot March to December, the Branson Scenic Railway, 206 E. Main (tel. 417/334-6110; www.bransontrain.com), revives the romance of classic rail travel with 40-mile round-trips through the wooded Ozark hills aboard restored vintage 1940s and 1950s dome and passenger cars. These trips appeal to a mostly older crowd. For a lunch or dinner cruise on Table Rock Lake, board the Showboat Branson Belle, 4800 Mo. 165 (tel. 800/831-4-FUN or 417/336-7171; www.showboatbransonbelle.com), a luxury paddle-wheeler boat offering 2-hour cruises with dining, music, comedy, and entertainment April through December. For a land and water tour, Ride the Ducks, 2320 W. Hwy. 76 (tel. 417/334-DUCK; www.bransonducks.com), is a wacky 80-minute tour aboard World War II amphibious military assault vehicles that appeals to kids with corny jokes and a cruise of Table Rock Lake March through December.