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What to do in Branson, MO With Kids
Have a fantastic vacation in Branson!
In 2024 we stayed for three weeks in the Branson, MO area during our adventure. It was a lot of fun for our family of 7. We definitely recommend it for a vacation.
If you want to know where you should go first, just read on to find out!
Table of contents
- Top of the Rock
- Branson’s Wild World
- Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Show
- Silver Dollar City
- Escape Code
- The World’s Largest Toy Museum
- Disney Immersive
- Springfield, MO
Top of the Rock
The Top of the Rock was one of our favorite places during our Branson trip. They have a wilderness trail that winds through caves, over rivers, and beside waterfalls.
And the best part is you can enjoy it by golf cart! This is a great option for people with kids. You get all the sights, without having to carry/drag/push them along.
In addition to the trail, the ticket includes access to the history museum. It has quite a large collection of Native American artifacts as well as Civil War and others.
Check that out, but skip on eating dinner there. The views from the restaurant are awe-inspiring. But the food and bill left a lot to be desired.
Branson’s Wild World
Ok, where else can you play with lemurs and pet dingos? Branson’s Wild World is awesome! It’s part animal park, part zoo, part aquarium, and a whole lot of fun.
They have lots of interesting animals to see both inside and outside. It also has a bunch of “interactive animal adventures”, like feeding sharks, playing with dingos, feeding otters, and our favorite, the lemur playground.
The lemur experience was a whole lot of fun. As soon as you walk in, the lemurs rush over to greet you. Of course, they are more interested in the food you have than you. They’ll try to pry it out of your hands while climbing all over you.
Each animal adventure comes with its own added cost and age restrictions. So make sure you check their website for more info. In particular, the lemur experience only allows kids 8 years old and older.
Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Show
The Dolly Parton Stampede is a fun, cowboy-themed dinner show. It has a variety of acts including buffalo herding, trick riding, and acrobatics.
It’s also a competition between the two sides of the theatre with some VIP ticket holders joining in on the fun. The kids had a great time watching the events and hooting & hollering with the crowds.
The food there is pretty decent. We weren’t expecting much from the food at a dinner show (I mean, we are going for the show). But it surprised us. It really surprised our 4-year-old when they brought her out a small whole chicken!
Silver Dollar City
The Silver Dollar City theme park is a quirky, frontier-themed amusement park. It has something for all ages to enjoy.
There are multiple different roller coasters, a selection of small children’s rides, a variety of vendors, and plenty of food options. When we went it was fall, so we tried multiple different pumpkin and pumpkin-spiced goodies.
We really liked the new “Fire in the Hole” ride. It’s an indoor roller coaster, but not an intense one. It has some small drops as it takes you through the story of a town that caught on fire.
Escape Code
We’ve been to a few escape rooms, but Escape Code in Branson is one of our favorites. It had a good balance of difficulty in the room we were in. We needed a few hints, but managed to “escape” with a minute and a half to spare!
The World’s Largest Toy Museum
If you’re looking to take your kids back in time, check out the World’s Largest Toy Musuem. It has several buildings full of toys from all eras. We ended up spending more time there than we thought because there are 3 different buildings full of everything from Disney figures to Barbie, to a miniature train setup.
The kids found it interesting and my wife and I got to show them some toys that we played with when we were kids.
Disney Immersive
Disney Immersive is a fun experience for the little princesses in your life. Before the show, there are some displays about the art of animation at Disney. Of course, they also have a Disney store as well.
The actual experience itself takes you into a large room with projectors on every wall. There are songs and clips from a wide array of Disney films.
The coolest part is the interactive floor. It changes with each scene and reacts to anyone moving around on it. There was a point where leaves were swirling around our feet and another time when the kids could jump on sea creatures to make them dance and move.
Our daughters (2, 4, and 9) had a great time jumping and dancing to the music. And chasing after the bubbles. Our sons enjoyed it too, but to a lesser extent.
Springfield, MO
Springfield is about a 45-minute drive away from Branson. It is worth visiting, if only just to go see the Wonders of Wildlife museum and aquarium.
The Wonders of Wildlife
The Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium has a very impressive aquarium. It is very a immersive experience with a variety of sea animals.
There is also a nature gallery that you walk through on your way from the aquarium to the museum.
The museum itself is a long trek through rooms filled with taxidermy animals. They have animals from all over the world there with an impressive collection of antlers.
If you’re in the area, you don’t want to miss it!
Fantastic Caverns
While you are visiting Springfield, check out the Fantastic Caverns tour. It is the only complete ride-through cave tour in America.
The kids enjoyed the different cave formations and learning about how caves form and the history of the Fantastic Caverns from our tour guide.
