Chapter Eleven May 8-10, 2001 Tue-Thu Three Days in Branson, Missouri Click or scroll down to read about what we did for three days in Branson, MO 1. Bobby Vinton Show 2. Hughes Brothers Show 3. Japanese Steakhouse 4. Prestley's Review 5. Yakov Smirnoff 6. Dixie Stampede 7. Waltzing Waters 8. Cakes & Creme The famous route 76 runs right through Branson, Missouri. We had three days of fun enjoying the world  famous musical and variety family entertainment shows. Read about our trip to plan your visit to Branson.

1. Bobby Vinton May 8, 2001 Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theatre was packed! We checked into our hotel, and immediately headed out to the evening show with Bobby Vinton at his Blue Velvet theatre. We didn't know quite what to expect, but got the hang of it quickly. Dozens of busses, packed with "older folks" and entertaining shows full of wholesome fun and family themes. Bobby Vinton sang everyone of his famous love ballads. But the surprise for us (repeated at most theatres) was the presence of his grown son and daughters and even his mom up on stage. Branson is all about the stars, putting on their show, then going home afterward to be with family. What a marvelous time we were in for.

2. Hughes Brothers May 9, 2001 We saw the Hughes Brothers  "Breakfast Show" at 9am. The whole family got in the act. With wholesome  singing and silly skits.

3. Japanese Steakhouse May 9, 2001 After driving around town during the day and with some time to kill before the 7pm Prestley show, we decided to treat Jesse to his first ever dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. We all enjoyed the show and had the dinner table for six all to ourselves. How many times can you make an "egg-roll" joke? We lost count.

4. Prestley's Review May 9, 2001 The Prestley family review is the original show on Route 76 in Branson. It is our opinion that this one is the "show to see". Everybody had a good time, with lots of great singing, with non-stop individual and group performances, and of course a good dose of corny humor. The Prestley review is a true family show, from their family to yours. We had a delightful evening, inadvertently sitting besides Grandma Prestley. The entertainers made themselves available for pictures and autographs during intermission and after the show. The whole gang simply sat on the stage edge, making small talk with any patrons interested in getting close and personal. What a delightful evening from a delightful group of people. If you see one musical / variety show in Branson, make it the Prestley review.

5. Yakov Smirnoff May 10, 2001 The Yakov Smirnoff show shouldn't be missed. His brand of humor fit in perfectly with ours. His opening act "Slim Chance" did juggling and provided the corny Ozarks humor required in each Branson show. The troupe of Russian folk dancers offered something very unexpected, with their feats of skilled choreography. But Yakov's humor hit home for us, for almost three full hours. We paid the small premium and sat in the first few rows, providing us these great pictures. But most enjoyable for us was the thought that Yakov could put on two entertaining shows each day, and still be home to tuck his children into bed each night. The ultimate showman: "What a country!"

6. Dixie Stampede May 10, 2001 Our last full show was a dud for us. Everybody raved about Dolly Parton's "Dixie Stampede", with many people telling us "If you only see one show . . .". It is a live show of horseback riders with bleacher style dinner seating. We're not big fans of horses, and we had previously seen essentially the same show (albeit with Knights and Merlin) at the Excalibur in Las Vegas. Much was made about not taking pictures (to not spook the horses), and we found the Blue vs Grey contest to be just as silly as the one in Vegas. If we had it to over again, we would have skipped this show and seen another family fun musical review.

7. Waltzing Waters May 10, 2001 Lyn made us go. When she saw the "Waltzing Waters" blurb on our hotel advertising channel, she put her foot down. On our last night, with our last hours, we finally stopped by to enjoy the piped in music and the synchronized  mechanical fountains with changing lighting effects. There were only a few in the audience, and the system engineer allowed us some time to see the workings of the fountains up close.  We took way too many pictures, (most of them blurred), but here are our best. Yes, Lyn had a great time (and so did the rest of us).

8. Cakes "N" Creme May 10, 2001 After the fountain show, we stopped for dessert one last time. The "Cakes N Creme" shop was located directly in front of our hotel and offered the house specialty of hot fresh Waffles covered with ice cream, syrup and whipped cream. The restaurant crew was delightful and full of smiles. What a perfect way to end our three day visit to Branson, Missouri.

Chapter Eleven May 8-10, 2001 Tue-Thu Three Days in Branson, Missouri Click or scroll down to read about what we did for three days in Branson, MO. 1. Bobby Vinton Show 2. Hughes Brothers Show 3. Japanese Steakhouse 4. Prestley's Review 5. Yakov Smirnoff 6. Dixie Stampede 7. Waltzing Waters 8. Cakes & Creme The famous route 76 runs right through Branson, Missouri. We had three days of fun enjoying the world  famous musical and variety family entertainment shows. Read about our trip to plan your visit to Branson. Original Web Upload May 2001 Last Update: September 30, 2001