Columns - Maryland 20878 - A magazine of Archetypal Towns and Villages of Country and City™

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Branson – Delightfully Unexpected

By Graceann Macleod

I thought I knew what to expect from Branson, Missouri. It's where folks like Andy Williams, Mel Tillis and Yakov Smirnoff perform for family-friendly crowds. It's known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” With all due respect to the many performers who call Branson home, as someone who has never been a big fan of shows, I didn't think there would be much in this corner of the state to entice me. Then I found out that a Titanic Museum had opened there, and suddenly, Branson was a prime destination for me.

Branson, by that name, has existed since 1882, and has drawn tourists since the turn of the last century, due to the lure of a nearby cave and the publication of a book by Harold Bell Wright, “The Shepherd of the Hills,” which was a history of that area of Ozark country. Tourism continued steadily and comfortably throughout the 20^th century, but really took off in the mid-1980s, and has continued unabated, thanks to the numerous stars who have become full-time staples on the entertainment circuit there. Even now, during what are financially difficult times by any measure, folks are finding the time and funds to visit Branson.

Having gotten to the area late the previous evening, we stayed just outside of town at a nice, inexpensive hotel in the town of Ozark, Missouri. This was the first of several sweet surprises – this hotel, despite being in the heart of a tourist-heavy area, was the least expensive we encountered in our two-week travels. Secondly, the owner was from our home town and quickly engaged ... click to continue

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Cartoons

By Marie O’Donnell

O'Donnell takes a break from her marvelous essays on what it was like to be the first Kentlands child, the only one Otis Beal Kent doted on and referred to as his granddaughter. Below are cartoons from fanciful moments. —Editor

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