When we talked to a person at the visitor center a few days ago and asked if there were any cool places to eat, she told us we should try out the restaurant at the College of the Ozarks. This is a Christian college located just outside of Branson. One thing that makes this college stand out is that the school provides opportunity for the students to work at one of more than 100 campus jobs to help pay for their tuition. The remaining portion of the students’ expenses is covered through scholarships. So CofO students graduate debt free. One of the biggest providers of work is the Keeter Center, which is a large lodge and restaurant. So the restaurant is staffed almost entirely by students.
Further research into CofO revealed that they are big into being hospitable so they have several things which attract outside visitors. The restaurant is one of them. Others include a working dairy, a working grist mill, a museum of antique tractors, a bluff overlooking Lake Taneycomo, and a scripture garden on this same bluff. This seemed like a fun destination for the afternoon so we drove there.
We found out when we got there that this weekend was Family Weekend, so the place was busy and there were lots of parents walking around with their students. So we were wondering about getting in the restaurant.
We walked around campus for a while, stopping first at the tractor museum. Lots of old restored tractors, several of which I remember using on our farm when I was growing up. Brings back memories. I suppose that also dates me. We walked through the grist mill, an area where students were doing stained glass, and a few other buildings before driving to the Keeter Center.
We inquired about dinner and they told us it would be about a 45-minute wait. That’s perfect. That will put dinner right at 4:45. We put our names in and then drove across campus to look at the chapel.
One thing about family weekend is that they roll out the red carpet. Open-air bands, food trucks, welcoming signs along the roadways, and I’m sure there was more. A choir concert was just starting in the chapel and we listened for a couple songs until I got a text that our table was ready. Back across campus and we were seated at a table in the rather large dining room.
They really know how to do things here. On the way to your table, they stop you at a table with a large ice sculpture and all the desserts arrayed around it. After describing all the desserts, we were finally led to our table. The student who was our waiter was engaging and attentive. The bread was fantastic, the entrees were very well displayed and were delicious, and the water was cold and plentiful. A very delightful experience indeed. Definitely do this if you are in Branson.
We stopped for some groceries just outside of the CofO campus and then drove downtown Branson for the Haygoods show. Arriving there nearly an hour early, I was surprised to see streams of people coming in. Parking lot attendants were bushing guiding people to parking spaces. We were directed to and area off the side of the parking lot because of the size of our RV. Since we were early, we watched the mayhem that was the parking lot for a while. Definitely a popular attraction. We were told to arrive early; turns out that was good advice.
It’s easy to see why this is billed as the most popular show in Branson. Behind all the lasers and light shows and pyrotechnics, these guys are good. Coming out of a lowly beginning in the backwaters of the Ozark Mountains, this family of six siblings could probably pick up just about any instrument and play it well. Instruments, harmonization (a dying art, it seems), and even gimmicks like the guitarist coming onto the stage hanging upside down on a cable, zip-line style, all put together very professionally. From Simon and Garfunkel’s Sound of Silence to How Great Thou Art to Cotton-Eyed Joe, they could seem to play nearly everything. A very enjoyable show.
Since we were out late anyway, we drove to the Branson waterfront along Lake Taneycomo, to the Branson Landing Water & Fire Show. This is a musical fountain that uses lights and firepots to accent the sequenced fountain. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit too late. The on-the-hour shows were over for the night, and the fountain just did a wave pattern continually. Oh, well, it was worth a shot and even was a nice end to a very full day.
Good thing we don’t have a curfew here as it took nearly an hour to drive back to the ranch. Branson may be only 20 miles from here, but it takes nearly an hour because of the steep and winding roads. There doesn’t seem to be anything around here that is not very hilly.
More pictures from today...
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