World Sword Swallower's Day to be celebrated at Ripley's.

The 4000 year old art of sword swallowing will edge its way into the Branson Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium (Ripley’s) on February 22. There are only a few dozen full time professional sword swallowers left and 20 of them will be partnering with Ripley’s to celebrate the “7^th Annual World Sword Swallower’s Day” which was started by the “Sword Swallowers Association International (SSAI)” and co-sponsored by “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!” “We established ‘World Sword Swallower’s Day’ to honor this ancient art and recognize the few people in the world who can do this,” explains Dan Meyer, a sword swallower whose amazing feats have been chronicled by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

Each of the “20 sword swallowers will risk their lives when they ‘drop swords’ at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditoriums around the world on February 22. In all, more than 125 feet of solid steel will go down the hatch – hopefully without a scratch!” Professional sword swallower Sandra Kallich, known as “Bob Zilla,” will demonstrate her sword swallowing skills at a free performance at the Branson Ripley’s starting at 2:00 PM.

“Some people call Ripley’s Believe It or Not a ‘museum’ and some an ‘odditorium,'” said Tammy Johnson, the Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center. “One thing everyone seems to agree on however, is that from activities like ‘Sword Swallower’s Day’ to its distinctive look and the unique exotic exhibits it displays, Ripley’s provides Branson visitors with a unique, interesting and fun filled attraction in which they are “guaranteed” to experience the unusual,” she adds.

Ripley’s distinctive earthquake damaged design is one of the most photographed buildings in Branson. The oddity of the building’s design is just a hint of the excitement that awaits its guests. John Dixon General Manager of Ripley’s said, “Our slogan for this year says it all, ‘Odd is in, trust us we are the experts.’ We have over 400 exhibits that are a collection of the odd and interesting things that Robert Ripley collected throughout his life and a lot of other cool fun filled stuff such as the slanted room, vortex, optical illusions, unique collections and interactive activities.” Dixon said that two of his personal favorites are the shrunken head because it’s “odd, creepy, cool and there’s not a lot of them around” and, just recently added, a giant 14 foot “Incredible Hulk” made out of car parts.

Ripley’s truly does have something for everyone, takes about an hour and a half to go through, and is open 365 days a year. For additional information on “Sword Swallowers Day,” the Branson Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium or for information or tickets for any of Branson’s shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements please feel free to contact the Branson Tourism Center by calling 1-800-785-1550 or through its website, www.BransonTourismCenter.com.

"Scotty," feeding the ducks.

Having lived in Branson for 28 plus years, I am constantly amazed by the number of things there are for families to do in Branson. Many of those activities provide families with an opportunity to create special memories and do not cost a penny.

From the many free things that are available in Branson, I have selected this list of four because it presents a broad variety of things that families can enjoy and have fun sharing together that are either of a short duration or permit the flexibility to easily fit in with other activities such as shows and attractions and the attention span of children. In addition, items 1 and 2 are within five minutes of each other as are items 3 and 4:

1. Feed the Lake Taneycomo Ducks and Geese – Located directly in front of Scotty’s Trout Dock & Marina, near the public boat loading ramp on the southeastern corner of the City of Branson’s Camp Ground, is the “unofficial “duck feeding area that most people coming to Branson never see. “Scotty,” Lamar Patton, the owner of Scotty’s, pointed out that depending on the season, there are about 50 to 200 Mallard ducks, Canada Geese and other water fowl swimming around between his dock and the shoreline waiting for an easy meal.

Scotty sells bags of corn to feed them, but he points out that they will also eat bread and crackers etc. The duck feeding area is located just feet from the parking area and provides, what in the old days was called “a Kodak moment;” a wonderful opportunity to get some great pictures of the family feeding the ducks.

The free downtown trolley at Stop #4 just accross from Dicks 5 & 10.

2. Historic Downtown Branson’s “Discovery Trolley” – The Trolley ride is a great way to get an overview and perspective of the historic downtown area, the Branson Convention Center and Branson Landing. Along the way, among other things, you will pass a number of Branson landmarks including the grave site of the man the city of Branson is named after, Ruben S. Branson; the Owens Theatre, Branson’s first theatre; the Branson Convention Center; Branson Landing; Lake Taneycomo and the spot where the “Baldknobbers” performed Branson’s first live music show over 53 years ago.

Stop #2 in historic downtown Branson, located on Commercial Street at the east end of the public parking lot at the southwest corner of Commercial and Atlantic Street, is an excellent place to board the trolley. You will have three hours free parking and the trolley will drop you right back where it picked you up after completing its 15 to 20 minute loop.

3. Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery – The “Shepherd of the Hills Trout Hatchery,” is located less than about ten minutes from the famed Branson Strip at the foot of Table Rock Dam just off of State Highway 165. It is operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation and is part of a complex occupying 211 acres along with a “Conservation Center” consisting of trails, a wild life refuge, and a Visitor Center that is visited by a quarter of a million plus visitors annually.

The inside of the Visitor Center features an interesting nature display and a short video on the hatchery and the process involved with producing the trout that makes Lake Taneycomo one of the premier trout fisheries in the nation. It also has a huge aquarium with some “lunker” Brown and Rainbow Trout showing the size that some of the trout in Lake Taneycomo can reach.

Guided tours of the hatchery depart the Visitors Center from Memorial Day to Labor Day on weekdays at 10 and 11 a.m. and 1 and 2 p.m. Visitors are welcome to tour the “race ways,” “trout runs,” by themselves during normal business hours. They will see thousands of trout in the various stages of development from the smallest of trout to the large “brood stock” that is used to produce them. The Visitor Center opens at 9:00 a.m. every day except, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.

4. The Dewey Short Regional Visitors Center at Table Rock Dam – The new $7.9 million, 15,000 square foot U.S. Army Corps of Engineers visitor center has been called “the crown jewel of Table Rock Lake” and for good reason. It is one of only 11 Class A visitor centers in the U.S. and offers an unparalleled view of two of Branson’s lakes, Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo that can be seen from the floor to ceiling glass windows on the Table Rock Lake side of the building. Among other things, the Center features interactive activities, displays on area history, nature and the inner workings of Table Rock Dam, movies, a gift shop with unique merchandise and an interesting film on the construction of Table Rock Dam. It also serves as the starting point for tours of the inside of Table Rock Dam for which there is a charge.

And that’s just four of the many free activities available. From grist mills, to scenic overlooks, a giant Bass kids can stand in, “Dicks 5 & 10,” a $7.5 million synchronized fire, water and music show, nature and hiking trails, parks and more Branson has a wide choice of free activities that families can enjoy together. For more information on these activities, Branson shows, attractions and lodging please feel free to call the Branson Tourism Center toll free at 1-800-785-1550.

The Light Parade winds its way through Silver Dollar City's Town Square.

BRANSON, Mo., December 5, 2013 – “Silver Dollar City’s Old Time Christmas has long been acknowledged both locally and nationally as one of the center pieces of Ozark Mountain Christmas,” said Tammy Johnson, the Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center, “but it was a joy to see it recognized as one of the 10 great theme parks for the holidays in a recent special written by Larry Bleiberg for USA TODAY. The source of the information for the piece was comments made by Robert Niles, editor of ThemeParkInsider.com who pointed out that theme parks “do Christmas on a scale you won’t find anywhere else” and shared 10 of the best at doing just that.

In his comments on why Silver Dollar City made his list Niles said, “This heartland park embraces Christmas traditions with a living Nativity scene, shows and holiday meals” and points out that the park also “features scores of themed trees, including one that towers five stories in the middle of the park.” Johnson points out that the award winning 1880s styled theme park turns into a glittering winter wonderland amid no less than 5 million sparkling lights and 1,000 decorated Christmas trees throughout the park.”

Of the five million lights, 1 million decorate the streets and cover the 40-foot-tall trees on the Town Square as part of the spectacular light & sound show, Christmas on Main Street featuring a five story Special Effects Christmas Tree. It has 350,000 energy-saving lights that are synchronized with music and to the lights decorating buildings around the square, down to one-hundredth of a second. This can result in over 6,000 light changes per minute. The twice nightly 100,000 light Gifts of Christmas Holiday Light Parade with 18 costumed characters and eight lighted musical floats is another unique and beautiful part of the parks Old Time Christmas celebration.

The parks unique live shows, including an original Silver Dollar musical production of It’s a Wonderful Life, adapted from the inspirational Frank Capra Christmas classic and the “acclaimed Broadway-style production A Dickens’ Christmas Carol, an original musical adaptation of the famous classic by Charles Dickens, with elaborate sets and visual effects, flying spirits, vanishing ghosts, revolving scenery and pyrotechnic special effects and others add to the overall spirit and experience of the Old Time Christmas celebration. When combined with everything else the award winning theme park offers, including craft demonstrations; some of the most unique shopping available anywhere in Branson; a full selection of holiday food and, weather permitting, some of the parks dozens of rides, it’s easy to see why Silver Dollar City’s Old Time Christmas would be listed as one of the “10 great theme parks for the holidays.”

For additional information on Silver Dollar City or tickets for any of Branson’s shows and attractions or for lodging arrangements please contact the Branson Tourism Center, one of Branson’s largest and most respected vacation planning services by calling 1-800-785-1550.

The iconic City Square with its five story Christmas Tree and the "Gifts of Christmas Holiday of Lights" parade passing through.

BRANSON, Mo., November 1, 2013 – “It’s certainly no understatement to point out that Silver Dollar City’s spectacular An Old Time Christmas Festival is the centerpiece of the Branson area wide celebration of Ozark Mountain Christmas,” said Tammy Johnson, the Director of Operations for the Branson Tourism Center. “Running from November 2 through December 30, it has been recognized nationally as one of the Nation’s best Christmas celebrations by The Travel Channel, Good Morning America, USA Today and many others.”

The award winning 1880s styled theme park turns into a glittering winter wonderland amid no less than 5 million sparkling lights and 1,000 decorated Christmas trees throughout the park. Of those, 1 million decorate the streets and cover the “40-foot-tall trees on the Town Square as part of the spectacular light & sound show, Christmas on Main Street.” This show features the 5 -Story Special Effects Christmas Tree, with 350,000 energy-saving lights synchronized with music and to the lights decorating buildings around the square, down to one-hundredth of a second which can result in a phenomenal 6,000 light changes per minute. When the twice nightly 100,000 light Gifts of Christmas Holiday Light Parade with 18 costumed characters and eight lighted musical floats is added the result is a unique and beautiful experience that will provide Christmas memories for a lifetime.

Scene from Dickens "Christmas Carol."

An Old Time Christmas also features a number of unique, exciting and entertaining shows. These include an original Silver Dollar musical production of It’s a Wonderful Life, adapted from the inspirational Frank Capra Christmas classic; the “acclaimed Broadway-style production A Dickens’ Christmas Carol, an original musical adaptation of the famous classic by Charles Dickens, with elaborate sets and visual effects, flying spirits, vanishing ghosts, revolving scenery and pyrotechnic special effects; the interactive musical show Frosty where kids help bring the legendary snowman to life, a musical Living Nativity, and the comedy Frontier Fa-la-la Follies’ in the Silver Dollar Saloon.”

Branson Tourism Center’s Johnson points out that, as is the case with all of Silver Dollar City’s world class festivals, the special events, shows and activities associated with An Old Time Christmas are in addition to everything else the award winning theme park offers. This includes craft demonstrations; some of the most unique shopping available anywhere in Branson; a full selection of “holiday food from a Prime Rib Buffet to a traditional turkey & dressing feast and making your own S’Mores, Apple Dumplings and Hot Wassail” and, weather permitting, rides including its new world class wood coaster Outlaw Run, named Best New Ride of 2013. Always thrilling, riding them after dark provides a special unique experience especially with millions of lights sparkling below.

Johnson reminds potential Branson visitors that Christmas is the busiest time of the year in Branson and suggests advance reservations for shows and lodging. She also points out that when you purchase your Silver Dollar City Ticket through Branson Tourism Center you get two days admission to the park for the price of one day. For additional information on either Ozark Mountain Christmas or Silver Dollar City’s An Ole Time Christmas. Please feel free to contact the Branson Tourism Center (BTC), through their toll free number, 1-800-785-1500 from 7 AM to 9 PM every day of the year, except Christmas Day, to talk with one of their trained, Branson Based, Vacation Travel Planners.