By Doug Rich

If you have been to Branson, Mo., and nearby Silver Dollar City theme park, I bet there is a good chance you have been there more than once.

According to a fact sheet published by the Branson Tourist Center, Branson, Mo., is located within a day's drive of one-third of the country's population and 34 percent of the visitors to the Branson area come from 101 to 300 miles away.

Many of the people in that population make that drive at least once a year. A long weekend getaway to Branson is a yearly ritual for many people.

In visiting with family and friends who are in that group of repeat visitors I found that they have a set routine that they follow when in Branson. They have certain attractions, restaurants, and shops that they return to every time, like swallows to Capistrano.

There are too many shows, attractions, restaurants, and shops for me to mention them all in this article, so I will mention a few that my family and I return to again and again.

Most of our trips to Branson revolve around a day or two at Silver Dollar City, the theme park just west of Branson. This popular tourist attraction began with a hole in the ground. First discovered by Osage Indians in 1500, Marble Cave was the first attraction at what is now Silver Dollar City. Cave tours began in 1894.

Hugo and Mary Herschends purchased the cave in 1950 and got the idea for an Ozark Village from a traveling salesman who said he had been born in a general store in the mining town of Marmaros that had been located near the entrance to the cave.

Silver Dollar City, a replica of an 1880s mining town, opened near Marble Cave in 1960. A national audience was introduced to Silver Dollar City in 1969 when five episodes of the Beverly Hillbillies was filmed there.

Today the popular theme park features 40 shows, 30 rides and attractions, and 60 shops. Two other parks have been added in recent years, Celebration City and White Water. In 2006 the park was expanded with the addition of The Grand Exposition that has 10 new family rides.

I like to time our visits with one of the festivals at Silver Dollar City which are the World-Fest, the Bluegrass and BBQ, National Kids Fest, Southern Gospel Picnic, Festival of American Music and Crafts, and the Old Time Christmas festival. The Bluegrass and BBQ and Southern Gospel Picnic are two of my favorites.

Although I have never attended the Old Time Christmas festival myself, I have heard from family and friends that it is a must see event.

The highlights of these festivals are the special effect Christmas tree with 250,000 lights coordinated with Christmas songs and the Holiday Light Parade with musical floats that roll through Silver Dollar City every night.

While my kids are busy with the many rides at the park and my wife is shopping I can sit in one of the shaded pavilions and enjoy some good pickin' and grinnin'.

Food is a big part of the Silver Dollar City experience for me. This includes stops at Eva and Delilah's Bakery, the ice cream shop, the candy maker, and the Hatfield Tater Patch. Sometimes we go early and start the day with breakfast at the Molly Mill Restaurant.

Two family favorite rides that we take nearly every trip to Branson are the train ride at Silver Dollar City and the Ducks in Branson. The train ride gives you a look at everything in the park and gives your tired feet a much needed break. The Ducks are a fun way to see the sights in Branson while you plan the rest of your stay.

Highway 76 is the main drag through Branson and the traffic is usually stop and go day and night. To avoid wasting your valuable vacation time stuck in traffic use the side roads, such as Roark Valley Road, Gretna Road, Fall Creek Road, or Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, to speed up your trips around town.

Getting off of Highway 76 is a good idea when you are looking for a place to eat. There are plenty of good restaurants on Highway 76 but they can be extremely busy during the vacation season. One of my family's favorites is Dockers Restaurant on Green Mountain Drive. Dockers has excellent breakfast and dinner buffets and was voted Branson's best restaurant.

We always try to see at least one show while we are in Branson. There are over 47 theaters offering more than 100 shows so there is no way I have seen them all but I can say I have not seen a bad one yet. There are breakfast shows, matinees, and evening performances so you won't have any trouble fitting at least one into your schedule. According to the Branson Tourist Center there are more theater seats in Branson (55,967) then in New York City's Broadway district.

There is one stop that provides the three main attractions of food, music, and shopping. The Grand Village Shops on Highway 76 just across the street from The Grand Palace. Grand Village Shops has 26 stores including the largest Christmas store in Missouri. My favorite store at Grand Village is the Big Creek Lodge.

For some good food and good fun stop for lunch at the Hard Luck Diner. This is a '50s style diner complete with a soda fountain. Where the waiters and waitresses are all singers and song writers who entertain the crowd with some of their favorite songs.

Usually our last stop in Branson before we head for home is old downtown Branson. This includes a stop at Dick's Old Time 5 & 10 on Main Street. Where the shelves and nearly every available space are stocked with over 50,000 items. Now there is another reason to venture downtown in Branson and that is Branson Landing, a new shopping, dining and lodging district that opened in 2006.

This 420 million, 95-acre district features a scenic boardwalk along the Taneycomo lakefront and a nightly water, light, sound, and fire show created by Wet Design that produces the shows of Downtown Disney Marketplace in Orlando. There are several well known stores and restaurants in the Landing including a Bass Pros Shop and Joe's Crab Shack.

The list of fun things to do, places to shop, and restaurants to try in Branson is nearly endless and getting bigger all the time. These are just a few of the ones I enjoy when I visit Branson, Mo.

What are your favorite places, the ones you return to again and again? On your next trip to Branson expand your agenda, find a new favorite to add to your itinerary.

Doug Rich can be reached by phone at 785-749-5304 or by e-mail at richhpj@aol.com.