You’ve probably ready a LOT about our trip to Branson/Ozarks. Sorry if it’s a little much but for those who are looking to go on a family trip that has a little bit of everything to keep everyone entertained, this post might be helpful. If you want to learn more about our trip check out my post about our Branson/Ozark Mountains Itinerary.
What we liked:
- Spacious rooms
- Full kitchen (in most rooms)
- Window to living room
- Balcony with a view
- Jetted bathtub
- Separate bathroom
- Big dinner table
- Movies and games to check out
- Indoor pool with small slide
- Lazy river and big slide (With lifeguards around these)
- Shuttle service to anywhere on resort
- Free use of paddle boats, canoes, and kayaks
- Activities for kids and families (like fishing and tyedye)
- Childcare available
- Free putt putt
- Fun Mountain with bowling, bumper cars, laser tag, rock climbing, huge slide, and arcade (not free though, except slide)
- The staff is amazing. They were all friendly and helpful the entire time.
- We liked how close it was to Top of the Rock- also owned by Bass Pro Shops.
- Nice dining.
What we didn’t care for (the way we are teaching our kids to nicely say this):
- Not clear instructions for Wilderness Club VS Big Cedar. We went to Big Cedar Lodge first, which is really nice. It was a little disappointing when we went to the Wilderness Club, which isn’t as luxurious. It is still very nice though. The clubhouse is just more practical and family oriented.
- Fun Mountain is pretty pricey. We knew this was going to be the case going into it. My biggest advice would be to get a package that has the activities that your family wants to do. We loved the laser tag. It was really fun and so were the bumper cars. The arcade sucks your money faster than anything else but for whatever reason the kids always love them. The slide is free there and can handle adults too but beware that you can easily get a burn going down because you slide so fast. We didn’t do bowling but it is surrounded by an aquarium and looked super cool!
- The timeshare presentation was really long and very high pressure. Being in sales, I get that this is their job but it still felt way too pushy when asking people to make a very big investment. High dollar sales like this take people more than a couple of hours to decide on. If you go into it knowing this, it’s not so bad. We did. It it was still not fun and Garen I both felt sorry for the poor salesman that had only been in sales for a couple of weeks.
- I would’ve liked to see a snack bar at the pool for convenience. There was one at the clubhouse pool but not at all of the others had one available.
- I think it would be beneficial to have one restaurant that was a little cheaper for families or maybe a market onsite to buy some groceries. I didn’t think the dining was outrageous but it would be nice to have a little variation as the places were all pretty similar in cost. We will probably plan to cook one night next time we go since there’s a full kitchen.
There you have it- the good, the bad, and there was no ugly. We really liked it and feel like it’s a great place for families that want to enjoy a little outdoors with all of the comforts of home. And being within driving distance for us, it’s a great little getaway. Check out more photos from our trip here: Ozark Beauty and But Wait There’s More.
Disclaimer: I am not receiving ANY compensation for this review or writing this itinerary. These are 100% my own opinions and experiences. I hope they’re helpful if you’re considering a family vacation!
Chicken Minus Head 