The Fast Gateway

Long time ago, small town of Branson, in the heart of the state of Missuri, was only known as a good vacation place. And it remained that way until many things marked it as an important and popular touristic resort for the years to come.

The first to exploit its surroundings as the opportunity to attract tourists was William Lynch who proclaimed the Marble cave (later renaimed into Marvel cave) as the interesting and mysterious touristic destination in the far away 1894. The cave was opened for touristic sightseeings until the time when it was leased by Herschend family in 1950. When they became the owners of the cave, the spouses electrified the cave and cemented the staircases opening it soon to host square dances there. But as the much larger quantities of financial means were at stake, the family became swept by the idea of opening the 1880 theme park in order to attract more and more visitors. And they did it. Even today Silver Dollar City is very famous theme park located near Branson city and nowadays it operates in 10 countries around the world.

• Silver Dollar City gained in popularity in the 70s when the crew of the former CBS popular tv show called ˝Beverlyhills Hillbillies˝ decided to shoot the episodes there. From then on this sightseeing place hosted many events such as Stihl Timbersports Series Championships for example, and they attract more and more tourists from around the world each year.

The next thing that skyrocketed city of Branson as a major tourist attraction was the fact that many theater companies were opened in its area in a short period of time. And theaters such as Roy Clark Celebrity Theatre and Swiss Villa Amphitheatre (later renamed into Black Oak Mountain Amphitheatre), which were the venue places for musicians such as : Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozzy Osbourne or Steppenwolf, added to the attraction of tourists from every part of the United States.

The one and only wax museum dedicated solely to celebrity persons is also situated in the Branson city area. Hollywood Wax Museum was opened in 1985, renovated in 2009 and operates successfully today offering its audience opportunity to see celebrities such as : Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin as well as characters such as Ninja Turtles or Super Mario and many others, embodied in their wax counterparts.

• Many wineries are another ornament of Branson. There you can find a vast array of red and white table wines, with semi-dry, dry, and sweet styles, fortified wines as well as sparkling wines and those wineries can boast of winning numerous international awards for the wines they produce and distribute around the world.

If you want to explore the wholesome family entertainment capital of the United States, you are very welcomed to the city of Branson, any time of the year to enjoy the warm inviting atmosphere and truly genuine and heartfelt spirit of the place and its citizens.