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Over the years Branson has grown to include more than 100 live shows in nearly 52 theaters; other tourist attractions include museums, three pristine lakes, 12 championship golf courses, year-round festivals and events, nearby mountains and wilderness areas.
Other local attractions include Celebration City, Dixie Stampede, White Water, an IMAX Theater, Big Cedar Lodge, Titanic Museum, Showboat Branson Belle, Chateau on the Lake, The Shepherd of the Hills, Stone Hill Winery, Ride The Ducks, Branson Landing, the Tracks and Splash Country.
In 2006 the Titanic Museum joined nearly a dozen other area museums. The Titanic Museum includes artifacts from the actual wreck. Also on display are models of the ship, a full scale replica of the grand staircase and recreations of various rooms of the ship, in addition to eye-witness accounts of the events that occurred.
Today there are over fifty theatres producing over 100 live shows. Theatres are no longer metal storage containers. They cost several million dollars and come in many shapes and sizes. The largest is known as The Grand Palace, with seating for over 4,000. The Palace has one of the largest laser systems in America and eighty feet above the audience, various harness and trapeze equipment allow entertainers to fly, even parachute from the ceiling to stage.[8] Following closely behind the Palace is the 3,200 seat Mansion. Andy Williams performs in a twelve million dollar 2,000 seat theatre featured in Architectural Digest. Mr. Williams’ theatres exterior is covered in lush waterfalls and Koi filled ponds, while the interior is decorated with million dollar works of art by artists ranging from Jackson Pollock to Andy Warhol.[9] Shoji Tabuchi’s theatre is known for its exquisite million dollar restrooms filled with crystal chandeliers and gold leaf pool tables.
Entertainer who have or had established theatres in Branson are Roy Clark, Lowe Sisters, Boxcar Willie, Cristy Lane, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, Mel Tillis, Mickey Gilley, Jim Stafford, Ray Stevens, Andy Williams, Bobby Vinton, Charlie Pride, Lawrence Welk, Wayne Newton, Tony Orlando, Barbara Fairchild, Oak Ridge Boys, Kenny Rogers, Yakov Smirnoff, Osmond Family, Glen Campbell, John Davidson, Moe Bandy, Loretta Lynn and Shoji Tabuchi. Famous Celebrities in Branson have included Barbara Mandrell, Louise Mandrell, Irleen Mandrell, Phyllis Diller, Rich Little, Ann-Margaret, Lennon Sisters, Charo, Dino Kartsonakis, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, Captain and Tenniel, Pat Boone, Gladys Knight and Sherry Louis. In the spring of 2006, the surviving members of the original Bill Haley & His Comets began a long-term residency at Dick Clark's American Bandstand Theater.
Branson has also played host to several production shows, some with big named celebrities and others simply known for their choreography. Direct from Las Vegas the Country Tonite show was quickly joined by Legends in Concert. Other shows have included Will Rogers Follies, The Promise, Spirit of the Dance, Cirque, Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Opening its doors in 2008 is the Strasburg, Pennsylvania based Sight and Sound Theatre’s production of the musical Noah. A theatre is being built specifically for the companies large productions that include live animals, elaborate sets and a 300 foot wrap around stage.
In 1894 William Henry Lynch bought Marvel Cave outside of the town and began charging visitors to see it.
In 1907 Harold Bell Wright published The Shepherd of the Hills set in Branson. The story about life in the Ozarks and skirmishes with the vigilante Bald Knobbers was a national bestseller and tourists began visiting the city.
In 1912 Branson was formally incorporated and construction of the Powersite Dam nearby on the White River which would form Lake Taneycomo was completed.
In 1947 work began on Bull Shoals Lake on the White River.
In 1949 Artist Steve Miller created a Nativity scene atop Mount Branson overlooking Lake Taneycomo. The Nativity was quite a spectacle; some figures reached heights of twenty eight feet. By 1953 the lighting of the scene was so popular that the Chamber of Commerce began hosting an Adoration Parade that continues to this day.
In 1950 Hugo and Mary Herschend bought Marvel Cave and began hosting square dances in it that were televised on Red Foley’s Ozark Jubilee. The Herschend Family also began to modernize the cave with electricity and cement staircases.
In 1959 construction of Table Rock Dam began. The Baldknobbers Hillbilly Jamboree Show began. The first show is in the Branson City Hall with 50 folding chairs.[4]
In 1960 the the Herschends opened Silver Dollar City, an above ground attraction at Marvel Cave consisting of a recreated frontier town of five shops, a church, a log cabin with actors playing out the feud between Hatfields and McCoys. The Old Mill Theater began its first outdoor production of Shepherd of the Hills. The Presley family began a music show in the Underground Theatre which would become Talking Rocks Cavern.
In 1963 Table Rock Dam on the White River was completed creating Table Rock Lake.
In 1967 the Presley family became the first to move the Highway 76 "strip" and would be joined on the strip in 1968 by the Baldknobbers. This would eventually grow to more than 52 theaters in the area -- most on the strip. The Presleys were to say later that if the new theater did not work out they "could use the building for boat storage."[5]
In 1983 Branson began its transformation into a major draw when the 7,500 seat Swiss Villa Amphitheatre opened in Lampe, Missouri. The theatre which was later renamed the Black Oak Mountain Amphitheatre before utlimately closing in the early 2000s proved there was a market for large music gatherings -- ironically starting out as a venue for rock bands Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, REO Speedwagon, Steppenwolf, and Ozzy Osbourne.[6] A whole series of larger theatres opened within short order.
In 1987 Box Car Willie became the first entertainer with a permanent schedule in Branson.
