Top 10 Reasons to Visit Branson during Christmas 2013

I can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. Wait. I can't believe I only have 39 more shopping days until Christmas. I love Christmas. It's a bit overwhelming, but what better things could we be doing with our lives than blessing each other in honor of our savior? 
Besides shopping and giving, I have a top 10 list of my favorite things I like to do with my family during Christmas in Branson, Mo. 

Another Drum Roll Please.....

10. Experience The 25th Annual Ozark Mountain Christmas as Branson transforms into a Holiday Wonderland.

It's so beautiful. Christmas is the busiest time of year in the Ozark Mountains. Visitors come from all over the world to enjoy all of the holiday lights, shows, shopping, and entertainment that Branson, Mo. has to offer. Why? Because every square inch of Branson is decorated.

9. Drive through the Branson Area Festival of Lights that includes 175 holiday displays. 



Now through December 31, 2013, Gather your family and drive over to the Branson Area Festival of Lights Drive-Through off of Shepherd of the Hills Expwy, where you will see thousands of holiday lights in a 1-mile drive complete with Christmas music. Make this one of your family's holiday traditions. Spolier alert - Santa is at the end of the lighted tunnel with a special treat for all good little boys and girls, so be on your best behavior.

8.  Shop the Branson Landing and the Tanger Outlets of Branson for the best Holiday gift selection.  


November 28th, 2013 at 10pm - Black Friday look out. Branson, Mo. is home to so much shopping, you will be able to get gifts for everyone on your list! Branson Landing, located next to Downtown Branson on lake Taneycomo, has over 100 specialty stores, and our favorite, the Bass Pro Shops. Tanger Outlet Malls will have an after Thanksgiving Moonlight holiday sale at 10pm on Thanksgiving night. Get there early. The parking lot is packed. I like to go and people watch with my husband. It's very entertaining.

7. Stay at the 5-Star Chateau on the Lake Resort and Spa and eat Breakfast with Santa. 

Enjoy 4-star hotel accommodations plus on Saturday, December 21, 2013 will be the 16th Annual Breakfast with Santa event at Chateau on the Lake Resort and Spa. They have chosen this year to support a local 
 charity with ticket sales - Options Pregnancy Clinic. Click here to visit their website and make reservations. 
My kids love meeting Santa and eating the delicious breakfast. Who wouldn't?

 6. Attend An Old Time Christmas at Silver Dollar City. 

We go every year. Visit Silver Dollar City this Christmas, one of the WORLD's TOP 10 Amusement Parks. You will enjoy 5 million holiday lights, a Christmas Parade complete with Santa himself, and a train ride that shares the True Meaning of Christmas, not to mention all of the rides. The new wooden roller coaster, Outlaw Run, is the very first wooden roller coaster to twist upside down! Visit their website here for tickets. 
 

5. See Branson's 65th Annual Adoration Celebration & Parade in Downtown Branson. 

A tradition in Branson, Mo. the 65th Annual Adoration Parade begins with the lighting of a nativity scene on the top of the hill overlooking Taneycomo. It is a time to celebrate Jesus and the true meaning of Christmas with your family. Click Here for parade information.  We like to bring hot cocoa with lots of marshmallows.



4. See the Miracle of Christmas production at Sight and Sound Theater 

Away in a manager, no place for his head...You know the song by heart. It's the story of the birth of Jesus. It's a very visual way to teach your children about the true meaning of Christmas. My children love the live animals that they bring on stage! Find out more here.  
 
 
3. Browse the Titanic Gift Shop brimming with Classic Christmas gifts and ornaments. 

Now through December 31, 2013 - The entire ship inside and out will be aglow with Christmas Click Here to see it.

lights and decorations. In the gift shop, you will find children's toys, collectible hand-painted Christmas ornaments, beautiful jewelry, and gifts for everyone on your Christmas list.  Have you seen the Titanic ship that you build out of blocks that are compatible with legos? It is awesome. My boys built it last year.


 
2. Fly direct to Branson, Mo. via Southwest Airlines now landing at the Branson Airport. 

I obviously don't have to fly, but this is a big deal for Branson. This makes travel a hop and a jump! Fly direct to Branson, Mo through Southwest Airlines. Enjoy low fares and an airport with a hometown feel. It's easy to get in and out and you are minutes away from the Ozark Mountain Christmas celebrations. Click here for rates and dates.  

AND...the #1 reason to visit Branson, Mo. during Christmas 2013....
 

1. Meet The Titanic ‘Fantasy’ Princess,  this year’s beautiful addition to the annual Titanic Christmas Winter Wonderland. 

If you like fantasy and the magic that surrounds the Christmas holidays, this is for you! The Titanic ‘Fantasy’ Princess is this year’s beautiful addition to the annual Titanic Christmas Winter Wonderland, which features thousands of holiday lights, Edwardian-style decorations, costumed merry-makers and a Gift Shoppe brimming with one-of-a-kind selections. Also available is a magical photo op with the princess herself. Click Here for more information including dates and times for this events. 

Well, if you have any questions, let me know. I'd be glad to help. If you have any photos of your family visiting Branson during Christmas, post them to our facebook page - Titanic Museum Attraction.  Share the Christmas spirit with us!

Yours Truly, 

Chief Purser Erin Wicker

 

24 Christmas Trees, Holiday lights, and a Fantasy Princess

Each year, the Titanic Museum Attraction decks the halls for a magical Christmas Celebration.  This year, the Titanic Crew worked for 4 days with 12 people working each night, to complete this year's holiday lights and decorations inside the ship. 

You see, the Titanic didn't sail during Christmas, but if she had, we imagine that she might have looked like this: 

There are 24 trees on display throughout the ship, along with thousands of glittering holiday lights! Here is what else you can expect on your tour of the Titanic Museum Attraction during November and December 2013. 

1. Walk the Grand Staircase - Built from original blue prints – for the first time you are able to walk the Grand Staircase. It cost this museum over one million dollars to build this most famous staircase – Titanic’s hand-crafted, wooden inlayed, Grand Staircase, which led First Class passengers into the heart of shipboard society where the rich and richer mingled before dinner.

2. See 3rd Class Cabin and First Class Suite -  What was it like to travel on Titanic? How many shared a room? Was there a bathroom? What did it cost in today’s standards to travel in third class verses first class? Learn the answers during your voyage at the museum.

3. Touch a Real Live Iceberg! - Step into the Captain’s bridge and steer the ship. Learn of Titanic’s voyage from Ireland. Feel the chill of that starry night when Titanic met her destiny. You can steer the ship, will you miss the iceberg? Touch the iceberg. Feel how cold the water was by sticking your hands in 28 degree water. 

 

4. Discover Titanic in 2013 - What does Titanic look like now, on the bottom of the ocean? Our owner, Mr. John Joslyn takes you on a journey of discovery 2 miles below the oceans waves to the resting place of the RMS Titanic. Take a virtual tour, see photos of the wreckage, hear stores from the research crew.

5. Honor the passengers - 2,208 names of Titanic's passengers and crew line the memorial wall at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. Here, we give voice to them all by telling their stories and honoring their memories each and every day.

6. Meet the Titanic Fantasy Princess - she will make special appearances throughout the Holiday season to embody the holiday season’s magic and mystery shared by children of 1912 and today. You can have your photo taken with her too. This is really special for little girls and boys. 

7. And...if you visit the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tn. on Thanksgiving Day, you will see a Grand Titanic Fireworks Display that will knock your socks off. 

We hope you will come share the magic of the season with us. We have 2 locations, Branson, Mo and Pigeon Forge, Tn. For additional Christmas photos, please visit our media page or our pinterest page.

See you soon!

Chief Purser, 

Erin Wicker

Titanic Sponsors Branson PM MOPS

I have been a member of MOPS, or Mothers of Preschoolers since my oldest was 2. He is now 8, so I guess that means I have been in MOPS for 6 years in several different towns. This year and last, I have been a member of the Branson, Mo. PM MOPS organization. http://bransonmops.com/index.htm Branson PM MOPS meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month in the evenings from 6:00-8:30 at First Baptist Church in Branson, MO. Childcare is provided through our MOPPETS program, where children will be taught age appropraite curriculum, have snack, play with other children their age and get tender loving care from the childcare workers. In the meantime, we fellowship with other moms, listen to a speaker, create a craft and enjoy dinner (without cleaning up messes). My youngest is a Kindergartner and MOPS will allow mothers to stay in the organization if your children are up to Kindergarten age. I decided for my last year of MOPS, I would really try to step it up and make a difference within the organization.

This fall, the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo. agreed to sponsor our program. http://titanicbranson.com This is so exciting because through their sponsorship, we are able to provide child care to our children while we are in our meetings, we provide diapers and gifts to expecting MOMS, and we are able to minister to the local women's shelters in our area. To honor the Titanic for their sponsorship, we invited them to our October meeting this past Tuesday night.


You know the 1st Class Maid Jaynee, that you have seen on billboards, television, and at the museum? She came dressed in her 1st Class Maid outfit. We all enjoyed her so much. She went into all of the children's classrooms and gave them bookmarks with Molly and Carter on them and taught the children to bow and curtsie. I was amazed when a little girl came up to her and said, "It's me Hannah. Do you remember?" Jaynee didn't skip a beat! She said, Of coarse I remember you. I met you at the public library. You have a cat that had kittens. How are you?" The little girl was beaming and I was so impressed that Jaynee, who travels throughout Missouri and Tennessee speaking with new children every week, remembered one little girl in Branson, Mo!      

Not only did Jaynee interact with the children, she also was invited to talk to us MOMS in our meeting. She spoke of the Mothers that were onboard the Titanic and how their protective instinct must have been on overdrive during that fateful night. She also had a drawing and gave away a family pass to the Titanic Musuem Attraction. This was a huge hit with the MOPS moms! We were honored that Jaynee and the Titanic Museum Attraction would take time out to acknowledge our group. I think we will plan a MOPS group to the museum sometime during their Christmas Event!

Every year, the Titanic Museum Attraction has been visited by Santa and His Reindeer. This Christmas entourage is coming back this year and it is such a great opportunity for MOMS to bring their children to the museum and take holiday photos with Santa and REAL Reindeer! http://titanicbranson.com/titanic_news.php#santa The entire museum will be decorated in holiday flair. The Grand Staircase, the centerpiece for this outstanding museum, will be adorned "to the nines" with Christmas trees, lights, and garland. I can't wait to take my family to see it.

Santa's Reindeer at the Titanic

Friday, December 4 - Saturday, December 5
Friday, December 11 - Saturday, December 12

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM the TITANIC
Celebrate the Christmas Season with LIVE Reindeer!

During their visit children and families alike can pet the reindeer, have their pictures taken ($10.00) with these relatively rare creatures! Daily visits from 10am to 7pm.