The cool, crisp weather of late autumn and early winter is an appealing time for outdoor activities in the Ozarks. Fishing, hunting, hiking, golfing, camping and other pursuits are year-round opportunities for sporting enthusiasts.

Situated between three pristine lakes, many of Branson’s water activities are available even during Ozark Mountain Christmas. Table Rock Lake is a popular recreational lake drawing millions of visitors each year. Fishing for bass, crappie and other species, boating, swimming, scuba diving, and many other types of water activities are offered on Table Rock Lake throughout the year. The lake never freezes so it is ideal for enjoying water activities even in mid-winter.

From November 1 through December 31, the Showboat Branson Belle offers lake cruises with a holiday flair. The enormous sternwheeler offers several cruises with live entertainment, festive meals and spectacular views.

Lake Taneycomo, famous for its rainbow and German brown trout, traditionally has a large role in Ozark Mountain Christmas. The narrow lake formed by the damming of the White River, begins at the Table Rock Dam south and west of Branson and winds for 22 miles to Forsyth. During the Ozark Mountain Christmas season, the Lake takes on a new role as center of some of the most popular lighting displays.

Bull Shoals Lake offers much of the same recreational and sporting activity as Table Rock Lake, but in a more rural and secluded environment. On both lakes, the relatively mild temperatures during Ozark Mountain Christmas usually mean good fishing for largemouth, small mouth, Kentucky and white bass, as well as black and white crappie and bluegill.

Table Rock, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals Lakes all have plenty of lakeside resorts to accommodate families who enjoy outdoor recreation. Many of the marinas and docks remain open all year and some lake attractions operate on special holiday schedules during Ozark Mountain Christmas.

Temperatures during Ozark Mountain Christmas are mild and comfortable, making it an ideal time to capture another game of golf before Old Man Winter settles in. Integrating course design with rugged Ozark Mountain topography, the courses are both scenic and challenging. Overlooking the sweeping mountain vistas and the scenic hillside terrain, Branson area courses allow golfers to experience Ozark Mountain golf at its finest. Nine eighteen-hole courses and one nine-hole executive course provide golf opportunities that are sure to delight scratch players as well as novices.

November and December are ideal months for experiencing the rugged Ozark hills first-hand. The winter landscape of red cedars, ledge rock, pine and leafless oaks presents an invitation to outdoor enthusiasts who want to truly experience the Ozarks. Established nature trails are offered for hiking and biking and for those who like to hike off-trail, the hills await the exploration.

The Branson/Lakes Area is a perfect hub from which to discover the area state parks and forests. With almost 100,000 acres of wilderness area, the state parks and forests are ideal for hiking, biking, fishing, camping, picnicking, horseback riding, studying nature and exploring nearby caves. Dogwood Canyon, a 10,000 acre privately owned wilderness refuge offers tram tours that allow guests to spot herds of Elk, Bison and Texas Longhorns.

Caving has been a popular pastime for Ozark residents and visitors for years. Area caves offer immense rooms and fascinating formations in this subterranean wonderland. Marvel Cave at Silver Dollar City, Cosmic Caverns, Talking Rock Cavern and Fantastic Caverns in Springfield, all offer tours of the grottos.

The Branson entertainment scene includes dazzling shows, family attractions crystal clear lakes and awe-inspiring natural formations. No matter the kind of entertainment sought, the Branson/Lakes area is sure to deliver with spectacular style.

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During the holiday season, families across America pack into cars to visit the houses and properties in their hometowns that take Christmas lighting to new heights. In a time when family traditions have, for this generation of young people, never been more important, Branson, Missouri offers an entire community illuminated in a celebration of Christmas. The Branson Area Festival of Lights is like an entire town lit like that one favorite street. The results are breathtaking.

Throughout November and December, the town is exuberantly illuminated with more than five million twinkling lights draping area theaters, adorning hotels and delightfully cascading along the two-mile Festival of Lights Parkway.

Over the years, the Branson Area Festival of Lights has become a tradition for more than 1.5 million visitors. From the Historic Downtown lakefront, to the famed Highway 76 to Silver Dollar City, Branson is strewn from end to end with lights and Christmas-themed displays. The town is truly a gift for all visitors.

The Festival of Lights Parkway, hidden in the Branson Hills area adjacent to Highway 65, is a two-mile drive featuring more than 75,000 lights and thousands of displays. The entire family will enjoy going through the tunnels of lights and watching animated displays.

The BAFOL lighting displays along the Festival of Lights Parkway is under the innovative direction of Universal Concepts. Universal Concepts custom builds nationally known lighting displays for several other well known destinations and attractions including Walt Disney World, the Centennial Olympic Park, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Myrtle Beach, Dollywood, Anheuser Busch, the U.S. Virgin Islands and many others.

Holiday lights and impact displays are also found on the Taneycomo lakefront opposite the downtown area, at Thousand Hills on Green Mountain Drive and on Indian Point Road.
Branson’s signature lighting display of musical instruments can be found on the bluff of U.S. 65 and Highway 76. Highway 76 is also lighted with more than 280 large stars. Other lighting locations include the Polyhedron Music Star located atop Mount Branson near the Adoration Scene overlooking downtown Branson.

Ozark Mountain Christmas and the Branson Area Festival of Lights draw more than 1.5 million people to the Branson/Lakes Area during two short months. Area properties, joining in the spirit of the holiday season, also adorn their structures in lights and decorations making the entire area a Christmas card to visitors and residents alike.

Branson, Missouri, the 16th most visited leisure travel destination in the country, boasts more than 55,000 theater seats, three pristine lakes, dozens of attractions, 22,000 lodging rooms, 30,000 restaurant seats and more than 200 outlet retailers. A unique combination of neon and nature, Branson offers year round entertainment for the whole family.

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Jim Barber, the Blues Brothers from the Legends in Concert, the Braschlers, the Brett Family, Dalena Ditto, Doug Gabriel, Dave Hamner, the Hughes Brothers, Jim Owen and John Tweed are among the entertainers scheduled to perform in a benefit show for Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 913 of Branson on Monday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at the Victorian Theater (formerly Sons of the Pioneers), 3090 Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, Branson.

“Proceeds will be used to assist our military personnel and families deployed to Iraq. This is within the guidelines of the organization’s founding principle ‘Never again shall one generation of veterans abandon another.’ The VVA relies totally on private contributions for its revenue and does not receive any funding from federal, state or local governments. The entertainers are donating their time for this show.

Call 417-334-4363 for advance reservations. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children,” said Tom Brett of the Brett Family, who is organizing the show.

The Branson chapter is one of 525 local chapters of the national non-profit organization with more than 50,000 individual members in 43 state councils. Founded in 1978, the VVA is the only national Vietnam veterans organization congressionally chartered and exclusively dedicated to Vietnam-era veterans and their families. VVA’s goals are to promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans. Its first principle is that the organization is measured by deeds and openness as evidence of the core values of justice, integrity, and meaningful achievement.

Among its special programs are government relations advocacy on the range of veterans issues, a national task force for homeless veterans, health care for veterans including disabled veterans, issues pertaining to women and minority veterans, a national scholarship fund and a program providing assistance to veterans seeking benefits/services from the government.

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