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Enjoy a Terrific Family Vacation in Branson!

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With gas prices on the rise, many families are thinking about taking their summer vacation closer to home. Last month, we decided to forgo buying six plane tickets and drive just a few hours to Branson, Missouri. As many people know, Branson is known today as the "live music capital of the world", however, regardless if you have an appreciation for country music or not, it's a really fun place to vacation with kids.

Silver Dollar City was our kids' first choice and the 4-Day, 3 Park CityHopper seemed to be the best deal. Their National Kids Fest runs through August 10 and features a new VeggieTales show and Kid Concoctions Activity Center. At Silver Dollar City, my kids actually said that The Grand Exposition featuring ten family rides was MORE FUN than Disney World. I think they particularly enjoyed the shorter lines and close proximity of the rides. For families staying just a few days, consider taking advantage of another good deal at Silver Dollar City which is the Come After 3pm, Next Day Free! valid through October.

With our CityHopper pass in hand, next stop was Celebration City. While I couldn't talk any of our kids (nor my husband) into plunging down the brand new Roaring Falls water ride that plummets 50-feet on a giant 20-person raft, we did enjoy many of the rides and attractions at this Nighttime Family Fun Park. Make time in your schedule to stay for Celebration City's super laser & fireworks spectacular.

Our last stop with the CityHopper pass was a dip at Branson's water park, White Water. Our younger children (ages 3 & 5) were perfectly content to stay at the Little Squirts Waterworks all day long while our older children (ages 6 & 8) wanted to test the waters at the wave pool, rides and lazy river. If you do purchase the CityHopper, take advantage of the discount they offer on the Branson Bells (adults 50% off), The Dixie Stampede (adults $15, kids $10) and Ride the Ducks ($5 off).

We often planned our day to take in an early show or attraction at night. The showstopper of the whole trip was seeing the new Noah Musical at the Sight & Sound Theatre which runs through December, 2008. The 300 live and animatronics animals with the 40-foot-high ark were absolutely amazing! At selected times, the Noah show also offers a behind the scenes tour showing the technology and ingenuity that powers the dramatic complexity of each show.

We all loved our first family trip to Branson and it's safe to say we'll be back!

Other notable kid-friendly venues to consider for your family trip to Branson are:

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