Silver Dollar City

Just outside Branson is an amusement park called Silver Dollar City. 

We were given some coupons that dropped the price and decided to check it out. 

We were impressed with how big it was and how many rides there were. Although I think the majority of things to do there were all about the food, we still found plenty to do!

Danielle getting ready to ride the roller coaster with Daddy, Ben, Grandma, and Grandpa.

Bree's first rides!  Hannah doesn't like fast rides, so she was happy to be Aubree's partner.

Aubree even dared go on the kiddie coaster with Grandpa! 

She was such a trooper!

Water blaster fun house. 

Tom Sawyers ride. This was my favorite!  You shoot water at targets, but people around the course can shoot water at you and you at them. It allowed everyone to get involved. You could even water fight with other passing rafts. Super fun!

By the end of the day we were pretty pooped! We stopped to have dinner on the way home. Everyone said they had a great time!

Party boat!

Grandpa and Daddy wanted to go fishing and once they began talking about it, the kids wanted to go too. Wednesday they all got up at 5:30 and headed down to the marina where Brent had rented a boat. It was beautiful!  It fit up to 12 adults comfortably, so there was plenty of room for all of us. 

Although they didn't catch any fish, they had a great time!

The cold morning air was a bit chilly for Ben.

But not for Dani!

Brent let all the kids drive the boat.

 They picked Grandma, Mommy, and Bree up at the docks around 9:30. It was still overcast and a bit chilly, but the ride was amazing!

Ben still trying to stay warm.

Aubree loved the boat and cried when we had to return it at 11.  Brent and Robert both jumped in at different points and were pretty cold when we got back to shore.  

Later, after everyone taking a nap, we decided to head down to play some mini golf. 

The holes were very simple designs, but really hard. 

We were all grateful that there were only 9 holes!  

After we went and had dinner at the Devils Pool Restaurant. It was very reasonably priced and SUPER Yummy. When you've had hotdogs and hamburgers all week a real dinner feels like such a treat!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho

Day 3 we decided to explore the lake!  

We first tried the paddle boats, but they went no where fast!

So onto canoeing! This the kids liked. They all took turns helping to paddle.

It took us about 45 minutes to paddle to a little cove and and back. 

We saw a few turtles and some fish jump right out of the water next to us trying to catch bugs. 

The kids thought that was so cool!

Throwing rocks is always the best.

Later that afternoon the kids went with Grandma and Grandpa up to do some crafts while Bree took a nap. Once we were all back together we decided to go on a little walk.

We ended up down at the lodge for Bunny Bingo...

where GRANDMA WON!

Checking out Branson

Day two we decided to head into Branson and do some exploring. Branson had recently been hit by Tornadoes and the devastation was obvious. It was amazing to see how on one side of the street everything was fine, and the other side was completely demolished. It was very heartbreaking to see people coming and going from the destruction trying to find things from their business that weren't destroyed. This area was not deemed a disaster area, so there will be no federal help to rebuild.

Can you imagine staying at this hotel?
I hope no one was there when the tornado hit.
So scary!

The other side of the street. Totally fine.
This is outside the Wax Museum.

 We ended up in old town Branson. 

Having lunch in old town.

Grandpa's mile high Meringue Pie!

Just us girls.

Perfect treat on a hot spring day! 

River Walk fountain.

It was a long, fun day. We headed back home for more swimming and dinner. 

The kids favorite things: - The five and dime store, ice cream, and watching the "water move to music."

Now that we are finally here...

Our first day at the resort was a Sunday. We slept in, had lunch, and then walked around to see what was at the resort.  It was so big that it had free shuttle service 24 hours a day, but there were also beautiful paths throughout that you could walk from activity to activity all over the resort.

Our lodge

View from our lodge

The pool next to our rooms.

Free mini golf course

Devils Pool and Restaurant.

Kids playing together after our walk.

 After resting a bit, we decided to hit the pool!  There were 3 pools. Two adult pools where one "fell" into the other (as Ben put it!)  Then there was a kiddie pool for toddlers.

Miss Bree who had NO FEAR of the water.
We had to always have a hand on her.

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying the warm weather.

Daddy hanging out with Bree in the kiddie pool.
We got tired of watching her try to drown herself.

Mommy and Bree in the big pool.

It was a nice relaxing first day. We went back and made dinner and watched a movie. Excited for the next days adventures!