BRANSON, MO

The city of Branson was born in the early 1800s on a broad plain along the White River, just south of its confluence with Roark Creek. Buildings and roads eventually overtook the floodplain as the city grew westward up a gradually sloping ridge, creating what is now Branson's Historic Downtown District.

Downtown The waters of Lake Taneycomo tamed the temperamental White River in 1913. Now, a patchwork of parks, campgrounds, shops and restaurants line the waterfront, forming a thriving shopping district on the city's eastern boundary. Mile-long Lake Street harbors public fishing docks, grassy parks and remarkable restaurants such as Dimitri's, which serves gourmet meals in a floating dining room on the shores of Lake Taneycomo. Also anchored to the waterfront are the huge docks from which The Lake Queen and the Sammy Lane Pirate Cruise set sail for their half and full-day excursions on this crystal-clear lake.

One block from shore at the intersection of Boxcar Willie Drive and Main Street is the Branson Scenic Railway depot, while a couple of blocks up from the tracks is the town's... more