Hello, Friends! This post should have been done a while ago, but every time I’ve sat to write, my head hasn’t been in it, or I have had other things to attend too. And I’m in the crazy part of the school year with tons of competitions and concerts, two of which I am in charge of and going a little insane. It is always a stressful time, but I love seeing the progress that the students make as we are working through the music and bringing the magic. Knowing all the work that was coming, I decided that Dave and I needed a little getaway to unwind, rejuvenate, and reconnect and I found the perfect little place 45 min away from our home. Branson is a great family place with lots of fun shows, attractions, restaurants, and shopping, but Dave and I rarely drive the 45 min to take advantage of some of those fun things. As valentine’s Day was approaching, I remembered one of my best friends telling me about a great deal her and her husband get every February at one of the Resorts in Branson, so I decided to take a look. Stonebridge Resort in Branson had a deal going on ( apparently they do this every year) where you can get two nights stay for one night’s pay– Heck yes! I thought I’d share a bit about our weekend stay at the Stronebridge Resort in Branson, share some of the places we went and ate, and a couple spots we are dying to visit next time. 
Stonebridge Resort is located on 3,200 acres in Branson’s premier gated golf community featuring LedgeStone Championship Golf Course. There are many different units available including standards, suites, condos, villas, lodges and luxury homes for any of your getaway needs. It offers 3 swimming pools, 3 playgrounds, 3 tennis courts, walking trails, a catch and release lake, basketball court, sand volleyball court, an on-site restaurant and it’s located one mile from Silver Dollar City, a special theme park set in the 1880’s in the heartland of America. 
We ended up getting a King Suite over President’s Day weekend for us to have some quality time away. The King Suite included a deck overlooking the 12th hole on the golf course, a Jacuzzi tub, a little kitchenette area, internet, and two tv’s. We took advantage of the Jacuzzi tub on the first night of our stay, but I may have put too much soap in…;)There were so many bubbles we couldn’t even see the water, and the tub almost overflowed as we got in… It was pretty amusing. We got some champagne and orange juice to have mimosas in the morning and we sat for a bit on the couch enjoying the TV. We haven’t had Television since we moved out of our apartment last July and while we probably wouldn’t watch too much, it was nice to be able to flip through the channels. Sometimes it’s the simple things! While the King Suite was pretty nice overall, I think if we choose to stay at Stonebridge again, I want to book one of their lodges! They look beautiful, tranquil, and rustic! 
We were in the mood to just go with the flow, so we didn’t really plan out much, which is really rare for me. I am a huge planner and I always like to have a plan for what we will do, eat, go see, etc., whenever we go on a trip. But it was actually really nice to not have a plan! When we arrived in Branson we were starving and decided to go eat at a place on the Branson Landing, The Saltgrass Steakhouse. It was SO good! Dave must have really wanted steak that night, because he mentioned it a couple times as we drove and then the second we left for the Branson Landing, he only talked about two steakhouse. We did really enjoy our dinner and drinks there, so I’m glad we chose it. Saturday morning started with some coffee and mimosas in our suite and we enjoyed a pretty chill morning, sleeping in and watching some TV. We set out first for brunch and decided on Clockers Cafe, which is located in downtown Branson close to the Landing. Clockers Cafe is a quaint, nostalgic cafe with daily specials, desserts, unique gift items and a really great hometown atmosphere. Enjoy some awesome home-style cooking while trying to count up all the many clocks they have hung around the restaurant. 
With our belly’s full and hearts happy, we decided we were ready to do some shopping at the Tanger Outlets. I absolutely love the deals you can get at the outlets, and while the shopping part was more for Dave than myself, I enjoyed looking around and did get some bath and body works stuff for the home and school. Shopping took it out of us, so we returned back to our Suite for a little r&r… We grabbed a bottle of wine, some cheese and some summer sausage from a local store and had a lovely little afternoon snack while getting cozy the couch. Although we really wanted to explore some more, we decided that we would rather be lazy and chill at the Suite, so we did what anyone would do in that situation- we ordered a pizza! There aren’t many places that deliver to Stonebridge Resorts, but the Ozark Mountain Pizza, a local hole in the wall pizza place, was on the list and our pizza was delicious. We got a pepperoni, Jalopeno, and goat cheese pizza and a side salad to share. We enjoyed our evening watching some of Basketball and Cinderella. 
Mimosas and Coffee were first on our list as we woke up the following day. It was our last day in Branson and we decided to have another slow morning at the Suite. We went back to the Branson Landing to pickup some more items from Bath and Body works and then we were gonna go eat at Mels Hard Luck Diner but since it was President’s Day, they were closed. I was super bummed. Mels Hard Luck Diner has been in business for over 25 years and it is known as the “Restaurant with the singing servers.” It is a 1950s themed diner that’s home to talented, professional singers, songwriters, and musicians, many of which have been or currently perform in some of Branson’s most popular productions. And the food looks AMAZING! Next time we visit Branson, that is first on my list! 
Since we couldn’t eat at Mels Hard Luck Diner, we decided to grab food at another one of our favorite places in Branson, White River Fish House. If you like fish, nature and bass pro, you’ll love eating at this place. We actually had the chance to visit this restaurant for the first time over the summer and loved it. They have really great food and the ambiance and floor to ceiling windows will put you in the best, most relaxed mood. It was a great ending to our amazing weekend getaway.
Places we are dying to visit on our next trip to Branson:
Getting Basted– a Retro dinning room dishing up competition-tested BBQ meals and burgers. I have heard incredible things about this BBQ and with a 4.6 rating on Yelp, it’s gotta be good!
LandShark Bar & Grill– This is the newest restaurant on the landing and it’s a Jimmy Buffett inspired restaurant! Dave loves Jimmy Buffett, so I think we’d really enjoy it. David Crabtree, president and CEO of IMCMC, Holding Inc. says this about the restaurant, ” We look forward to bringing a little taste of the beach to Branson, and allow guests to escape to the tropics while sipping on a perfectly concocted cocktail savoring the tastes of our unique, flavorful menu that ranges from the signature LandShark Burger to our famous fish tacos while enjoying live entertainment!”
Most popular venues and attractions to visit while in Branson:
Silver Dollar City– 1880s theme amusement park
The Showboat Branson Belle– Enjoy dinner and show while taking a tour down the Table Rock Lake.
Wineries- Lindwedel Winery, Curling Vine Winery, St. James Winery and Restaurant, Mount Pleasant Winery
We had a great weekend getaway in Branson and I can’t wait to go back soon and check out more of these restaurants and possibly take in a couple shows!
