We were in town over the 4th weekend. A quick unplanned trip. Did not go to SDC because my GF is having hip replacement surgery next week and she did not think she could navigate all the walking. As for Branson welllll.
The strip is just getting downright ugly. Multiple chain fences , Multiple abandoned hotel/cheap motels that look like drug centers. Newer attractions are trying to up the ante but when you plop a huge new building in the ghetto it looks just like that. A building in the ghetto. Wonderworks is another giant Albatross that looks so out of place.
Why can this city not get its act together on planning and zoning? All, and I mean all the theatres looked shabby and thrown together and unkept. Even those that are supposedly doing well.
Whatever that is that is in the old Starlight theatre has nothing that says what is inside. Just a bunch of huge letters trying to wow you about something.
It is so sad to see how this town has regressed.
As for the good. Danas was excellent as always. Tried Botanas mexican for the first time and had excellent food, service and Margaritas. We will go back for sure. Center Stage restaurant was the best of all the food. A excellent choice for dinner.
Rode the Mountain coaster on 165 for the first time and had a great impression of that.
Also, went to SOTH play on the night of the 4th. They had a decent crowd probably 50% of capacity and did very well at social distancing people. I am not a show person but my GF had never seen it and wanted to. It was a great thing to do on a beautiful cool evening. Speaking of SOTH , It is great to see the owners throwing a lot of money to make it relevant in the current age. A new Zipline course, restaurant, and the rope courses they added earlier. They are also adding a small gauge train to tour the homestead in. It looked almost complete. It should be a nice addition.
Good and Bad but it still was a good weekend.
It’s like you visited a completely different Strip than what is actually there. It’s actually looking better than it has in a long time. Wonderworks is a great new building on the strip. Albatross? No. That’s what is called a weenie. It draws you further down the strip.
As far as chain link fences, sure let’s go there. There is a revitalization project across from Dixie Stampede where an old motel was. There’s fences where the new Boardwalk is going in next to the Grand Shoppes. RibCrib closed. That new attraction in the Starlight Theatre is called Beyond the Lens! (It’s a pop culture and selfie attraction). The theaters look fine too.
You must only be looking at night when all the junkiness is hidden. Lots more fences and empty grown up lots than you referenced. The traveling carnival park that failed, The complete empty grown up lots across from Presleys, and down from Ruby Tuesdays, Several small vacant lots just growing weeds. Numerous old Tshirt trinket shops shuttered and weeds growing. Several abandoned restaurants , One that has drug in some old race cars for whatever reason ? Numerous shuttered motels with green algae filled swimming pools.
And as for those 2 new attractions Wonder works and Through The Lens we got a good laugh every time we passed them. But they are a typical Branson Klitch attraction. I will give it that.
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