From 1970-85(ish), Shepherd of the Hills was just as much a part of our Branson vacation as was SDC. We only missed it once or twice, because of weather. Our routine was to "arrive after 3 (next day free)" at SDC, go to SotH that night, then spend the next full day at SDC.
When I went back in '98, I made sure to take my boys for the tour and the show, using that same routine.
Over the years I fell in love with one Sammy Lane, looked up to (literally) a couple of different Young Matts, booed a few Wash Gibbs, and knew there was only one Old Matt and Shepherd (I really miss those actors from the '70s/'80s, whose voices I can still hear).
And no matter how many times I'd see the show, there was always the threat that Jim Lane was about to finally gun down Gibbs. (With his gun worn cross-draw for the stage, instead of inside his hickory shirt with the missing button, as in the book.)
When we went in '98, the actors were of course quite different, but also good. The only disappointment was Ollie, who was just too much of a caricature.
How many others here are fans of SotH?
I still think of Branson as SDC and SotH, with a side trip to the museum at School of the Ozarks/College of the Ozarks (they changed the name). The only music shows we ever saw were Baldknobbers (once, I think), the Presley Family, and another local family show whose name escapes me. I don't care about Branson for outlet malls, or Vegas/Nashville reviews. I've never been on a lake cruise, but I wouldn't object if I had enough time and money.
I think we went one time to Whitewater. Maybe caught a few go-karts and putt-putts. We seldom went that far east on 76, because for us "Branson" started at Kimberling City (where we usually stayed, when "Branson West" was just an empty crossroads) and ended at Shepherd of the Hills.
We admired that the two attractions bought up all the land between them. As an objectivist/libertarian/free-marketeer, I still admire that: ownership is the ultimate form of zoning. Better to own it, than demand the government restrict other owners.
Anyhoo, I only mentioned that, to mention this: do you remember the Shepherd of the Hills bookstore that was in the middle of nothing between SDC and SotH, on the north side of 76? When I was a kid, there was an elderly widow who owned the place, which was a fascinating bookstore. When I visited in '98, I could see the old building, which looked like it had fallen in.
Sorry for the rambling. SotH: big fan, or not?
Kevin