Your Very First Visit to SDC

[Junior]

OK, here's mine: Late spring/early summer, 1970: I was 7 or 8 years old. Our family lived in Hazelwood (N St. Louis County) and it took almost all day to get to Branson. At the time, SDC had their "Arrive after 3, next day free" thing going on, so we showed up at the park about that time. Hit Main St., saw Shad at the forge, went through the candy factory, glass blowers, Flooded mine, and Train. Then it was time to "Dine in the Mine." We got there just before they closed the doors for the night. Ate a huge meal...there were only one or two other tables that people were seated at. Dad drove the family van to Branson, we stayed at the Lamplighter Inn, (now demolished) on Business Hwy 65, a location just north and to the east side of the highway from SKaggs Hospital. During the night, the toilet in the room above overflowed, sending wastewater down into our room and it sprinkled the crib my infant sister slept in. Mom and dad were none too happy. The crib was moved, sis was cleaned up, and we all went to sleep. Next morning, ate in the pancake house (now demolished) next to the motel, headed to SDC for the full day. Saw Hatfield/McCoys on Main St. two times that day, rode the float trip, went through Grandfathers Mansion and the Herman the Hermit treehouse. Ate some pie at Jack and Mary's. Had a light lunch at what was called the Sandwich Patio...now the Springhouse. Had some apple cider. Walked through craft shops. Saw the church and McHaffie Homestead. My dad and brother went through the cave. As we left, Zeke Hatfield spent some "face time" with my brother and me...gave us a bullet used in the street fued, and showed us how to blow into to make it whistle. After the overflowing toilet incident at Lamplighter Inn, Mom and Dad chose to move us to Jesse James Motel. We swam in the pool and watched the big horse next to the pool move back and forth. Went to Baldknobbers that night...they were in about their third or fourth season at their theater. Went back to the motel and slept. Got up next morning and ate at the Jesse James Hotel restuarant, located across the street from the pool. Headed out of town..on the way back to St. Louis stopped at the Walnut Bowl place. It was a GREAT weekend. It was the summer after the Beverly Hillbillies came to SDC, and we saw the episodes as they originally aired on CBS TV. Then, dad decided we had to go to Branson and SDC. My brother and I kept the bullet Zeke Hatfield gave us for years and years. That happened 40 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

[betamike]

Junior....you mention the Walnut Bowl on the way back to St. Louis.  Where was this?  I was born in Springfield but grew up in Salem, Mo. and the center of activity in town was a restaurant called the Walnut Bowl.  Was this the same one or a different one?

[How-doFolks]

I really cant recall my very 1st trip to SDC, but, i do remember staying at the ol' Indian Point Campground. I found a ol' bumper sticker of that place that had been in our chicken house FOREVER, it is now part of our City collection.

All i remember of the campground was - they had a pool, which we never had time to swim in - a game room with 2-3 games & a air-hockey game i believe. But the wickedist thing was the dread'd shower house.. No wear'n flip-flops back then, you showerd with the junebugs, walk'n sticks, pray'n mantises, mosquitos, ALL the dang bugs!! Ahh how exciting things were back then.

And, my brother & i was always up before everyone else. You had to be very quiet so as not to wake anyone. So we would walk around, catch frogs by the pool & let'm swim, go up by the office & look at the SDC & go-cart pamplets. It was already embed'd in our hurry up & go thought process.

[Junior]

I can't remember where the walnut bowl place was. There were huge billboards along the road going down to and coming back from Branson. Mom and Dad saw 'em all over the place, every few miles. It got to be a joke. So on the way home, we stopped at the place. It was a typical roadside gift shop, with walnut bowls and other novelty items. That was it. I seem to remember they did not buy anything. But they stopped. It was air conditioned, our family van was not. I guess the roadside signs were effective!

One mistake in the above trip review from 1970...We stopped in the pancake house next to the motel, but did not eat there as it was full of people and the wait would have been too long. Mom and dad packed up us kids and we went directly to SDC. Ate in the mill...on the second floor. Both the bottom and upper floors were packed, too. Breakfast was good, as I remember it.

[saladdays]

I never went to that Walnut Bowl place, but I know it was still there not too far in the past.

[rubedugans]

There's one in Lake Ozark, one in Lebanon.

[Junior]

It seems like in their heyday, there might have been two to four of the walnut bowl places scattered around the Ozarks of Missouri. Don't know if they were all owned by the same person or not. I do remember the walnut bowl place between Branson and Springfield on Hwy 65...it was there until the late 80s or early to mid 90s, I think.

[okiebluegrass]

I've been going to SDC so long, that I can't really remember my first time. I was probably a baby

[thelarsonsix]

There's one in Lake Ozark, one in Lebanon.

The one in Osage Beach fell victim to the Hwy 54 expressway. It was right across the highway from Lee Mace's Ozark Opry. It's now Hwy 54.

[sanddunerider]

i know it was in the 60's with my folks.  dont remember any of it..

[DollarCityBoy]

Mom and dad packed up us kids and we went directly to SDC. Ate in the mill...on the second floor. Both the bottom and upper floors were packed, too. Breakfast was good, as I remember it.

Is the second floor of the Mill still open for guest to dine in? Seems like for a long time now, everytime we have eaten in the Mill, the upper floor has been closed off. I still see tables with table cloths when I look up at the balconies. I remember as a young child, it was always a special treat to eat on the second floor. Just seeing if anyone knows anything.

[Junior]

It is still used from time to time. Even back in the 70s/80s when I worked at the Mill, they only opened the second floor when they had to. It's a lot of walking up and down stairs for the employees, although there is a little butler's pantry and a dumb waiter to help out up there. Plus, no rest rooms up there, so patrons wind up walking up and down stairs a bit more than they want to as well.

[rubedugans]

Here's mine, and StLPhotogals first trip, 1981 Season.



We have almost one for every year since then.

[History Buff]

Um.......no comment.

[rubedugans]

What a kid can't wear a christening gown in a tin type? Kinda like I am being baptized into SDC! Kinda hard for my Dad to cheat seeing that he is hiding his cards in his hat very poorly.