Holiday Road Trip to Branson: Part 2

November 27, 2023

Amanda Murphy,

Last week I wrote about our road-trip to Branson, an easy drivable destination from Tulsa. Isabelle and I covered many activities during our getaway while staying at the amazing Westgate Branson Woods Resort on our media tour. In this second part to my first post, I’ll share information about Dolly Parton’s Stampede, Lights of Joy, places to eat, and more on our Westgate Resort experience.

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

Though we had an amazing kitchen in our villa suite, we explored eating options outside of our accommodation as well. There are many eating/entertainment options in Branson and one of those is Dolly Parton’s Stampede. They serve a multiple course meal with guests seated around an arena.

Isabelle had seen their summer show before with my mom and stepdad and said the Christmas show was very different which kept it interesting. It still featured riding tricks, audience engagement, and a variety of animals. Additionally, the Christmas show included many holiday songs set to choreography, fake snow, and a live manger scene. There is constant movement and various acts to keep children watching. I can see why so many children rave about the show!

Dolly Parton’s Stampede Christmas show

Lights of Joy Christmas Drive-Thru

If you are a Tulsan, then I certainly hope you’ve visited Rhema. Lights of Joy shares some similar features. You are required to stay in your vehicle unlike Rhema, but the entertainment value is there.

In fact, there are some very unique displays we hadn’t seen anywhere else. Our favorite part was the completely illuminated bridge.

Santa and Mrs. Claus are available for photos on select nights, so it is worth checking the Lights of Joy website for the schedule. There is a per vehicle entrance fee.

Looking out the window at Lights of Joy

Branson restaurants

There is seemingly endless entertainment in Branson, and the same can be said for the food. Among the places we went, we enjoyed breakfast at Billy Gail’s, dinner at Guy Fieri’s Branson Kitchen + Bar at Branson Landing, and coffee at the cat cafe Mochas and Meows. I mentioned the food at Silver Dollar City in my previous post, but it is worth another mention because of the variety and quality.

I am on a gluten-free diet, and each restaurant and dinner show we went to accommodated my diet without any issue. I only wish I could have had a bit of Isabelle’s giant pancake at Billy Gail’s! They are known for their 14-inch pancakes, and that is no joke!

Isabelle digs into a gigantic pancake at Billy Gail’s

Downtime at Westgate Branson Woods

When we weren’t watching shows, riding boats or rides, or eating our way through town, we enjoyed downtime on our long weekend. Aside from our hike through a few miles of the 145-acre Westgate Branson Woods Resort, we chilled in and around the Marketplace located in the Wilderness Lodge. There was a pool table inside, table games outside, and snacks and souvenirs. Isabelle and I also started our holiday movie watchlist while chilling by the fireplace in our villa.

It was so nice to have mom-daughter time. Life gets busy between school and work and the years go by faster and faster it seems. I can say we will definitely bring the whole family back soon because the Westgate’s 2 bedroom suites in Branson are 1,400 square feet. With a second grader and sophomore, we need all the space we can get to truly relax when we travel these days!