BRANSON, Mo. — This vacation destination in the heart of the Ozark Mountains has much more to offer than Silver Dollar City or Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Both are popular attractions, of course. Silver Dollar City was recently named America’s Stop theme park by USA Today, while Dolly Parton’s Stampede claims to be the most visited dinner attraction in the world.
But Branson is all about options, especially when it comes to live entertainment. And there’s plenty to do, from restaurant servers who double as singers to a Michael Jackson impersonator from Rhode Island who’s dedicated to perfecting his craft. My family experienced both during a visit late last year.
At the Reza Live Theater on Highway 165, Michael Knight is on a mission to continue his idol’s musical legacy. Knight, 39, a native of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, plays the late Jackson in “MJ The Illusion: ReLiving The King of Pop.” He performs several of Jackson’s hits, including “Jam,” “Thriller,” Smooth Criminal and “Billie Jean,” while encouraging audience participation throughout his two-hour show.
“We offer a true live concert experience,” he said. “We want you to sing, we want you to dance, we want you to have fun.”
Knight, who is joined on stage by musicians and dancers, engages fans by shaking their hands during the show and posing for photos with them afterward.
Knight took lessons from Jackson’s former vocal coach, Seth Riggs, and it shows when Knight performs.
“With my show, we’re able to recreate something that I’ve always loved, and that’s Michael Jackson’s ‘Dangerous’ tour,” he said. “It’s very different from any other tribute show I’ve ever seen.”
Tickets are on sale now for the show to resume in early March.
We encountered a different breed of entertainer when we visited Mel’s Hard Luck Diner on the Branson Strip and Theater District, a 1950s-style diner with singing waiters nestled among 27 stores in the Grand Village.
Many are trying to get noticed or are already performing at a Branson show, according to publicist Pamela Critchfield.
“It’s one of the best and most coveted jobs because they give really good advice and can sing and entertain people,” she said.
Our server, a young woman named Kaitlyn Bryant, was as nice as could be and very helpful. She sang a song from her album “Butterflies”.
Bryant wasn’t the only family member singing the night we ate there. She was joined by her mother, Kelly Bryant, a Branson music veteran who has been performing around town since 1982.
Critchfield’s husband, a commercial real estate developer, helped develop the concept for Branson Landing, a shopping center and lakefront promenade.
“He based parts of it on (Oklahoma City’s) Bricktown (Canal),” she said of the landing.
This is where we had dinner on our third night in town, devouring pizza, nachos, and meatloaf at Bricktown Brewery.
After dinner, we stopped at the Aquarium at the Boardwalk, which features 250 different animal species and an original 5D underwater adventure on the sea floor.
After that, my kids took a ride on the Branson Ferris Wheel. The giant wheel features 40 gondolas that can accommodate 240 passengers and is decorated with 16,000 LED lights, which serve as a picturesque backdrop to the setting sun.
On our last day in town, we decided to try Billy Gail’s Restaurant for breakfast before heading home to Norman.
Big mistake.
The 14-inch pancake house was packed and the wait lasted almost two hours. So we changed our plans and drove to a little place called Coffee Creations on Animal Safari Road.
There were no pancakes on the menu, but the coffee and breakfast sandwiches did the trick. And the service from Coffee Creations, which “embraces inclusiveness by empowering people with disabilities,” was excellent.
As always, Silver Dollar City was worth our time. The 1880s-style theme park carved out of the Ozarks features 40 rides and attractions, including the recently renovated Fire in the Hole, the largest indoor family roller coaster in this part of the country. Resident artisans demonstrate blacksmithing, glassblowing, pottery, furniture making and more.
We also visited White Water, the Silver Dollar City water park attraction on the Strip, which the kids loved because it was so warm and they could ride all the water slides. We were lucky enough to have a private cabana and our own server, Lilly, who didn’t sing, but she made sure we had plenty of cold drinks and delicious snacks.