Guide to Meeting & Event Planning in

Branson, Mo.

Event Venues, Additions & Renovations 

New and Coming Soon to Branson 

• The Branson Convention Center continues to closely monitor the latest covid-19 developments and follow the precautionary guidelines of the CDC and other public health organizations. The center’s safe/clean “VenueShield” initiative is employed at all venues managed by its parent company, ASM Global. Among the best practices implemented BCC are:
  • increased precautionary signage
  • regular cleaning of high-touch point areas such as escalator handrails, stair railings and door handles
  • regular cleaning and sanitizing of facility public spaces and rest rooms
  • placing additional hand sanitizer stations in various locations throughout the facility

  The destination offers attendees numerous other ways to stay healthy and relaxed during their stay. Big Cedar Lodge, for example, has several options for fitness including yoga on the beach, yoga hikes, PaddleFit SUP, cardio classes, dance fitness and nature walks. The property also has a comprehensive safety plan in place to ensure guests stay safe during the pandemic. Among the steps currently in place are multiple daily disinfections of attraction and shuttle screens, keypads, handles, phones, counters and switches, with CDC recommended products; extra housekeeping sanitation steps that include utilizing disinfectant products in sleeping rooms, with a heightened focus in restrooms, kitchens and dining areas; hand-sanitizing stations placed strategically across the property; and social-distancing protocols in necessary outlets. 

• Branson has been named by Forbes as one of the top ten best places in America to travel right now. The list, published in late February, rated Branson number four based on information gathered from organizations including the CDC COVID Data Tracker and the Harvard-Brown COVID Risk Level Map. Criteria for the ratings include current case counts, population density, average weather, public health guidance, proximity to outdoor activities, and drive times from at least two major American metropolises.
• Branson Restaurants Inc., will open a new dining concept his spring. HEROES Tastes + Taps will be a gastropub serving classic and elevated new American cuisine and up to 24 beers on tap, including popular varieties and smaller craft brews. The decor will highlight and honor local heroes from all walks of life.
• Many of Branson's shows, attractions, dining and shopping outlets are open for business following the pandemic. All entertainment venues, restaurants and retailers currently open are following state-issued guidelines on social distancing. A complete list of all area attractions can be found here.
• Branson Landing, an open-air, waterfront development that is home to over 100 shops and restaurants, as well as the Hilton Promenade Hotel and a $7.5 million water and fire spectacular, has added Landshark Bar & Grill and Paula Deen's Family Kitchen to its dining options. Coming to the development in 2020 is Guy Fieri's Branson Kitchen + Bar. The 7,965-square foot restaurant will offer an outdoor patio with scenic views of Lake Taneycomo, as well as a full menu and  extensive beverage offerings including 16 craft beers and a "frozen tap"
  bar that dispenses eight different shots from an iced dispenser.
• Andy B’s Tiki Bar is the most recent addition to Branson Landing. The lakeside bar serves specialty drinks — try the rum-based Pin Killer —  as well as a selection of beers, spirits  and non-alcoholic beverages.  
• Two Hiltons: Located downtown and nestled into the Branson Landing Entertainment District is the 294-room Hilton Branson Convention Center, which is connected to the Branson Convention Center. Amenities include the Level 2 Steakhouse onsite, fitness center, as well as both indoor and outdoor pools. The 242-room Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing is the centerpiece of the Branson Landing waterfront development. Amenities include indoor pool, fitness center, with lobby access to the Big Whiskey’s American Restaurant & Bar.
• Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa was named the “#1 Best Missouri Resort” and “#1 Best Branson Hotel or
  Resort” by U.S. News & World Report in its “2019 Best Hotels” rankings for the second year in a row.
• Big Cedar Lodge was recently named one of the South's best resorts resort by Southern Living magazine.
• The Ascend Hotel Collection by Choice Hotels International, Inc., welcomed the Thousand Hills Golf Resort to its portfolio. The property is just blocks away from Branson's bustling Country Music Highway 76, which features dozens of live-performance theaters, more than 100 restaurants and other family-friendly attractions.
• Adventure-craving attendees will enjoy one of the city’s newest attractions, Fritz’s Adventure. Bringing the outdoors inside year-round, this dynamic, adventure-based facility has 80,000-plus square feet of explorable space. 
• The Aquarium at the Boardwalk has opened. The new venue is located on Highway 76 in the heart of the entertainment district.

• WonderWorks, an amusement park for the mind, opened in May with 48,000 square feet of “edu-tainment”. The attraction combines education and entertainment with more than 100 hands-on exhibits that challenge the mind and spark the imagination.

• Silver Dollar City Attractions is making a historic splash for the park’s 60th anniversary by investing $30 million into new offerings, including a raft ride, Mystic River Falls. The new attraction is touted as the "tallest raft ride drop in the western hemisphere."

More Event Venues

• The Bass Pro Shops Shooting Academy, with its stunning backdrop of Table Rock Lake, is an outdoor playground for sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts. Designed for all skill levels, this world-class facility offers training and experience in shooting sports.

• Leave it to Dolly Parton to make meetings easy. Not only is the 1,070-seat Dolly Parton's Stampede Dinner Attraction available for events, but the venue also offers free meeting space, audio visual services, staging and special effects. Private performances are accommodated. The venue has restructured its seating to allow six feet of separation between each party and has reduced its seating capacity to less than 50 percent and new safety protocols.

• For 27 years, the Haygood family has been wowing audiences in Branson with tight harmonies and virtuoso performances at the 1,211-seat Clay Cooper Theater. Private performances are accommodated.

• When The Duttons Family Theater recently reopened with new features designed to make the completely sanitized venue a safe place for groups to meet. In addition to implementing a program that completely sanitizes all surfaces in the facility about once an hour, exhaust fans have been placed in the ceiling to pull fresh air into the theater on a continuous basis. Face masks and hand sanitizer are now on sale in the lobby which has been fitted with plexiglass partitions to reduce contact. Groups of up to ten can sit together and they will be seated a safe six-foot distance from other audience members.

Branson Landing, a lively shopping and entertainment district, is a complex of 450,000 feet of retail shops, restaurants, marinas and a boardwalk along Lake Taneycomo. Delegates strolling Branson Landing can experience the unique 95-acre retail and entertainment destination, all animated with live entertainment and an amazing $7.5 million fountain spectacular that synchronizes light, sound, music and fire.

Getting Active & Outdoors

Andy B's, the entertainment destination located at Branson Landing, is more than a bowling alley: The venue has a full-service restaurant and bar, private karaoke rooms, virtual reality lounges, express escape rooms and a stage featuring live music.

Dogwood Canyon Nature Park is a perfect setting for a retreat or an event. The park covers 10,000 acres of pristine Ozark Mountain landscape that features miles of trout streams, waterfalls, ancient burial caves, unique hand-built bridges and bottomless, blue green pools. There are meeting facilities in the park and multiple sites where it is possible to set up a stream-side meal.

The Shepherd of the Hills Adventure Park, voted #1 Best Aerial Adventure Park by USA Today Readers’ Choice awards, offers a multi-level ropes course, scenic canopy zipline tour, a ziprider and more.

Groups looking for adventure and spectacular views should try Parakeet Pete's Waterfront Zipline. The Sky Deck is perfect for cocktail parties and events for up to 100 people.

Visitors can take a stroll around Historic Downtown Branson; the neighborhood is home to several hundred businesses, including a variety of restaurants, retail shops, entertainment, outdoor activities and unique attractions. It's easy to get around by walking or riding the free downtown trolley.

Mainstreet Lake Cruises offer private charters, sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises on the tranquil Lake Taneycomo. Groups of up 120 can enjoy the Landing Princess, a 100-foot yacht.

Get your golf on at Big Cedar Golf, which offers the following world-class courses:

• Payne's Valley Golf Course pays tribute to Ozarks native and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Payne Stewart. The first public-access golf course by Tiger Woods’ firm, TGR Design, offers an inviting layout, pristine water features, large fairways and greens and a spectacular 19th hole, the Big Rock.
• The Mountain Top Course is a 13-hole par 3 course where golfers are required to walk; no carts are allowed. Players can complete a round at this course in less than two hours.
• Ozark National, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, is integrated into the beautiful local terrain. The course is masterfully carved into the landscape, offering holes that challenge golfers' games and delight their senses. A highlight is the 400-foot wooden beam and plank bridge on the 13th hole that towers 60 feet above a rushing creek.
• The Top of the Rock Golf Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is perched high above Table Rock Lake. The course meanders around peaceful waterfalls, wandering creeks, bass-filled ponds and the pristine lake.
• Designed by Tom Fazio, the Buffalo Ridge Springs Course was rated the #1 public course in Missouri by Golf magazine and one of the top 10 Missouri courses by Golf Digest.

F&B Hotspots in Branson

• Gettin Basted - Barbecue
• Florentina's Ristorante Italiano - Italian
• White River Fish House - Seafood
• Landry's Seafood House - Seafood
  
• Sugar Leaf Bakery & Cafe - American
• Mel's Hard Luck Diner - Diner
• Level 2 Steakhouse- Steaks
• The Keeter Center-Dining - American Traditional
• Black Oak Grill - American Traditional
• The Paddlewheel - Pub Food