July 24, 2023 • 7 mins
On this week's episode of Where To Next, I'm joined by Interim President & CEO of Visit Branson, Jonas Arjes! Jonas gave me the inside scoop on Branson including its history, popular attractions like their robust live music scene, family friendly activities, annual events and festivals, and why Branson is the perfect spot for the whole family. We even chatted about the effect Netflix's super popular drama "Ozark" had on Branson as well!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Good morning and welcome back to WhereToo Next a travel podcast with me.
Your host, my name is FranciscaPresti. Thanks for joining us today and
we are also joined by Jonas arejust interim president and CEO of Explore Brandson.
Explore Brandson dot com is where youwant to go online for all the
information you're going to need. Jonas, welcome, Thanks so much for making
time for us today. Well,Francisca, thank you for having me.
I appreciate the opportunity. Absolutely soexcited to talk about Brandson. I was
(00:23):
so impressed when I was looking onyour website. So much to do and
get into, so let's just diveinto it. Let's talk all about Branson,
all right. Well, it kindof simple. It all kind of
started with a book some fishing andsome caves. Really, I mean,
that's going back one hundred years agowith the publication of The Shepherd of the
Hills in nineteen oh seven by Haroldbell Wright. That for many years it
(00:44):
was the number one top seller inthe world actually outside of the Bible.
So gone off for movies one innineteen forty one starring John Wayne So that
was kind of cool, and that'sreally what started the interest in these those
are kills of folks coming to visit. They wanted to do to experience and
possibly meet the characters in the book. So that led to fishing on the
(01:07):
White River and the folks that wouldcome and experience that. That kind of
spawned the music industry. So youhad local families and entertainers that would entertain
the fishermen and guides in the eveningsafter they'd come off off the river.
So in nineteen fifty nine, theMay Brothers started performing twice a week in
an old roller skating rink on LakeTainy Como and down in Branson. That
led to the Pressley family opening thefirst theater on Highway seventy six, which
(01:32):
we term, you know, we'dcall the strip occasionally. What's funny about
that story is that they built abuilding and the patriarcha the family said,
well, if if this music thingdoesn't work out, well, we can
at least sport store boats in thewintertime. So that's a fun little story
to tell. Silver Dollar City Hugoand Mary Herson, they were leasing Marvel
Cave and doing tours in Marvel Caveat the time, and then in nineteen
(01:55):
sixty they decided to put in athemed village called Silver Dollar City and it
started. They drew roughly one hundredand twenty five thousand people that first year,
and today they draw over two millionvisitors and were named recently as the
number one theme park in the countryby both USA Today and Trip Advisors.
So that's a lot of stuff tocram into about, you know, a
little over one hundred years, butthat's the gist of the origin story.
(02:19):
Well, very impressive, and Bransonit's definitely a vacation destination for sure.
So can you tell us a littlebit about what a trip to Branson can
look like? Oh? Man,we have everything for all ages, right,
So live entertainment is probably the thingwe're most known of. We have
for three dozen live entertainment venues withmusic shows for all ages and all genres.
Folks can get entertained in the morning, in the afternoon, and in
(02:44):
the evening with all variations of familymusicians and theme shows. Citan Sound Theaters,
which is stories out of the Bible. There are amazing quality and in
the showmanship the set are just topnotch. So that probably the biggest thing.
We have all kinds of family entertainmentslike WonderWorks and the aquarium at the
(03:04):
Boardwalk, the Titanic Museum, whichdoes a phenomenal job of telling the story
of the Titanic, the things thatfolks can experience there. When people go
into that attraction, they get toexperience it from the perspective of an actual
passenger and walk through that event andfind out at the end of if that
passenger survived or did not. There'sso many things to do that it's hard
(03:25):
to condense into just a few minutes. Yeah, exactly. Well, if
you want to learn more, ofcourse, explore branson dot com is where
you want to go for all theinformation and to start planning your trip today.
And they're really quite honestly, isno shortage of events and festivals when
visiting Branson. So can you giveus some of Branson's you know, the
big marquee events and festivals, thoseones that people really look forward to all
(03:46):
year round. This is a greattime because we're coming into fall, so
as temperatures start to get a littleless not as hot. We have several
things coming up. One is theHarvest Festival at Silver Dollar City, so
that runs from September twenty one throughOctober twenty nine, you have all kinds
of things with crafts, craft making, and the Pumpkins in the City,
(04:08):
which is a newer event that theyput on for the last couple of years.
You have Shepherd's Pumpkin Fest at Shepherdof the Hills that's September twenty three
through October thirty. All kinds ofthings to do there for the family.
You're looking for daytime activities as youcan build a scarecrow, take a hay
ride, pick pumpkins, bounce houses, jump pads, petting zoos, so
(04:28):
all kinds of things at Shepherd ofthe Hills. One of our longest running
events that we take a lot ofpride in is Veterans Homecoming Week November fifth
through November eleventh. We have allkinds of activities for servicemen and women.
We have the longest running Veterans DayParade on November the eleventh at eleven am
and longest running parade in the stateof Missouri for that and we honor veterans,
(04:51):
you know, every day of theyear and Brandson, but that week
is very special. And then we'revery proud of all the activities that we
can put on for our veteran duringthat time. Been an old time Christmas
at sort of our city No.Number six to the thirtieth again, the
lights, the atmosphere, you know, all things Ozark Mountain Christmas, all
the shows that go along with it, the parades, all that stuff.
(05:13):
So Fall and Christmas Girl and indosArc Mountain Christmas is a great time to
come to Branson. Yeah, absolutely. Jonas our justis interim president and CEO
for Explore Branson. Explore Branson dotcom where you want to go for all
the information you need to learn aboutBranson and to start planning your trip today.
And there's really no way we cantalk about Branson for this long without
talking about Ozark on Netflix with Jasonand Lauren Lenny. I mean, come
(05:36):
on, how did the show impactBranson? What have you guys seen over
there, you know, talking aboutthis sort of stuff other than adding a
lot of Ozark's you know Google AdWords, you know, keywords, because that
the setting for that show. Greatshow, by the way, I've watched
every episode enjoyed them immensely. Yeah, big fan, But that at the
(05:56):
setting for that show is actually upin Lake of the Ozarks, which is
about two and a half hours northof US, isn't it So? Yeah,
And actually it's filmed in Atlanta oroutside of Atlanta, which is that's
another for another day, but yeah, it is. But the Ozarks is
a big area. It covers fourstates, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas,
and Oklahoma. So it's a geographicarea that runs basically from Tulsa to Saint
(06:18):
Louis, from Jefferson City, Columbiadown to northwest Arkansas Fayetville, Bentville area.
And so we're kind of in theheart of the Ozarks and we're very
proud of that and the beauty ofthe Ozarks, the hills, the landscape,
and then the people that made itwhat it is. That's what we
like to celebrate. And actually therewas an event in DC that just concluded
(06:40):
Ozark Folk Life Festival on the Mallin DC that a lot of people got
to take advantage of talking and youknow, got to highlight all those things
that historically are associated with this regionand the culture that made it known.
So a lot a lot of goodstuff there. Absolutely, And Jonas before
I let you go, what wouldyou say is the most underrated thing about
Branson? Wow? You know,I'd say probably the live entertainment, the
(07:02):
music industry right, even though we'reknown for that, the amount of talent
that is in this community is absolutelyincredible and we would put it up against
any you know, maybe more knowndestinations like New York Vegas on any given
day, on any given night.The entertainment and craftsmanship, the skills of
(07:23):
musicians and vocalists and comedians and youknow show people. It's just absolutely blows
me away that we have this littlehidden gem here in Southwest missouris well,
it sounds like a blast. ExploreBrandson dot com for all the information and
where you need to go to startplanning your trip. Today, Jonas are
just joining me Interim president and CEOof Explore Brands and Jonas, I want
(07:43):
to thank you again so much fortaking the time and giving us the inside
scoop on everything Branson has to offer. So I appreciate it. Don't take
my word for it, just comevisit and you will understand
Good morning and welcome back to WhereToo Next a travel podcast with me.
Your host, my name is FranciscaPresti. Thanks for joining us today and
we are also joined by Jonas arejust interim president and CEO of Explore Brandson.
Explore Brandson dot com is where youwant to go online for all the
information you're going to need. Jonas, welcome, Thanks so much for making
time for us today. Well,Francisca, thank you for having me.
I appreciate the opportunity. Absolutely soexcited to talk about Brandson. I was
(00:23):
so impressed when I was looking onyour website. So much to do and
get into, so let's just diveinto it. Let's talk all about Branson,
all right. Well, it kindof simple. It all kind of
started with a book some fishing andsome caves. Really, I mean,
that's going back one hundred years agowith the publication of The Shepherd of the
Hills in nineteen oh seven by Haroldbell Wright. That for many years it
(00:44):
was the number one top seller inthe world actually outside of the Bible.
So gone off for movies one innineteen forty one starring John Wayne So that
was kind of cool, and that'sreally what started the interest in these those
are kills of folks coming to visit. They wanted to do to experience and
possibly meet the characters in the book. So that led to fishing on the
(01:07):
White River and the folks that wouldcome and experience that. That kind of
spawned the music industry. So youhad local families and entertainers that would entertain
the fishermen and guides in the eveningsafter they'd come off off the river.
So in nineteen fifty nine, theMay Brothers started performing twice a week in
an old roller skating rink on LakeTainy Como and down in Branson. That
led to the Pressley family opening thefirst theater on Highway seventy six, which
(01:32):
we term, you know, we'dcall the strip occasionally. What's funny about
that story is that they built abuilding and the patriarcha the family said,
well, if if this music thingdoesn't work out, well, we can
at least sport store boats in thewintertime. So that's a fun little story
to tell. Silver Dollar City Hugoand Mary Herson, they were leasing Marvel
Cave and doing tours in Marvel Caveat the time, and then in nineteen
(01:55):
sixty they decided to put in athemed village called Silver Dollar City and it
started. They drew roughly one hundredand twenty five thousand people that first year,
and today they draw over two millionvisitors and were named recently as the
number one theme park in the countryby both USA Today and Trip Advisors.
So that's a lot of stuff tocram into about, you know, a
little over one hundred years, butthat's the gist of the origin story.
(02:19):
Well, very impressive, and Bransonit's definitely a vacation destination for sure.
So can you tell us a littlebit about what a trip to Branson can
look like? Oh? Man,we have everything for all ages, right,
So live entertainment is probably the thingwe're most known of. We have
for three dozen live entertainment venues withmusic shows for all ages and all genres.
Folks can get entertained in the morning, in the afternoon, and in
(02:44):
the evening with all variations of familymusicians and theme shows. Citan Sound Theaters,
which is stories out of the Bible. There are amazing quality and in
the showmanship the set are just topnotch. So that probably the biggest thing.
We have all kinds of family entertainmentslike WonderWorks and the aquarium at the
(03:04):
Boardwalk, the Titanic Museum, whichdoes a phenomenal job of telling the story
of the Titanic, the things thatfolks can experience there. When people go
into that attraction, they get toexperience it from the perspective of an actual
passenger and walk through that event andfind out at the end of if that
passenger survived or did not. There'sso many things to do that it's hard
(03:25):
to condense into just a few minutes. Yeah, exactly. Well, if
you want to learn more, ofcourse, explore branson dot com is where
you want to go for all theinformation and to start planning your trip today.
And they're really quite honestly, isno shortage of events and festivals when
visiting Branson. So can you giveus some of Branson's you know, the
big marquee events and festivals, thoseones that people really look forward to all
(03:46):
year round. This is a greattime because we're coming into fall, so
as temperatures start to get a littleless not as hot. We have several
things coming up. One is theHarvest Festival at Silver Dollar City, so
that runs from September twenty one throughOctober twenty nine, you have all kinds
of things with crafts, craft making, and the Pumpkins in the City,
(04:08):
which is a newer event that theyput on for the last couple of years.
You have Shepherd's Pumpkin Fest at Shepherdof the Hills that's September twenty three
through October thirty. All kinds ofthings to do there for the family.
You're looking for daytime activities as youcan build a scarecrow, take a hay
ride, pick pumpkins, bounce houses, jump pads, petting zoos, so
(04:28):
all kinds of things at Shepherd ofthe Hills. One of our longest running
events that we take a lot ofpride in is Veterans Homecoming Week November fifth
through November eleventh. We have allkinds of activities for servicemen and women.
We have the longest running Veterans DayParade on November the eleventh at eleven am
and longest running parade in the stateof Missouri for that and we honor veterans,
(04:51):
you know, every day of theyear and Brandson, but that week
is very special. And then we'revery proud of all the activities that we
can put on for our veteran duringthat time. Been an old time Christmas
at sort of our city No.Number six to the thirtieth again, the
lights, the atmosphere, you know, all things Ozark Mountain Christmas, all
the shows that go along with it, the parades, all that stuff.
(05:13):
So Fall and Christmas Girl and indosArc Mountain Christmas is a great time to
come to Branson. Yeah, absolutely. Jonas our justis interim president and CEO
for Explore Branson. Explore Branson dotcom where you want to go for all
the information you need to learn aboutBranson and to start planning your trip today.
And there's really no way we cantalk about Branson for this long without
talking about Ozark on Netflix with Jasonand Lauren Lenny. I mean, come
(05:36):
on, how did the show impactBranson? What have you guys seen over
there, you know, talking aboutthis sort of stuff other than adding a
lot of Ozark's you know Google AdWords, you know, keywords, because that
the setting for that show. Greatshow, by the way, I've watched
every episode enjoyed them immensely. Yeah, big fan, But that at the
(05:56):
setting for that show is actually upin Lake of the Ozarks, which is
about two and a half hours northof US, isn't it So? Yeah,
And actually it's filmed in Atlanta oroutside of Atlanta, which is that's
another for another day, but yeah, it is. But the Ozarks is
a big area. It covers fourstates, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas,
and Oklahoma. So it's a geographicarea that runs basically from Tulsa to Saint
(06:18):
Louis, from Jefferson City, Columbiadown to northwest Arkansas Fayetville, Bentville area.
And so we're kind of in theheart of the Ozarks and we're very
proud of that and the beauty ofthe Ozarks, the hills, the landscape,
and then the people that made itwhat it is. That's what we
like to celebrate. And actually therewas an event in DC that just concluded
(06:40):
Ozark Folk Life Festival on the Mallin DC that a lot of people got
to take advantage of talking and youknow, got to highlight all those things
that historically are associated with this regionand the culture that made it known.
So a lot a lot of goodstuff there. Absolutely, And Jonas before
I let you go, what wouldyou say is the most underrated thing about
Branson? Wow? You know,I'd say probably the live entertainment, the
(07:02):
music industry right, even though we'reknown for that, the amount of talent
that is in this community is absolutelyincredible and we would put it up against
any you know, maybe more knowndestinations like New York Vegas on any given
day, on any given night.The entertainment and craftsmanship, the skills of
(07:23):
musicians and vocalists and comedians and youknow show people. It's just absolutely blows
me away that we have this littlehidden gem here in Southwest missouris well,
it sounds like a blast. ExploreBrandson dot com for all the information and
where you need to go to startplanning your trip. Today, Jonas are
just joining me Interim president and CEOof Explore Brands and Jonas, I want
(07:43):
to thank you again so much fortaking the time and giving us the inside
scoop on everything Branson has to offer. So I appreciate it. Don't take
my word for it, just comevisit and you will understand
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