Tallgrass Prairie Fun Activities Guide

Attractions

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  Silver Dollar City

  Branson

  Map It

  Silver Dollar City

  Phone

  Reviews

  Silver Dollar City, Branson, Missouri, is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country. Travel back in time to the simplicity of 1880s America, and enjoy the best in Branson entertainment plus a host of festivals and events.

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  Silver Dollar City

  Branson

  Map It

  Silver Dollar City

  Phone

  Reviews

  NATIONAL CRAFTS & COWBOY FESTIVAL (September 13 - October 28)

     For fall, Silver Dollar City presents the National Crafts & Cowboy Festival, featuring some of the nation's finest craftsmen and authentic cowboys. The festival presents a Wild West Show with trick riders, ropers and a world-champion Native American Hoop dancer; Western music; a barn dance, and 125 visiting craftsmen. Best of Missouri Hands juried artists demonstrate their art and fall harvest foods are served up September 13 - October 28 at the Branson, Missouri theme park.

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  Silver Dollar City

  Branson

  Map It

  Silver Dollar City

  Phone

  Reviews

  AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS (November 4 - December 30)

     Our An Old Time Christmas festival, this year adding a huge new area: Christmas in Midtown, with towering light displays 9 stories high, animated figures in lights, and 1.5 million additional lights, bringing the park total to over 6.5 million lights! Christmas in Midtown is our largest single lighting expansion in the past 20 years of this festival. Details below: One of the nation's most acclaimed Christmas festivals, profiled by USA Today, CNN Travel, The Travel Channel and Good Morning America, is even bigger and brighter this year with an all-new area: NEW: Christmas in Midtown, a 70,000 sq. ft. area filled with new light displays 9 stories high, including 30 angels, animated reindeer pulling a sleigh, 3 light tunnels, two 40-foot long moving trains, dozens of stars and snowflakes, and a 50-foot tree, all created at Silver Dollar City. Christmas in Midtown, the largest single lighting expansion to date in the past 2 decades of the festival, adds 1.5 million new lights, bringing the park's total to 6.5 million lights! Rudolph's Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade, led by the most famous reindeer of all, features musical lighted floats with 200,000 lights accompanied by 33 costumed characters. Rudolph's Christmas Town, where kids can meet Rudolph, Clarice and Bumble, also includes activities from Reindeer Games to cookie decorating. Two original musical productions present Broadway-style experiences, with elaborate sets and talented casts: It's a Wonderful Life, adapted from the Frank Capra classic, and the acclaimed production A Dickens' Christmas Carol. The Christmas on Main Street light & sound show features the 5-Story Special Effects Christmas Tree with over 350,000 colorful LED lights. Tinker Junior's Toy Shop is an interactive show for kids featuring a 12-foot talking and singing Christmas tree. Kids can meet Santa in Santa Claus Lane, illuminated in colorful lights. Plus, the festival presents holiday shows, a musical Living Nativity, shows, rides, shopping and new Silver Dollar City dining specialties. During An Old Time Christmas, Silver Dollar City is open Thursdays - Sundays, plus Wednesdays Nov. 22 and December 20, and open after Christmas Dec. 26-30. Hours and schedules are at http://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/Festivals/An-Old-Time-Christmas (less) ... Read more

Events/Performances

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  National Park Service

  National Park Service

  Reviews

  National Park Week - and FREE Days

     Americas Best Idea - the national parks - announced the launch of Find Your Park, a public awareness and education campaign celebrating the milestone centennial anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 and setting the stage for the next 100 years. It's about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, enjoying affordable vacations and enhancing America's best idea - the national parks! It's all happening in your national parks. Only 128 of our country's 407 national parks usually charge an entrance fee. So start planning your visit! If you're planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, you might consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands-more than 2,000 in all. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active duty military members and their dependents. Information on these and other pass options is available online. (less) ... Read more

• 

  Silver Dollar City

  Branson

  Map It

  Silver Dollar City

  Phone

  Reviews

  NATIONAL CRAFTS & COWBOY FESTIVAL (September 13 - October 28)

     For fall, Silver Dollar City presents the National Crafts & Cowboy Festival, featuring some of the nation's finest craftsmen and authentic cowboys. The festival presents a Wild West Show with trick riders, ropers and a world-champion Native American Hoop dancer; Western music; a barn dance, and 125 visiting craftsmen. Best of Missouri Hands juried artists demonstrate their art and fall harvest foods are served up September 13 - October 28 at the Branson, Missouri theme park.

• 

  Silver Dollar City

  Branson

  Map It

  Silver Dollar City

  Phone

  Reviews

  AN OLD TIME CHRISTMAS (November 4 - December 30)

     Our An Old Time Christmas festival, this year adding a huge new area: Christmas in Midtown, with towering light displays 9 stories high, animated figures in lights, and 1.5 million additional lights, bringing the park total to over 6.5 million lights! Christmas in Midtown is our largest single lighting expansion in the past 20 years of this festival. Details below: One of the nation's most acclaimed Christmas festivals, profiled by USA Today, CNN Travel, The Travel Channel and Good Morning America, is even bigger and brighter this year with an all-new area: NEW: Christmas in Midtown, a 70,000 sq. ft. area filled with new light displays 9 stories high, including 30 angels, animated reindeer pulling a sleigh, 3 light tunnels, two 40-foot long moving trains, dozens of stars and snowflakes, and a 50-foot tree, all created at Silver Dollar City. Christmas in Midtown, the largest single lighting expansion to date in the past 2 decades of the festival, adds 1.5 million new lights, bringing the park's total to 6.5 million lights! Rudolph's Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade, led by the most famous reindeer of all, features musical lighted floats with 200,000 lights accompanied by 33 costumed characters. Rudolph's Christmas Town, where kids can meet Rudolph, Clarice and Bumble, also includes activities from Reindeer Games to cookie decorating. Two original musical productions present Broadway-style experiences, with elaborate sets and talented casts: It's a Wonderful Life, adapted from the Frank Capra classic, and the acclaimed production A Dickens' Christmas Carol. The Christmas on Main Street light & sound show features the 5-Story Special Effects Christmas Tree with over 350,000 colorful LED lights. Tinker Junior's Toy Shop is an interactive show for kids featuring a 12-foot talking and singing Christmas tree. Kids can meet Santa in Santa Claus Lane, illuminated in colorful lights. Plus, the festival presents holiday shows, a musical Living Nativity, shows, rides, shopping and new Silver Dollar City dining specialties. During An Old Time Christmas, Silver Dollar City is open Thursdays - Sundays, plus Wednesdays Nov. 22 and December 20, and open after Christmas Dec. 26-30. Hours and schedules are at http://www.silverdollarcity.com/theme-park/Festivals/An-Old-Time-Christmas (less) ... Read more

Family Activities

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  Junior Ranger

  Junior Ranger

  Reviews

  Junior Ranger programs engage young people in age-appropriate activities that allow them to discover the significance of a specific site, introduce them to the national park system and to the mission of the National Park Service. They reveal to children that these amazing places belong to them. Junior Ranger programs are designed to provide participants with the flexibility to discover and interact with the park at their own pace and within the limits of their visit. They encourage children and their families to explore things they might otherwise have missed, to get out and walk around, to explore further by visiting specialized programs, park movies, exhibits, trails overlooks, talking to a ranger, and others. When you get to the park visitor center ask a park ranger or volunteer for a junior ranger booklet if you are between the ages of 6-12 and you can fill it out and earn a badge! (less) ... Read more