"Show-Me" what you got, Branson!

Every year, my family tries to travel to a place we’ve never been before. It usually happens around my mom’s birthday (in April). Last year, we flew to Texas, rented a car and explored the “Lone Star State” by road. The year before that, we traveled across the pond to the U.K. and spent the Easter holiday there without encountering rainy weather, miraculously. The most unforgettable British phrase I learned from that trip was “Mind the Gap!”

Picking a destination requires online research as to what attractions can be found and what hotels are there that are affordable yet provide decent amenities. It also helps if the hotel is located ideally near the local attractions (and shopping centers, if possible, haha!). I check on hotel reviews online if a certain hotel met customer’s expectations and if they had enjoyed their stay. Accommodation is an important part of one’s travel experience.

I’ve only been to 11 of the 50 states here in America (I don't count airport stopovers I had in Alaska and Washington). That leaves me with 39 more to explore. In the Midwest, Illinois is the state I’ve visited most frequently because that’s where most of my father’s siblings live.

Close to Illinois is Missouri, curiously called the “Show-Me State.” I’ve never been there and am interested as to what exactly it can “show me” to impress me as a tourist.

In Branson, Missouri, a familiar hotel brand in two locations offers lodging packages for families of every type: Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel and the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing.

Depending on the occasion behind your Branson vacation, these hotels have special rates for your stay coinciding with wholesome sporting events such as the NAIA Basketball Championship and the Walmart FLW Bass Tournament in nearby Table Rock Lake. My father loves basketball, while some of my uncles are the fish-o-philes in my family.

My sister and I would probably opt for their “Ladies’ Night Out” package for 2, with wine and cheese upon arrival and two $25 gift cards. We know how we're going to spend those gift cards...at the nearby Tanger Outlet Mall! Haha.

But don't think we're too shopping-obsessed to miss out on what true travel is all about: discovering a place. That's why if we ever tour Branson someday, our itinerary would probably look like this (partially, at least):

• "Ride the Ducks" at Table Rock Dam (Last Duck Ride I had was in Philadelphia.)
• Spend a day at the Silver Dollar City theme park
• Hunt for bargains at Tanger Outlet Mall

Best thing about this list is that they're all close to both hotels I just mentioned!