Most people come to Branson Landing to shop and eat, but it’s worth taking a breather at the built-in arena for this extravagant display of 120-foot geysers and blasting fire canyons, choreographed to light and music (Branson Landing Fountains were created by the same folks that did the Bellagio in Las Vegas). There’s a show every hour, but the biggest...

The Dewey Short Visitor Center occupies a striking building on the shore of Table Rock Lake and is a good destination for families looking for free things to do, especially when combined with the free fish hatchery nearby. The first thing you notice upon entering is unobstructed views of the lake straight ahead through soaring windows. If you want, you...

A little more than a century ago, the 700-mile White River flowed past Branson on its way through Missouri and Arkansas. Lake Taneycomo was formed in 1913 when a dam was constructed downstream near Forsyth, Missouri. Its waters were warm until the lake’s southern end became defined in 1958 with construction of Table Rock Dam, which began drawing water from...

Moonshine Beach is Branson’s most accessible beach and is the only sandy beach on Table Rock Lake. Located just north of the dam and managed by the Corps of Engineers, the handicap-accessible beach also offers flush toilets, a shelter big enough for 75 people, picnic tables, grills, a playground, volleyball net and boat launch. It even has public life jackets...

Ziplines are big, but Parakeet Pete’s Waterfront Zipline is a bit different than most. Instead of zipping between the trees from one platform to the next, this one at Branson Landing takes you across Lake Taneycomo and back. Instead of messing with a harness (and possibly risk getting dumped into the icy lake?), this one features a seat not unlike...

Table Rock Lake is one of Missouri’s most popular and beautiful lakes. It was formed after construction of Table Rock Dam in 1958, creating about 800 miles of shoreline and up to 52,300 acres of surface water. The first time I looked at it on a map I was astounded. It just snakes around and all over the place; driving...

The 2.2-mile paved Table Rock Lakeshore Trail hugs the coastal contours of Table Rock Lake, providing scenic views and the chance to see a variety of flowering trees and plants (from dogwood in spring to Queen Anne’s Lace from May to October) as well as spot native squirrels, armadillos, turkey vultures, Eastern bluebirds and, in winter, bald eagles, loons and...