Branson, MO Real Estate, Homes For Sale, School & Area Information

My wife and I stopped here recently. We both enjoyed the chicken cheesesteak and the gyro, and we will definitely go back!

I just want to share another great restaurant with you located in Branson, Missouri, Little Hacienda. They have a good size menu for you and have many options. I really enjoy the guacamole appetizer and the natural juices that they offer. One dish that I enjoyed was the Camarones Tequila.

I visited this place with my family and we had a lot of fun. Cryptex Branson has five escape rooms to choose from that can accommodate groups of varying sizes. They have three different escape scenarios for small groups or big groups. Challenges here involve saving Branson's water supply from a mad scientist, solving a murder at a dinner party, etc. It is located in Branson Missouri.

An alarm system in your vacation home can help you protect your asset and give you greater peace of mind, especially if there are weeks or months at a time when you are not there. The system that I currently have installed in my vacation home uses the Internet and cellular service and does not rely on a land line. I have the power connected to a UPS to supplement the alarm's internal battery should there be an interruption in the commercial power. The UPS also provides additional protection from a power surge such as those caused by a lightning strike. When you meet with an alarm system professional, consider installing a temperature sensor that will cause an alarm if the temperature inside your vacation home gets too high or too cold. The too-cold alarm is especially useful to know if your heating is not working in the winter. I have had two friends whose vacation home heating failed during the winter, causing frozen and broken pipes, and the resulting water damage was considerable. My current system also allows me to control the alarm from my cell phone. This is particularly useful to check the status of the alarm or to arm and disarm it for maintenance workers without having to give out the alarm codes. Finally, be sure to have regular maintenance on your alarm system; this will not only ensure that your alarm system is functioning properly, but it will save you from the embarrassment if the fire department is called to your vacation home in the middle of the night for a false alarm.

In my years in the technology industry, I have always appreciated Microsoft Outlook as an efficient tool to organize and collaborate as I have interacted with and managed project teams. Microsoft Outlook, with its calendar and task list, is also a great way to keep your vacation home organized, especially when it is used by multiple families. For example, you can use the calendar appointments to schedule who is staying at the vacation home and to schedule reminders for recurring tasks, such as watering plants, annual heating/cooling maintenance, and changing smoke detector batteries. The task list is a great way to track to-do list items that do not have a specific date. When setting up an appointment or task, just enter a description, the time, the date, and include the e-mail addresses of all concerned. You can also use the body of the appointment or task to include a detailed description and attach documents. Set up email reminders to let everyone know about the upcoming event or task that needs to be completed. Make appointments recurring for those items that are weekly, monthly, or yearly events, and future occurrences will be created automatically on the calendar. For more on Outlook, see the Microsoft MSN web site.

I have always enjoyed visiting the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, just below the Table Rock Lake Dam, built in the late 1950's about the same time that the dam was constructed. The cool water released through the Table Rock Lake dam provides the right conditions for the largest trout hatchery in Missouri to produce and release nearly 400,000 pounds of trout per year into Lake Taneycomo, the smaller lake just below the Table Rock Lake Dam, for trout fishing.

The hatchery consists of a visitor center with great exhibits to learn about the wildlife and conversation in the area, hiking trails, and large pools outside where the fish are raised and separated according to size. There are gumball-type machines where you can purchase fish food to feed the fish; kids love this! If you are looking for an inexpensive, educational, and fun thing to do for the kids, this is great! Above the Table Rock Lake Dam is a visitor center for the dam, itself, which I will cover in another Insight.

Looking for a great place to get a good workout in Branson? My favorite place for a workout in Branson is the RecPlex, located at 1501 Branson Hills Parkway, both for the reasonable price for a daily memberships and for variety and quality of the workout equipment. The fitness center, operated separately by CoxHealth, is complete with the free weights and machines that you would expect at a typical gym.

There is a three-lane walking/running track above the basketball courts. Daily and yearly memberships to use the walking track are very reasonable. This is a great way to get exercise during the winter months or inclement weather.

If you are considering a move to the Branson area or buying a vacation home there, the Branson RecPlex is worth a visit. The RecPlex offers many more facilities and services that I have mentioned here. For example, there is a large aquatic center, organized workout programs, and event spaces. For complete information and the latest updates, see the RecPlex website below.

The Annual Branson Balloon Festival is held each year at Branson RecPlex. This year's event featured 20 hot air balloons from 7 different states, skydiving, powered parachutes, helicopter rides, entertainment, food and vendors. Hot air balloon flights take place each morning at sunrise (weather permitting) and is a sight to see!

While shopping at Target, Home Depot, Walmart, Best Buy, Bed Bath Beyond, you can look up and check out new construction at the Villas at Branson Hills. Live with the comforts of a single family home, the maintenance free "work" of a condo and amenities like a beautiful clubhouse, pool and putting green. Don't forget to enjoy the fantastic facilities of the Branson RecPlex, just a jog down the road. Double check on this subdivision!