The Getaway

For $129, you get a two-night stay for two adults and up to three kids in a two-queen room Sunday–Thursday, plus two theater tickets to see Lee Greenwood and Louise Mandrell.

Ozark Resort with Theater and Indoor-Outdoor Water Park

A multicolored neon blaze twinkles from dozens of marquees, as show tunes and dance numbers flow out, audible through theater doors along Highway 76—also known as the Strip—in Branson, Missouri. The city's longstanding theater tradition continues within Welk Resort Branson, where performers regularly fill the 2,200-seat on-site Welk Theater with spectacular sights and sounds. During the current show, country-music star Lee Greenwood belts out his hit single "God Bless the USA" and other country hits, trading off with singer and one-time TV star Louise Mandrell. Before an evening of entertainment, guests can fill up at the adjacent Stage Door Restaurant, where tiered platters of pastas, salads, and cakes await on an elaborate buffet.

Outside, a covered walkway arcs around a grassy lawn, circling around toward two-queen rooms, warmly appointed in golden and flaxen hues. From the heart of the resort, the aquatic playground known as the Splash-A-Torium beckons with fountain jets, rocky outcroppings, and lapping waves spanning more than 10,000 square feet. There, a 100-foot turquoise slide meanders downward in gentle curves, mirroring the undulating outline of the continuous indoor-outdoor pool below. Hot tubs inside and out bubble away tension, and the Splash Zone invites travelers to spray jets and dive beneath dumping buckets. After toweling off, kids can go cue-to-cue in the game room or join a full daily schedule of activities, embarking on scavenger hunts or looking on as artists create dogs, swords, or models of the Andromeda Galaxy out of balloons.

Branson: Entertainment Empire in Ozark Mountain Country

Although it was popularized for its starring role in several episodes of the 1960s hit show The Beverly Hillbillies, Branson boasts a longstanding history with the performing arts. Today, a cappella ensembles, celebrity impersonators, and veteran Broadway singers stage dozens of shows every night along the Strip. Even the town itself toys with theatrics, with The Fountains at Branson Landing surging skyward amid fire cannons during frequent spectacles.

Cradling Branson, the encircling plateau of the Ozarks sets a precedent for spectacle. Rolling slopes recede into misty abstractions, transforming into a russet-and-gold patchwork quilt each fall. Beneath the earth, monumental caverns boast summits and crannies of their own. Tours of Talking Rocks Cavern weave through fantastical stalactites, and Marvel Cave, one of the Ozarks' oldest attractions, ensconces visitors in a sinkhole-carved entrance room large enough to have once hosted hot air balloon flights and stegosaur birthday parties.

Our Recommendations for Your Getaway

Silver Dollar City Theme Park This theme park centered on the national landmark of Marvel Cave re-creation an 1880s frontier town alongside roller coasters, shops, and shows.

The Haygoods Performing at its own Americana Theatre, this fast-fiddling family of seven brothers and one sister has serenaded more than 4.5 million audience members with pop-rock-country tunes for 18 years.

Table Rock Lake Bass, catfish, and bluegill fill this enormous reservoir created by the Table Rock Dam, where the State Park Marina allows sightseeing, fishing, and dinner boat tours.

Stone Hill Winery Winemaking and bottling tours conclude with extensive tastings at the Branson outpost of the oldest winery in Missouri.

New Shanghai Circus As an alternative to the city's many musical acts, this troupe of colorfully costumed acrobats, dancers, and contortionists form spinning whirligigs and towering pyramids amid cavorting dragon puppets.

Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Thundering hooves and daredevil equestrian stunts fill the arena during a dinner show, which features a four-course feast serving each guest an entire rotisserie chicken and barbecued pork loin.