Missouri Residents

[pstylesss]

What are the roads like? My family and I are flying over to Ft. Leonard wood for my brothers graduation from basic. My grandma is kind of interested in going to Branson because I guess it's popular for country music or something.

Anyway... tips?

EDIT: We are going to be there 12/3 - 12/6.

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
Thanks for all the tips guys. My next question is about family day... graduation is on the 5th but there is some sort of family day on the 4th. What does family day entail? Also, anyone know of the chances of landing base boarding? After making some calls we discovered you can't reserve more than 14 days in advance and military is first, obviously.

What is the on base hotels like and what about surrounding hotels? I imagine they are overly expensive just because they can. Anyone have any advice on which hotel we should stay in? Preferably as close to the base as possible.

 

[golfercraig]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
What are the roads like? My family and I are flying up to Ft. Leonard wood for my brothers graduation from basic. My grandma is kind of interested in going to Branson because I guess it's popular for country music or something.

Anyway... tips?

DO NOT SPEED!!! It is a MAJOR drug runners route, and the State Police are out in force. The roads are a little rough, and curvy, and up and down mountains. Just DO NOT SPEED. Highway 65 between Springfield and Branson is easy. If you need some info on Branson, unfortunately, I can help....

 

[SandInMyShoes]

I do about 5mph over on I-44 and US65, no problems yet. 10 over is definitely too much though. The roads aren't bad, and US65 from Springfield is kinda pretty. In Branson, Silver Dollar City is a nice mix of rides, shopping, food, and music. John Conlee will be there on the 11th, and they've got some good bluegrass bands performing there over the next couple weeks. The Shepard of the Hills outdoor show is great, and it's closer to Branson than Silver Dollar city is.

If you want to take the scenic route, drop south on State Hwy 5 at Lebanon and come see us at Bakersville. The Laura Ingalls Wilder house and museum are close by, and there's some nice two-lane roads down here

 

[andylawcc]

i used to live in Springfield (sadly) for about a year (in 2004), and drove to St. Louis for a couple of times and there wasn't a lot of cops hiding and waiting to bust you. Again, going with the flow / rest of the traffic and don't be the head of the pack will ensure your safety from the cops. The drive wasn't that curvy iirc but it does get some inclines and downhills.

 

[amddude]

Springfield> Check out Mexican villa or McSalty's pizza
Branson> Lambert's cafe...these dudes bring out trays of rolls and actually throw them to you

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
What are the roads like? My family and I are flying over to Ft. Leonard wood for my brothers graduation from basic. My grandma is kind of interested in going to Branson because I guess it's popular for country music or something.

Anyway... tips?

EDIT: We are going to be there 12/3 - 12/6.

Missouri - Speed Trap Capital of the Mid-West

 

[rivan]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: ZeroIQ
What are the roads like? My family and I are flying over to Ft. Leonard wood for my brothers graduation from basic. My grandma is kind of interested in going to Branson because I guess it's popular for country music or something.

Anyway... tips?

EDIT: We are going to be there 12/3 - 12/6.

Missouri - Speed Trap Capital of the Mid-West

</tinfoil>

Anyway - the others are right - don't speed more than ~5 over, especially without a pack of cars. You're not here on a holiday weekend, but that advice is triple important on a holiday weekend.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: amddude
Springfield> Check out Mexican villa or McSalty's pizza
Branson> Lambert's cafe...these dudes bring out trays of rolls and actually throw them to you

Last time I was at Lambert's, the rolls were uber hot and difficult to hold on to.

Mexican Villa = good mexican? Haven't found a good mexican food place yet, will have to give it a try.

 

[ZaneNBK]

Originally posted by: Spoooon

Originally posted by: amddude
Springfield> Check out Mexican villa or McSalty's pizza
Branson> Lambert's cafe...these dudes bring out trays of rolls and actually throw them to you

Last time I was at Lambert's, the rolls were uber hot and difficult to hold on to.

Mexican Villa = good mexican? Haven't found a good mexican food place yet, will have to give it a try.

Mexican Villa is good Springfield Mexican food. I grew up there and love the place but my wife, who was born in LA, CA, doesn't think it's that great. Give the Sancho Enchilada Style and Queso a shot, those are pretty much their signature dishes.

Lambert's (in Ozark, about 10 minutes south of Springfield between Springfield and Branson) is great. Everyone I've taken there loves it. The food and environment are wonderful. They're famous for the "throwed rolls" but they also walk around with different sides and dish them out on request. I love their fried potatoes and chicken fried steak.

Andy's frozen custard is also an awesome Springfield area treat.

 

[kalrith]

The roads aren't bad. I also recommend Lambert's as long as you don't mind waiting a while. It's frequently at least an hour wait, which isn't much for some parts of the country but is a lot for this area. Just note that Lambert's does not accept credit cards. It's cash or check only.

 

[pstylesss]

Thanks for all the tips guys. My next question is about family day... graduation is on the 5th but there is some sort of family day on the 4th. What does family day entail? Also, anyone know of the chances of landing base boarding? After making some calls we discovered you can't reserve more than 14 days in advance and military is first, obviously.

What is the on base hotels like and what about surrounding hotels? I imagine they are overly expensive just because they can. Anyone have any advice on which hotel we should stay in? Preferably as close to the base as possible.

 

[Spoooon]

Forgot about the OP. Branson has, atleast judging by the billboards, a lot of live shows that seemed kind of old fashioned or country-centric. I don't know if any are particularly good or not. My wife and I went to the Titanic museum there a while back. Not as cheesy as you might expect. There's some BBQ place there that is supposed to be good according to some online reviews. There is some 50's type music show that my wife and I might take her parents to.

@Zane: I grew up in Texas and ate a lot of traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex. So far, the "best" place I've been is Maria's downtown.

Andy's Custard is the bomb.

 

[golfercraig]

Originally posted by: Spoooon
Forgot about the OP. Branson has, atleast judging by the billboards, a lot of live shows that seemed kind of old fashioned or country-centric. I don't know if any are particularly good or not. My wife and I went to the Titanic museum there a while back. Not as cheesy as you might expect. There's some BBQ place there that is supposed to be good according to some online reviews. There is some 50's type music show that my wife and I might take her parents to.

@Zane: I grew up in Texas and ate a lot of traditional Mexican and Tex-Mex. So far, the "best" place I've been is Maria's downtown.

Andy's Custard is the bomb.

So happy about the new Andy's on S. Campbell. Less than a mile from my house...Belly will get LARGER!!!