Are you looking for a fun low-cost family vacation? The Branson/Springfield area in Missouri just might be the vacation you are looking to take.

Southwest Missouri surprisingly has plenty of sunny days and smiling faces. In Springfield, the general atmosphere has remained family-friendly yet has grown into a modern small city with many entertainment options. While Branson has been an entertainment destination for decades it has also remained family-friendly and seems to be changing all the time.

Springfield Missouri

Springfield Missouri is the third-largest city in Missouri and its metro area has seen large population growth over the last few years. Once a smaller friendly college town Springfield has now grown into a robust city with an artistic flair.

Why visit Springfield Missouri?

With a large number of hotels, a surprising variety of dining options, and attractions spread throughout the area, Springfield is a great choice for less money. The square downtown is vibrant and popular with young adults. Most of the city is very family-friendly.

Stay in Springfield Missouri for cheaper than Branson

Cheaper lodging options are available in Springfield Missouri than in the Branson Missouri area. You could stay in Springfield which is less than 45 minutes from Branson. Drive the short distance to visit Branson while staying in Springfield and save a bit on lodging costs. There are budget-friendly hotels throughout Springfield Missouri but hotels on the south side are closer to Branson. Several major highways pass through and around the city, making travel simple to navigate. Some of the small towns between Springfield and Branson are great options as well. Services like Airbnb have taken off in that past few years and may also be a good option for your vacation.

Some of the best food in the Springfield Missouri area:

Black Sheep Burgers and Shakes

Aviary Cafe

Haruno Sushi Bar & Grill

Mudhouse Coffee

Colton's Steakhouse

Braum's

Pineapple Whip

Andy's Frozen Custard

Lambert's Cafe

What to do in the Springfield Missouri area

Fantastic Caverns

Springfield Art Museum

Fantastic Caverns

Battlefield Mall

Springfield Botanical Gardens & Mizumoto Japanese stroll gardens

Farmers Market Plaza

Springfield Conservation Nature Center

Lavender Falls Farm

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Civil War Battlefield & visitors center

Bass Pro Shops Springfield Missouri

The massive Bass Pro Outdoor World located on South Campbell Ave. is a great place to spend the entire day. Within this Bass Pro flagship location, you can browse apparel next to live turtles and ducks. The store is filled with live animal exhibits spread throughout the entire shopping area, including alligators down by the boats. There two separate locations where you can buy coffee, drinks, and snacks. However, if you are hungry for a meal and don’t mind spending a little extra you can try Hemingway’s Blue Water Café. Hemingway's Blue Water Café is Bass Pro’s restaurant located in the upper level of the Springfield Bass Pro, Hemingway’s serves a variety of different dishes including my husband’s favorite bison-burger.

Wandering this massive store is already hours of free entertainment. However, they also offer many free museums located in this same Bass Pro mega-store that can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45 minutes each to tour.

Bass Pro Free Museums in Springfield Missouri

NRA National Sporting Arms Museum

Archery Hall of Fame & Museum

Bass Pro Motorsports Museum

The Bass Pro shops Museum

Bass Pro Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium

If you have the time and money we recommend visiting the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium, which can take at approximately 5 hours. The Wonders of Wildlife National Museum is full of native American exhibits, paintings, amazing wildlife galleries, and even a live penguin exhibit. The Wonder's of Wildlife Aquarium contains massive tanks filled with beautiful fish, various live animal experiences, and my favorite is a room filled with various seashells of every size. I shared in a previous post all about our first experience with the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium.

You could spend an entire day just at this Bass Pro location. This can be a great family day trip in Springfield, Missouri. Depending on what you chose to do, it can be very inexpensive.

Springfield has many more options than we have listed here but is definitely worth looking into for your next getaway. Maybe one of Springfield's best features is how close it is to the Branson area.

Branson Missouri

Branson Missouri is nestled in the Ozark Mountains in Southern Missouri. The city of Branson Missouri is filled with family-friendly entertainment. Branson is well known for Dolly Parton's Stampede, Silver Dollar City, Big Cedar Lodge, and Sight and Sound Theater. Over the years the country town became well known for their entertainment along 76 Country Blvd. just off U.S 65. However, Branson can also be a great place to just get away from the stress of everyday life for cheap.

While a day in Branson costs less than a day in Vegas or Orlando, a day in Branson can still cost a lot depending on what you choose to spend your money on. You can enjoy a budget-friendly getaway in Branson Missouri without overspending.

Money-saving Tip: Do not stay in Branson

Find a hotel in the surrounding cities that is slightly cheaper or Rent an RV and stay close by. The more you save on costly hotels the more you have to actually enjoy your vacation.

Branson Landing: Shopping; Dining; and Entertainment

Branson Landing is one of our favorite places to visit. Just down the hill from Historic Downtown Branson right next to Lake Taneycomo, you can spend hours browsing and eating. Aside from a Bass Pro and Belk store, you can find dozens of both local and national shops such as:

Never A Dull Moment

Attic Salt

Earthbound Trading Company

Soma

Tervis

It's Sugar

The Branson Landing also boasts well over a dozen dining options including:

Paula Deen's Family Kitchen

Guy Fieri's Branson Kitchen & Bar

Land Shark Bar & Grill ( with a Margaritaville retail store)

Big Whiskey's American Restaurant & Bar

Joe's Crab Shack

Mellow Mushroom Pizza Bakers

The world-famous White River Fish House is the restaurant of our choice when we visit, the complimentary jalapeno cornbread is delicious and my husband loves the fried alligator bites. We also enjoy the different setting for the restaurant because it floats on the lake and has a relaxing view of the water. Sometimes, if you really pay attention, you can even feel it rocking slightly when people walk by your table.

Branson Landing Attractions

The Branson Landing has many attractions including an arcade, a zipline over the lake, boat rentals, and a modern bowling alley restaurant. We often take a walk and stroll along the boardwalk along Lake Taneycomo while enjoying the beautiful weather. One of my favorite free parts of visiting The Landing is the $7.5 million water and fire spectacular fountain located in the center of the Landing. This fountain is more of a fire and water attraction that is choreographed to music and lights and is so much fun to experience each time you visit.

Although not part of the Landing, there are a few shops adjacent to the parking lot of Branson Landing that are worth visiting. There is a cute little gift shop called The Crystal Fish Gifts which features a lot of very different gifts made within the local area and laid back friendly customer service. My husband also discovered Silver Anvil Metal Craft where you can forge your own knife in about an hour. Stores like Silver Anvil are rare and the experience is definitely worth a visit.

Historic Branson: Olde Time Charm

Downtown Historic Branson features many traditional and newer shopping, dining, and attractions. They offer a farmers market, a vintage five-and-dime store, art galleries, and some quaint museums and cafes. In Downtown Historic Branson there is plenty to see as you stroll past the shops, escape room, fossil shop, and even a vintage scenic railway. If you are not up to all of the walking in there is a free trolley to help you navigate this charming budget-friendly area of Branson.

Tanger Outlets: Discount Shopping

Tanger Outlets is an outlet mall in the middle of Branson Missouri just off of 76, where you can discover great deals in many name-brand stores. A few of my favorites would include the Disney Store, Yankee Candle outlet, both Under Armour and children's Under Armour outlet, and White House Black Market. While often busy it is usually easy to navigate and enjoy your time strolling through the various shops. In the past, I have found great deals on running shoes, handbags, and budget-friendly gifts I purchase in advance for Christmas.

76 Country Blvd: Classic Branson

One of the most visited areas in Branson Missouri would have to be the 76 strip and all of the smaller roads leading off the main drag into the surrounding hills. Overflowing with music halls, theaters, restaurants, museums, zoos, and attractions big and small...there is more to do than you ever could in a week.

Be careful not to overspend while in Branson

This is an area of Branson that many vacationers spend a lot of money in when they visit. If you are not careful and strategic in your planning this could become a very costly trip in just a short amount of time. Go-karts and mini-golf add up fast.

I would suggest stopping at one of the many visitor centers or coupon kiosks located throughout the region to find the current best deals. Planning ahead and choosing what you want to spend your time and limited funds can maximize your experience and your savings. Often you will find deals and coupons printed on receipts from one attraction to use on another attraction so keep an eye out in somewhat unexpected places for additional savings. I highly recommend reading reviews and researching the shows, museums, and attractions well in advance to make sure that you and your family get the most value and enjoyment for your money.

A few attractions around the 76 Country Blvd that I recommend:

Veteran Memorial Museum

Branson Ferris Wheel

IMAX Entertainment Complex

The Butterfly Palace and Rainforest Adventure

For a little more money these Branson attractions could be worthwhile:

Titanic Museum

Dolly Parton's Stampede

Sight & Sound Theater

A few Restaurants on 76 country Blvd that we recommend:

Sugar Leaf Bakery & Café

Landry's Seafood House

Danna's Bar-B-Que & Burger shop

McFarlain's Family Restaurant

Money-saving tip: you are special and deserve a discount

There are several discounts available if you are a veteran, teacher, student, etc. Some of the more unusual ones change often, for example, Silver Dollar City has been known to offer a discount if you are born in a certain year. It always pays to do your homework and make sure that you have checked for any additional discounts and deals in advance.

Silver Dollar City

Of course, if you are planning more of a family vacation and have saved up enough a day at Silver Dollar City is worth the money. Silver Dollar City is a frontier themed amusement park great for the whole family. Big roller coasters, smaller rides, shopping, dining, shows, live blacksmiths, copper-smiths, and glass blowing make it an incredible experience. During the holiday season, the Christmas light display is definitely worth seeing. Silver Dollar City also has a water area called Fireman’s landing, great for a hot day with various fun water activities included in the admission price.

Money-saving Tip: Shop like the locals do

When purchasing tickets for Silver Dollar City try The Country Mart located on the Blue Route in Branson for discounted tickets.

White Water: cool off without going broke

For a little less money, White Water on the 76 strip is a family-friendly water park. White Water is owned by Silver Dollar City and if you want to enjoy both you can get combined tickets and save more when purchasing together. While children enjoy the slides and tubes adults can relax by the wave pool.

Free things to do in and around Branson

Scenic drive over Table Rock Lake Dam

Table Rock State Park

Busiek State Forrest and Wildlife area

Roaring Rivers State Park

Mark Twain National Forrest

Browse the many shops on 76 including the Christmas Shoppe, even without a lot of money

a visit to these stores can be a fun experience.

Scenic overlook on 165 gives a breathtaking view of Lake Taneycomo and Branson

Bass Pro: more than just a store

Bass Pro's Big Cedar Lodge is an amazing resort experience. Visit the website to see all they have to offer for guests. If you are like us and cannot afford to stay at a resort there are still ways to enjoy and experience a taste of what Big Cedar Lodge has to offer for cheap. Located 10 minutes south of Branson, Missouri on 65, take a right on 86, and another right from the first big roundabout and you come to an impressive entrance gate to the enormous Top Of The Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve and Big Cedar Lodge Wilderness Resort property. If you are not staying at the resort there is a small entrance fee per vehicle.

After a short winding drive through the beautiful picturesque Ozark mountains, you will come to a free parking area near a welcome center. Here if you have some extra cash you can take the Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail, which is an hour tour of rivers, caves, and amazing views on a four-person cart you rent. From the same welcome center, you can take the free shuttle to Top Of The Rock main building. Top Of The Rock offers stunning views as well as four different restaurants with different dining options. The general store is a charming rustic gift shop with lots of variety.

Bass Pro Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum

The most impressive and fascinating part of my visit to Top Of The Rock was the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. The beauty and culture of our nation's history displayed within this museum is something you will never forget. For me $12 a person is a great value for this experience which took us about 2 hours to experience. The museum contains more Native American artifacts than you can possibly imagine, civil war cannons, Old West exhibits, and even a lock of George Washington's hair. I was educated and entertained as I traveled back in time discovering it all.

Can you vacation in Springfield / Branson Missouri for cheap?

Yes. Branson and Springfield can be an excellent family vacation destination without spending a fortune. You can save in many ways on a vacation to Branson by including Springfield in your vacation plans. I haven't touched on all the camping, hunting, fishing, and outdoor adventures available in the region. If you love vacationing in the outdoors or getting into nature this is an area of the United States that you would love to visit. Missouri has a lot of beauty to offer and has so many various family-friendly activities that can be enjoyed as well as a lot of entertainment options.

Take a day trip to one of these places

St. Louis is also within a few hours and a visit to this historic city could be included with a chance to see the Gateway Arch, the city zoo, botanical gardens, and even some great museums. Another thing to note is that Southwest Missouri is close to Arkansas and Oklahoma so you can plan a day trip to either state.

As you could guess by now Bass Pro seems to be everywhere in Southwest Missouri. A family could spend a day at the big Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, then the next day drive down to the Branson Landing and have lunch at the White River Fish House, then drive 10 more minutes and spend the rest of the day at Top of the Rock and finish with dinner at Arnie's Barn. Saving money and yet getting a full Bass Pro experience.

Southwest Missouri has much more to offer than most people realize and can be a great place to visit. Making memories doesn't need to cost a lot of money. Sometimes the most joyful memories are the simple meaningful ones. Looking out over a beautiful lake, like Table Rock, with your loved ones and being grateful for the time spent together.

BRANSON MISSOURI SAVE MONEY ON YOUR TRIP