Branson has a reputation for neon, dinner shows and traffic on the 76 Strip. Drive 10 minutes in almost any direction, though, and you’re in the hills with nothing around you but trees and a fire pit. Glamping has caught on fast out here, and it’s a good way to do the Ozarks without giving up a real bed or a hot shower.
From Dallas, figure on roughly seven hours in the car, so this works best as a long weekend. Here are four places to stay, plus where to eat, what to do and one spa worth the splurge.
Hidden Hollow at The Tree Farm, Walnut Shade
This is the quiet pick. Hidden Hollow is a single glamping cabin of about 350 square feet at The Tree Farm, a small cabin property at 570 Lowe Road, just north of Branson. It has a king bed and a sofa bed, a full kitchen, Wi-Fi, a washer and dryer, a yard, a grill area and a front porch with rocking chairs. Its sister cabin on the same property, Cedar Creek, can be booked along with it as the Tree Farm Duo if you’re traveling with another couple.
Check-in is at 4 p.m. and checkout is at 10 a.m. No pets. Lake Taneycomo is about three miles away, and Branson Landing is roughly 10 minutes by car.
Ozark Mountain Adventure, Branson
Halley Fleming left her job as a bank marketing executive to build what’s considered Branson’s first glamping resort. She did a lot of the site work herself, down to running heavy equipment, and the city didn’t even have a permit category for glamping when she started. The result is a handful of canvas tents on more than 50 wooded acres just east of town, with queen beds and heating and cooling. It’s built for couples, and it’s close to Lake Taneycomo and Branson Landing. No pets.
The Embers Glamping and RV Resort, Branson
The Embers has the most variety of the four. Its 15 glamping tents all have heating and air conditioning, and most have a private bathroom. Each one comes with a patio, a picnic table and a fire pit. The Bell Tents are round with a king bed and a futon. The Stargazer Tents add a clear roof panel so you can watch the sky from bed. The Treehouse Tents sit on platforms 10 feet up in the trees and come with a private hot tub and a hammock.
Guests share a swimming pool, a rooftop deck, a coffee shop, a pizza kitchen, hiking trails, a pickleball court and a camp store stocked with beer, wine and snacks. The resort also has tiny-home cabins, and the tents are pet-friendly, which isn’t true of the other places on this list. It’s at 139 Irish Lane.
Great Escapes RV Resort, Branson
This is the family choice. Great Escapes sits on 65 shaded acres about 15 minutes from downtown and offers glamping tents along with pioneer-style covered wagons, which kids tend to love. The tents sleep four, with a queen bed and twin bunks, a private bathroom, heat, air conditioning and Wi-Fi, and linens are included. They’re pet-friendly, too. There are also cottages and cabins if somebody in your group draws the line at canvas.
Where to eat
Start the day at Billy Gail’s on Highway 265, a casual cafe that’s a popular breakfast stop. It opens at 7 a.m. daily and closes at 3 p.m., except Friday and Saturday, when it stays open until 9.
For barbecue, Gettin’ Basted on the 76 Strip smokes ribs, pulled pork and brisket. It opens at 7 a.m. every day.
Big Cedar Lodge, about 10 minutes south of Branson on Table Rock Lake, has the best restaurants in the area, and you don’t have to stay there to eat there. Devil’s Pool Restaurant, in one of the property’s original 1920s homesteads, serves homestyle food for breakfast, lunch and dinner and doesn’t take reservations, so expect a short wait. Buzzard Bar is right downstairs for a drink before or after.
For a dressed-up night, book Osage Restaurant at Top of the Rock, Big Cedar’s steakhouse overlooking Table Rock Lake. It also does a well-known Sunday brunch. Reservations are recommended, and an entry fee and valet charges may apply.
What to do
Silver Dollar City opens An Old Time Christmas on November 7, and it runs through January 2. The park puts up more than 6.5 million lights, stages Broadway-style holiday shows and debuts a new nighttime parade this year called Stars, Lights and Christmas Nights. It’s included with regular admission. Operating days and hours vary, so check the calendar before you go.
Top of the Rock is worth a few hours even if you’re not eating at Osage. Walk the Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail, then stop by the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum on the same grounds. Time it for the evening Sunset Ceremony.
Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, at 2038 State Highway 86 in Lampe, is southwest of Branson and makes a good half-day outing for hiking and fresh air. It’s open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Back in town, Branson Landing sits right on Lake Taneycomo, with shops and restaurants along the water. It’s an easy evening walk if you don’t want to drive far from camp.
The spa
Cedar Creek Spa at Big Cedar Lodge is the bonus round. It’s a standalone 18,000-square-foot building that opened in 2014, and the centerpiece is a candlelit grotto pool set into stone walls. The menu runs from massages and facials to body treatments and manicures and pedicures. Book a treatment the day before you drive home and you’ll be in much better shape for the seven hours back to Dallas. Big Cedar Lodge is at 612 Devil’s Pool Road in Ridgedale.
Plan ahead if you’re aiming for a Christmas-season weekend. These places are small, and the good dates go first.
