I'm fairly new to the campground business, but so far what has impressed me if the clientele," explains David Faria, owner of Musicland Kampground in Branson, Missouri, "I mean you'll be driving around and the RVers will offer you some ribs they just cooked like you're their best friend." Musicland has a terrific location. It is right next door to the the Titanic Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and the glass-atrium Starlite Theatre. It has full hook-up, over 100 level sites, with free cable and wifi. "We are definitely a tourist and visitor to the area campground. We get a lot of families for weekends and things like that," Faria explains.
Faria got into the campground business from web development. "I came to Branson in 1993 as an Elvis Impersonator and worked with Tony Orlando," Faria recalls, "And eventually I transitioned to full-time web development and marketing for hotels." Faria does not have a background in RVing, but when Musicland came up for sale, he saw a good opportunity. "It's a pretty exciting business to be apart of," he says. He says that working with hotels is completely different. People check in and they check out and a hotel manager or owner does not see much of them in between. At the campground, though, everyone is out and about and friendly.
Of course, like any new venture, owning a campground has challenges. "This is an older campground. It was built in the 1970s. So there's lots of upgrades that we have been steadily doing like plumbing, electrical, replacing walls and more," Faria says. He is currently putting in a new bathroom and wants to work on the landscaping to make the environment even more inviting. Overall, though, Faria is very happy working in the RV world.
Branson is a uniquely American city and cultural attraction. "The first thing that comes to mind is the shows. There are so many here," Faria says, "But I also think it is great because it's a great, clean, family-friendly destination. You can take your kids to everything and the older folks like the clean entertainment, too." Faria says it also has a shopping draw, both outlet malls and upscale, as well as outdoors.
Branson is in the midst of the Ozark Mountains and the area has tons to offer, both adventure sports as well as hiking and fishing amenities. There are helicopter rides, zip lining, parasailing and more. One of the most popular destinations is Table Rock Lake. Located southwest of town, the lake boasts clear, clean water with 800 miles of shoreline. Boating, fishing, scuba diving, swimming, and just about anything else that has to do with water is done at the lake.
On the other side of the spectrum is Silver Dollar City theme park. Silver Dollar City has every kind of ride and attraction that one would expect to find at a theme park and then some, all in a backdrop of 19th century Americana. The history of Silver Dollar City is interesting as it started with a cave. Marvel Cave was discovered, by settlers at least, in the mid-1800s. It first was thought to have marble so it was called Marble Cave and a marble mining company started working it, only to discover it does not have marble. It opened as a tourist attraction in 1889. Fast forward to the 1950s where it became under lease by the Herschends from Chicago for 99 years. The Herschends built a cable car in the cave, recreated a mining village, and started Silver Dollar City. Now, along with rollercoasters, water rides, crazy houses, and the like there are cave tours, both traditional walking tours as well as a Lantern Tour. The Lantern tour is limited to 20 people, where the electricity is turned off and everyone is given a lantern. The focus of the tour is history.
The shows are what Branson is known for throughout the United States. There are literally hundreds of shows going on in Branson. The tourism website states that, “On any given day, there can be more than 100,000 visitors in Branson, but its year-round population is just over 10,500.” Many of these folks are filling the 57,000 theater seats in town. There are tribute shows to all the greats, Neil Diamond, George Strait, Motown, Waylon and Willie, etc. as well as comedy and drama shows. The most famous is Sight & Sound Theatre, which shows Bible stories in huge, dramatic fashion. The 2018-2019 show is Samson. Samson was a Hercules-like character in the Old Testament. The show is said to have live animals, original music, and gigantic special effects.
With so much to do and see, Branson has something for everybody. People like Faria, who have been in the town for a long time, have seen it change a lot and get bigger, but he feels, “It has never lost its hometown feel.” Faria explains a bit more, “It really is just a good American town. We honor veterans, fly our flag high, and everyone is welcome.” In fact, American veterans and active military receive a 15% discount. After all there is to do, coming back to a shaded, peaceful campground, like Musicland, nestled in the center of Branson's entertainment district, will agree perfectly with your body at the end of the day.