Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum, Branson: Weird but Fascinating

I always thought Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museums were big tourist traps. After all, they’re located in all the touristy areas. However, something compelled me on my last trip to Branson to visit the Ripley’s museum there. Curiosity, I guess. Or maybe it was the rainy weather that weekend that made me want to do indoor things. It turns out that I really enjoyed it. Some of the exhibits are wacky, some educational, but I found all of them to be fascinating. Read more

Branson, Missouri, Remains the Live Music Show Capital of the World

Connie Attractions & Events, Missouri November 15, 2014November 22, 2015American Bandstand Theater, Branson Missouri, Branson MO, Branson Shows, Clay Cooper Branson, Clay Cooper Show, Clay Cooper Theater, Clay Cooper Theatre, Dick Clark Theater, Dublin's Irish Tenors, Dublin's Irish Tenors and The Celtic Ladies, King's Castle Theater, King's Castle Theatre, Legends Branson, Legends in Concert, The Celtic Ladies 0 Comment

Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to see quite a few stars in Branson. Most were past their prime but singers I would have given arm and a leg to see when I was a teenager. I saw the late Paul Revere, Bill Medley from the Righteous Brothers, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Vee, Brian Hyland and the Beach Boys, to name just a few.

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While Branson still attracts big names, they aren’t as abundant as they used to be, and most don’t perform as regularly as they once did. However, Branson is still the live music show capital of the world, offering more than 100 different shows. Many of today’s regular performers are lesser known or tribute artists. However, the quality of Branson shows remains high, and all are family friendly. On a recent trip to Branson, my husband and I saw three shows, all of which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Clay Cooper’s Country Express at the Clay Cooper Theatre, combines singing, dancing and comedy for a great evening of entertainment. Clay Cooper was born into a musical family and began his professional singing career when he was 14 years old.

The family tradition is continuing, as the show includes performances by Clay’s wife, Tina, and their sons, Colt and Caden.

Other performers include several singers and dancers, comedian Matt Gumm, and trick roper Johnny Lonestar, who now has an apprentice.

Eleven-year-old Ezrah Noelle puts on quite a performance, singing some of Shirley Temple’s hits.

Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater, where we saw so many great artists in the past, is now home to Legends in Concert. Each show includes five tribute artists. There is always a Blues Brothers duo and an Elvis, but the remaining three rotate seasonally.

On the night we saw the show, Michael Buble, Marilyn Monroe and George Strait tribute artists were scheduled. However, George Strait was replaced by a Kenny Chesney tribute artist, who had been part of the summer schedule.

While all of the artists were entertaining, Marilyn Monroe was my personal favorite, as she included some comedy in her act, involving a few reluctant audience members.

On our last evening in Branson we saw Dublin’s Irish Tenors and The Celtic Ladies at the King’s Castle Theatre. The gentlemen performed part of the show, the ladies another, and they sang some songs together. The selections ranged from traditional Irish songs like Danny Boy, to pop music and even opera. All of the performers had beautiful voices and put on a terrific show.

Unfortunately, they don’t allow photographs at this show, but you can get snippets of their performance on their web site.

You’ll find the schedule of all Branson shows listed on Explore Branson, the Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors Bureau web site. For the best seats order your tickets a few weeks before your trip. To save a few dollars, wait until you get to Branson and pick up a discount coupon booklet found in many hotel lobbies. Most shows offer a discount of a few dollars with a coupon.

Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to the three shows described above.

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Tour the South Bend Chocolate Company Factory

Connie Attractions & Events, Indiana November 7, 2014November 7, 2014Indiana attractions, Indiana factory tours, South Bend, South Bend attractions, South Bend Candy Factory tour, South Bend Chocolate Company, South Bend Chocolate Company tour, South Bend IN, South Bend Indiana 0 Comment

Dark chocolate is my downfall. One whiff of the decadent confection, and I sniff and follow the aroma waves like in a cartoon until I find the source. Dark chocolate covered nuts, dark chocolate covered dried cherries, bittersweet chocolate mousse, chocolate fudge cake with fudge frosting—you name it, when I smell it or see it, I cave. Forget the diet right now; I’ll eat salads for the rest of the week. So when I had an opportunity to tour Indiana’s South Bend Chocolate Company factory, of course I didn’t turn it down.

Before taking us into the production area, our tour guide, Chris, nicknamed Captain Crunch, gave us a lesson on where chocolate comes from. It starts with cocoa pods, which are harvested twice a year.

You have to crack the pod to get to the bean inside. There is only one bean per pod. Inside the bean are 20 to 60 cacao nibs, and that’s what’s used to make chocolate.

Chicago’s Blommer Chocolate Company, North America’s largest cocoa processor and ingredient supplier, turns the cacao nibs into giant, thick chocolate bars, which is what South Bend Chocolate Company starts with in making their candy.

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In the factory I was expecting to see the candy speeding past on conveyor belts like on the old I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel get jobs in a candy factory.

It turns out that production slows down on Saturdays, but the tradeoff to not seeing production in action is more samples. So although we saw the conveyor belts, they were at a standstill with no candy on them. Captain Crunch assured us that the belts don’t move quite as quickly as it did for Lucy and Ethel anyway.

We did see the chocolate enrober that looks like a waterfall, where the candies are coated, as well as the chocolate melter that holds 500 pounds of chocolate.

We also saw two varieties of candy waiting for the next process step: fudge and pecan patties (like Turtles).

After touring the production area, we were allowed to choose two chocolate samples.

That was the end of the free basic tour. However, we were on the Inside Scoop Tour (fee is $4), so we got an added bonus. We dipped a spoon into chocolate that could be used then to stir a hot beverage.

While we were waiting for our spoons to cool and harden, we watched an educational but humorous film about chocolate making.

Following the tour, we wandered through the small chocolate museum that includes information about the history of candy, as well nostalgic displays of candy packaging, including Mounds, one of my favorites.

I was surprised to see a display of Frango Mints boxes, the candy that at one time was made in Chicago’s flagship Marshall Field’s store. (The store is now Macy’s, and Macy’s carries Frango Mints under the Marshall Field name.)

One last stop before leaving: the outlet store, where I stocked up my own stash of chocolate, all dark.

Tour are offered at the South Bend Chocolate Company factory, located at 3300 West Sample Street in South Bend, Indiana, Monday through Saturday. The free basic tour runs 20 minutes; the Inside Scoop Tour is 45 minutes. Check the web site for tour and outlet store hours.

Disclosure: My tour of the South Bend Chocolate Company factory was hosted by Visit South Bend and the South Bend Chocolate Company, but any opinions expressed in this post are my own.

The Journey Museum, Rapid City: Black Hills History and Culture

Connie Attractions & Events, South Dakota November 5, 2014June 6, 2015Journey Museum, Rapid City museum, Rapid City SD museum, The Journey Museum 0 Comment

You won’t find a combination of mountains, dinosaur remains, Native American culture and the Wild West in most Midwest states. The Black Hills in South Dakota is an exception. At the Journey Museum in Rapid City, you’ll find collections of all those things under one roof. Centrally located in western South Dakota, the museum is within a half day of five national parks plus Custer State Park. Visit the museum before you do anything else in South Dakota, and you’ll have a good orientation to the area history and culture. Read more

Rochelle Railroad Park: A Rail Fan’s Delight

Connie Attractions & Events, Illinois November 2, 2014Blackhawk Waterways, Rochelle Illinois, Rochelle Railroad Park, Train watching, Train Watching in Illinois, Trains in Rochelle Illinois 0 Comment

There is something about trains that attracts men. It often begins as a toddler. Mom stops at a railroad crossing as a train is passing, and the little guy points from his car seat and yells excitedly, “choo- choo, choo-choo!” It doesn’t change all that much as they age. I’ve known men in their sixties and seventies who are so fascinated by trains that they sit for hours watching for them, sometimes with a camera, sometimes not. In Rochelle, Illinois, an entire park is dedicated to train watching, the first such park in the United States.

Wedged between two sets of railroad tracks, the park is narrow, only wide enough to hold a building that functions as a visitor center and a driveway leading to the parking lot.

A pavilion, built up on a platform, has plenty of seating, including picnic tables for those who plan to stay awhile.

The viewing pavilion is close to where the Union Pacific and BNSF lines cross.

According to the gentleman I spoke with in the visitor center, 10 or 15 locals show up almost daily to watch trains, but on weekend days, tourists raise that number up to 30 to 40.

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About a hundred trains used to pass through Rochelle every day. There are fewer now because technology allows for longer trains, but in the hour or so that we were there, three trains came through. Often railroad fans keep a record of engine numbers that they see.

Inside the visitor center, you can watch the ATCS monitors. One shows the BNSF Aurora Subdivision, and the other shows the UP Chicago Service Unit – Geneva Subdivision. The monitors illustrate the positioning of the trains. You can purchase railroad memorabilia and snacks in the visitor center, as well.

A couple of old railroad cars made in Rochelle are also in the park. The 1928 7 Ton Whitcomb has steps up to it, so kids of any age can climb in for a photo op.

The Rochelle Railroad Park is located at 124 N 9^th Street, Rochelle, Illinois, not far from the intersection of I-88 and I-39 in the Blackhawk Waterways region. The park is open 24 hours a day for train viewing. Check the web site for visitor center hours and exact directions.

Tour a Former Asylum at the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, Traverse City

Connie Attractions & Events, Michigan October 30, 2014October 10, 2016Grand Traverse Commons Tour, Traverse City, Traverse City attractions, Village at Grand Traverse Commons 1 Comment

Driving onto the Village of Grand Traverse Commons grounds on a sunny day should have been a tranquil experience. Massive old shade trees dappled shade across the expansive green lawns. Beyond the front lawn stood towering three-story 1880s Victorian-Italianate buildings. However, instead of tranquility, I felt a bit of eeriness. Had I not been aware that the 500 acre property was once a mental health asylum, maybe the eerie feeling wouldn’t have existed. Read more