Branson is an Ozark town in southwest Missouri known as a family vacation destination. Its 76 Country Boulevard is famously lined with theaters, which once hosted mostly country music performers but today present diverse entertainment. Also along the strip are the Marvel Cave, the Wild West-style Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction, White Water and Silver Dollar City, an 1800s-themed amusement park with live music.

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Springfield is a city in southwestern Missouri famous for Bass Pro Shops and the award winning Wonders Of Wildlife Museum. The Discovery Center of Springfield has interactive science exhibits on topics from DNA to dinosaurs. To the north, Dickerson Park Zoo features animals from around the world, plus train rides. Trams run through a cave filled with stalagmites and flowstones at Fantastic Caverns. The Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park has trails and botanical gardens.