My husband and I took a short trip to Branson last weekend. It was our late celebration for our silver wedding anniversary. A friend of mine recommended Top of the Rock, which is located in the glorious Ozark Mountains outside of Ridgedale, Missouri, south of Branson.
I love archaeology, anthropology, and paleontology. When I heard Top of the Rock had an extensive Native American Museum, I showed my husband the website, and we made plans to incorporate a visit into our trip to the area. In addition to the museum, there's a self-guided golf cart tour, and a high-end restaurant.
We decided to begin with the museum. The museum boasts a vast collection of artifacts found in the Ozarks region and beyond. While I have seen my share of ancient artifacts, I had never seen Native American fishhooks or a canoe before. They were a sight to behold.
There were several pieces of pottery, jewelry, clothing, shoes, tools, pipes, and flutes artfully displayed. Interspersed with the artifacts were paintings and sculptures depicting pre-colonial life here in the Ozarks. Quotes from famous chiefs were proudly displayed throughout the galleries.
The museum also had prehistoric megafauna including skeletons from ice age creatures such as a giant ground sloth that was over eight feet tall and a wooly mammoth. There were reproductions of such creatures as Hell Pig, Terror Bird, and Bear Dog. If you don't know what they are, you should do a quick internet search. They blew my mind.
As if the Native American artifacts and prehistoric creatures weren't enough, there was also a fairly extensive Civil War exhibit. My husband is a history buff, and he was thrilled to see the uniforms, cannons, and pictures from our not-so-distant past.
Three and a half hours later, my bad knee was killing me, and we were exhausted. However, we felt educated and amazed. We visited the gift shop where he bought me a beautiful Montana Silver bracelet. He said, "It's silver for our silver anniversary." He's still romantic when he wants to be.
We grabbed some chicken nuggets at a fast-food place in Branson and headed home. We will be going to back for the golf cart tour. My husband would like to have dinner on the lookout at the restaurant during sunset. I think it's a great idea. The view is spectacular.
Next time, we'll be there when they open. We regret not taking the golf cart tour and plan to do that first. From what my friend who recommended the place to me said, it's an experience in Ozarks beauty that is unrivaled. There's even a sinkhole that Johnny Morris (the owner of Top of the Rock and Bass Pro) is having excavated. Fascinating stuff!
If you're interested in visiting Top of the Rock, I've included a link to their website. I rate them 10 out of 10. My husband and I will be going back as soon as possible.
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Thanks for the recommendation! I want to do ALL those things one day soon.
Hope to see you at OWL!