Central Midwest Gardening: September-Preparing for Fall, 2 by happgarden

happgarden wrote:
I just thought since we are all here, didn't want to waste the time driving. Don't matter to me. Just a thought.


Ok vacation, boy did I have fun. My little sister and I went together on what started as a leisurely drive to Arkansas to visit our brother. We left Independence about 8:30. We stopped at Osceola to the cheese store. You HAVE to do that...lol Drove into Springfield and had a great lunch then headed over to Mansfield MO my little sister wanted to visit the Laura Ingler Wilder, home. Laura wrote the Little House on the Prairie books and that is what the tv show was based after. There were actually two homes and a museum. It was very nice and very interesting. Then from there it was off to Arkansas, hills and valleys, until we hit the flat lands going into Pocahontas and Jonesboro Arkansas. The next day we went into Memphis, and yes we toured Elvis Presley's home. OMG I was dumb founded on the amount of people from overseas there!!! More international than national travelers.

After the tour we went to the Rock & Roll Cafe just down from Elvis Mansion. They have a tribute to Elivs and this kid was so good. He sings I think on Wed-Thur-Fri-Sat evenings. He did 60 songs!! and did them well. It was a bar but felt more like a neighbor hood bar. There were little kids there and everyone was up on the dance floor with or without partners. It was sooo much fun. Everyone I met there were from some other country again. A young girl sitting at the table beside me was from Canada, it was her dream to come down and see his house. Altho Elvis was long gone before she was born she just loved his music. There were people from Canada, France, GBritian, and a 90 year old woman from Brazil! Oh yeah Sweden and that was just a few of the people I met. There wasn't a cover charge and they serve food and beer, don't remember seeing many mixed drinks. I would highly recommend it. We had so much fun.

Then Sunday.....my brother took us to a wrestling match that he was the ring narrator, that was an OMG moment. My little sister did NOT enjoy that at all...lol It was held in a warehouse, very odd...lol

Monday we headed to Branson leisurely. Just stopping here and there. We didn't do anything Monday night, just rested. Tuesday we went on the Belle Cruise and had a great time, it was a new show since I was on the boat but was really good. I had gotten us tickets for the Legends, this is where they are suppose to imitate the star. It was not good! Jerry Lee Lewis imitator was good but not great, Patsy Cline was better, then Aretha Franklin I thought was good voice wise and last but not least Elvis...rofl. Which was a great disappointment. He sang maybe 3 songs and never moved.....now how do you imitate Elvis and not move....the guy Saturday night was hands down so much better. Then Wed and Thur we spent at Silver Dollar City....we rode every roller coaster but 2. One I read about on Wed night and no way, the two we went on Wednesday were scary enough! lol.

Hint if you go to Silver Dollar City you can get a second day for 5.00. You have to call an 800 number to get the tickets but well worth it. Silver Dollar City Admissions will give you the phone number but won't sell the tickets....strange. Also since we were there 2 days we bought the cup you can get refilled for 1.69, refills were high enough but a drink each time would of broke me.

First time my sister and I had been together for so long except when we were kids. We had so much fun. We didn't grow up together so much as I was 7 years older and at 19 I started moving around the country, North Carolina, Colorado, and Texas. So I wasn't even here except for a few days every Christmas. So glad we did it.

This is probably worse vacation photos...rofl.
1. Elvis tribute singer in Memphis
2. wrestling
3. silver dollar city show