Three weeks ago my mom, grandma and I took a weekend trip to Branson, MO, a quaint tourist town two hours away from Wildwood. It might seem like a lengthy drive, but the trip is well worth it, if you have the right mindset going in.

All of Branson’s attractions are a little outdated, but show off a kind of charm you can only find in the Midwest, right in the middle of nowhere.

The most well-known attraction in Branson is Silver Dollar City, a theme park advertised as a “National Crafts and Cowboy Festival” and boasts roller coasters with rides like Thunderation, American Plunge and Fire In The Hole.

However, Silver Dollar City isn’t the only thing to do in there, far from it! The city’s strip includes countless little stores and attractions, all with charmingly old-fashioned names. There are hotels with bluegrass atmospheres and ridiculous-looking signs fill the terrain.

The three of us stopped at the Stone Castle Hotel, a charming place behind the strip made from what was easily recognized as fake stone and small triangle spires. Navigating through the three-building hotel is confusing, but enjoyable nonetheless. So long as you buy into the clearly false idea of adventuring through a grand castle, moving your luggage to the plainly modern hotel rooms is an incredibly entertaining time. Not to mention the window view, where you can see Branson’s adorable ferris wheel shine from the distant hill of the strip.

In allowing the city to be hokey and stupid, you allow yourself to be be at ease and enjoy yourself. Going to the silly shows, experiencing the Midwestern bash that is Silver Dollar City, reading the all-too-casual add-filled newspaper, making cringe-worthy stories on the spot in a fishing boat, and somehow enjoying the old southern comedy, Branson is hokey and silly and stupid and incredibly, incredibly, American.

So why not accept things as they are and have a good time?

My grandma, mom and I did exactly that and and enjoyed every second. 

Silver Dollar City, which isn’t much of a city, Thunderation which is, let’s be honest, a ridiculous roller coaster name, the Stone Castle Hotel, which wasn’t a castle, nor crafted of stone. Acknowledging all of these things made my trip that much more enjoyable. Despite the silliness, Branson is a wonderful town and a hilarious time, if you can accept the place as is and appreciate the silliness, you’re guaranteed to have a blast.