Dixie Stampede

Editor MissKim 6-21-06: It all started with the baby of the family. Three years ago, for my son's 9th birthday, he asked to go see Dixie Stampede. Although we'd been to Branson a half dozen times, we had yet to see a show, and mom thought that Dixie Stampede sounded like a great show for our first.

What I didn't know was that my youngest daughter, then only 3, would fall in love with the show. She was mesmerized by the horses, and the pure fun of the show. Since our first Stampede, we've been back twice, the most recent visit in March of this year.

The Dixie Stampede experience starts for us with the horses in their stalls surrounding the theater as you are walking in from the parking lot. On our first visit, my Chesney fell in love with a black horse named Nico, and even bought herself a stuffed Nico in the gift shop (and has slept with him every night since that day). So we look at the horses, read the name plaque and talk about the little tidbits of information provided about each horse.

Knowing the background gives the horses a personality, and later when we see them in the show, Ches is likely to poke me and say, "Look, there's Nico." It makes our experience that much more personal. So if you're going, stop and take some time to enjoy the horses rather than hustling into the building. The horses are the true stars.

Entering the building, you are stopped for the obligatory photo. You don't have to buy it; it's totally no pressure. I have a photo obsession, so it was no problem to stop for a photo (we were even color coordinated in preparation for the photo), and of course we ended up buying it. I take every opportunity I can to get a decent family picture.

Next stop is the preshow area (ok, the next stop for us was the gift shop, where we bought yet another stuffed horse for Chesney's collection).

One of my children's favorite things about the preshow is the "mixed" drinks. They aren't alcoholic, of course, just mixes of different juices and sodas. My son loves the cranberry juice/Sierra Mist combination, and one of my girls almost always gets a strawberry slush with whipped cream on top. Everyone gets one free drink in a souvenir boot mug with their show admission; there is also popcorn and /or peanuts for sale, but knowing what an excellent meal awaits, I never want to spoil my family's appetites.

The preshow on this trip was a juggler, who was very amusing. I loved his premise that he could get every prop he needed at Wal-Mart. He did a good job of keeping the kids entertained as we waited for the show, and managed to make the adults smile at the same time.

Following the preshow, the doors open to the arena. No need to hurry; we already knew where we'd be sitting, so we sat back and let the crowd die down a bit.

Once you're seated, your server will introduce him/herself and explain how the show works. Now since you're reading this review, you're not going to be surprised by this very important point -- there is no silverware at Dixie Stampede. You eat with your fingers. So make sure your hands are clean.

That little fact came as a surprise to our rowmates, but not to us. We love to eat with our hands.

Let me tell you, the meal you will be eating is one delicious meal. Cream of Vegetable soup, Cornish hens, barbecued pork, a baked potato and corn on the cob. Throw in a biscuit and that's a meal. Kids portions are the same size as adult portions, so there's always lots of food between the five of us. For dessert, there's a fruit turnover, and then your very efficient wait person will even bring by a hot towel for cleaning up your hands.

Oh, and while you're sitting there enjoying one of my family's favorite meals anywhere, there's a show happening. While you're eating, the show is mostly song and dance, but as the dessert rolls out, it becomes a competition between the North and the South.

The arena is split, with one side cheering for the North and the other side the South. There's lots of whoopin' and hollerin' and maybe a bit of stomping. You'll see the usual barrel racing and other rodeo events, but you'll also see some comedic bits as well as ostrich and pig races. Something for everyone, and lots of laughs.

As is common in Branson, the show ends on a patriotic note. Even now, months later, I can hear the song playing and feel the pride in my family when we stood to salute the flag.

If it hadn't been for the baby in our family, we probably wouldn't have seen this show again and again, but I'm glad she loves it. We've never walked away without feeling like we got a great value and we're always entertained.

This year, I was given a comment card to complete. On the card, I was asked if the Dixie Stampede was the funniest place to eat on Earth. I thought about it for a minute, realized I couldn't think of anywhere more fun, and marked a whole hearted yes. Try it yourself!
 

miss_kim@cox.net

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