Branson
This is the year of the official Branson centennial (the city was named for Reuben Branson, who served as a postmaster and store proprietor in what was a dusty frontier town in the 1880s). As part of the celebration, April saw the grand opening of the Branson Centennial Museum; for a complete list of related activities, go to explorebranson.com/calendar.
The 472-room Radisson Hotel Branson wrapped up an extensive multimillion-dollar renovation earlier this year, having overhauled its suites, lobby and fitness center while nearly doubling its meetings capacity. The hotel now offers a total of more than 15,000 square feet of flexible event space, as well as the newly renovated Time Out Sports Lounge and the upscale Wildwood Bistro. In addition, all guest rooms now offer complementary high-speed wireless Internet access.
The Silver Dollar City was hit by a strong tornado this past February. Most Branson Landing-area hotels and restaurants quickly cleaned up and reopened after the storm, but there are exceptions: The 300-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel remains closed for repairs and is not expected to come back online until October. However, the 242-room Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, directly across the street, once again is fully operational and has been hosting displaced groups. The Branson Convention Center, which also suffered damage and shut its doors for several months to undo the damage, recently reopened at full capacity.
Last summer Frontier Airlines began nonstop service between Austin, Texas, and Branson. The carrier also inaugurated seasonal nonstop flights between Branson and both Milwaukee and Phoenix last September.
Meeting Hotels
Properties in the city include the 626-room Branson Woods Resort, 472-room Radisson Hotel Branson, 350-room Thousand Hills Golf & Conference Resort, 345-room Howard Johnson Hotel, 301-room Chateau on the Lake Resort & Spa, 300-room Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel, 300-room Stonecastle Hotel & Conference Center, 243-room Big Cedar Lodge, 242-room Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing, 210-room Honeysuckle Inn & Conference Center, 200-room Grand Plaza Hotel and 190-room Lodge of the Ozarks. For a more complete listing of Branson properties, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Branson Convention Center; exhibition space, approximately 50,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 19; (417) 336-5401
Airport Transit
Springfield-Branson National Airport, 43 miles north of Branson. Transfer cost by private shuttle, $20 to $80
Branson Airport, 10 miles south of Branson. Transfer cost by taxi, $30
Taxes
Room tax, 11.6%; sales tax, 8.6%; total tax on hotel rooms, 11.6%
Group Venue
The recently renovated Hollywood Wax Museum, part of the Hollywood Entertainment Center, is a fun option for a half-day tour. Attendees can browse among myriad silver-screen wax figures ranging from Marilyn Monroe to Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as walk the red carpet, skip down Oz's Yellow Brick Road, beam aboard a spaceship, wander helplessly through a mirror maze and more. (417) 337-8700
Contact
Branson/Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, (800) 315-8601
Get the Scoop
Local favorite
Graeter's Ice Cream has a dozen locations in the Greater Cincinnati Area and will ship pints anywhere.
Cincinnati
The Banks, an 18-acre entertainment district on the shore of the Ohio River, recently wrapped up phase one of development at a cost of around $500 million. Many shops and restaurants already have opened for business, including the New American bistro Crave and the Holy Grail, a 6,000-square-foot pub that seats up to 300 people and features an outdoor patio. A $78 million second phase of construction is set to commence late next year. A new $120 million riverfront park also is being constructed downtown, just steps away from the Banks.
The Sharonville Convention Center, 15 miles north of downtown Cincinnati, completed an extensive expansion and renovation this past April. The LEED Silver-certified building now offers 65,000 square feet of flexible convention space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,000 people.
The 156-room 21c Museum Hotel will open before the end of the year in the historic Metropole Building. The hotel will feature an extensive art gallery as well as a rooftop spa and 8,000 square feet of exhibition space.
Also in development is the $400 million Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati from Caesars Entertainment. The 350,000-square-foot facility will have 2,300 slot machines, 85 table games and a 31-table World Series of Poker room. Plans also call for nearly 33,000 square feet of multipurpose and special function space, and three on-site restaurants. A 2,500-space parking structure will be built on-site for guests and employees. The casino is being developed at the 20-acre Broadway Commons site downtown and is scheduled to open sometime next year.
Meeting Hotels
Major properties with meeting space in the city include the 848-room Millennium Hotel Cincinnati, 561-room Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, 486-room Hyatt Regency Cincinnati, 456-room Westin Hotel Cincinnati and 152-room Garfield Suites Hotel. For a more complete listing of Cincinnati hotels, visit mcvenues.com.
Convention Center
Duke Energy Convention Center; total meeting and exhibit space, 750,000 square feet; number of meeting rooms, 31; (513) 419-7300
Airport Transit
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, a 15-minute drive to downtown. Transfer cost by taxi, $30; by shuttle, $22
Taxes
Room tax, 17%; sales tax, 6.5%; total tax on hotel rooms, 17%
Group Venues
The Cincinnati Music Hall, built in 1878, offers elegant Old World décor and one of the largest ballrooms in the city. The hall has approximately 20,000 square feet of total event space and can host up to 800 people for a banquet-style dinner. (513) 744-3242
The Cincinnati Museum Center at the landmark Union Terminal is a collection of facilities offering options for private group events, including the Cincinnati History Museum, the Duke Energy Children's Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science and the Cincinnati History Library and Archives. The Museum Center's 300-seat auditorium also is available for groups. The complex has a full-service caterer, an audiovisual department and on-site parking for private events. (513) 287-7000
Contact
Cincinnati USA, (800) 543-2613