This is the second post in a series covering our recent driving trip to see the Ozark's blooming trees and visit several other attractions as will be revealed in future posts.
We arrived in Branson a little early to check into our hotel so we had lunch at the Keeter Center on the campus of The College of the Ozarks. The college has a nice Ozarks museum which we toured on a previous trip. Our friend, Edel DeMaria, was with us on this trip and we thought it would be fun to stop at the museum just long enough to get a picture of her in the Beverly Hillbillies car.
Sigrid and Edel walked through all the greenhouses on the campus farm and also toured the old grist mill museum on the campus.
After lunch, we headed to the Top of the Rocks Golf Club which is part of the Big Cedar Resort in Hollister, MO. Hollister is just south of Branson on US 65. The Top of the Rocks is a Jack Nicklaus designed 9 hole par 3 course. Johnny Morris developed and owns all the Big Cedar properties as well as the Buffalo Ridge 18 hole golf course a short distance from Big Cedar. He also owns the Dogwood Canyon Nature Trail which we will visit tomorrow. Johnny grew up in the Branson area and has become a very successful businessman. Funding for all these developments was made possible by Johnny's other business....the Bass Pro Shops and Tracker Boats. Kudos to Johnny for investing so heavily in the beauty and pleasure of the Ozarks.
Sigrid and Edel posed with the indian sculpture at the club. Like our last visit to the club, the weather was not great.
Looking out from Arnie's restaurant towards the wedding chapel. The views are spectacular even when cloudy.
What a view!
The wine cellar at the Top of the Rocks.
How about a $47,000 bottle of Opus One for dinner? The wine steward was very nervous about even picking up the bottle.
The golf course is covered in Dogwoods and Redbuds.
The wedding chapel is breathtaking inside.
Spring views of the Ozark forests can be almost as pretty as the fall. As the trees leaf out, each species has a different color of green. Couple that with the flowering trees and you have some pretty nice scenery.
The clubhouse with two nice restaurants and a wine room.
Next up is Dogwood Canyon.
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