Most years in mid-October, Trever and I go on a trip up to Northern Arkansas. Our anniversary is October 12th and, since I have been working in the schools again, mid-October is also the time for our fall break. This year we had a loose plan to go up to Eureka Springs for the Voices of the Silent City event, but, by the time I got around to looking for accommodations, pickings were slim. Not only is it approaching peak fall tourist season, but this past weekend also coincided with War Eagle Craft Fair and a home Razorback football game. So we had to pivot.
We decided to keep our plans for the cemetery tour but also go to Silver Dollar City in Branson (we bought season passes this year that we have NOT gotten our money’s worth for). Trever had an ulterior motive for going to the Branson area; there was a train show. That widened our lodging area and I found a cute little house in the never heard of (by me) town of Crane, Missouri. It was driving distance to both of our destinations.
We set off after work on Thursday and didn’t arrive at the house until after nine. The roads were unfamiliar, and the last 30 miles from Branson onward were full of twists and turns. The house itself was adorable, a two bedroom little bungalow from the 1930’s nicknamed “The Cupcake Cottage”.
Our original plans for Friday were to go to Eureka Springs and spend the day and evening. But the weather was still muggy for October. and the thought of the hour plus drive back that night deterred us. We decided to start by exploring the town we were staying in. That took all of a half an hour, including two antique shops and getting coffee. A raging metropolis it was not!
Rain was forecast for the next day, so we considered going on to Silver Dollar City. SDC is always busy but we had no idea how busy it would be. Our first clue was when we were less than a mile from the park and the drive time was nearly 20 minutes! We soldiered on until we saw the parking lots; the lines for the shuttles into the park stretched fifty people deep. So we nixed that idea.
We planned to dine out that evening, so we stopped for a fast food lunch and talked about what to do next. We decided to drive a few mouths south of town to Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve. Owned by conservationist and CEO of Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris, the park offers golf cart tours to view wildlife and nature. After paying the $10 entrance fee, we drove up to the area where the tours began. Once again we were met with long lines and crowds. We began to realize that visiting a tourist town to do touristy things during tourist season was a mistake. It was midday – so we thought the crowds would dissipate as the day wore on. We turned around and drove back to Hollister to Menard’s – Trever’s all time favorite store. We then drove back to the Top of the Rock, where the lines were just as bad as they were before.
We moved onto plan C (D? E?) and decided to make the drive down to Eureka Springs for the Voices from the Silent City event as we originally had planned. An annual fundraiser for the Eureka Springs Museum, it is part outdoor drama, part history lesson. Each year there is a different theme that unites the stories of figures from the city’s past who now reside in the the “Silent City” (the Eureka Springs Cemetery).
We had intended to go to Amigos, our favorite Mexican restaurant in town, after the tour, but not surprisingly the line was out the door (tourist town, Friday night). Consequently, after the long and winding drive back to Crane, we picked up Subway sandwiches and took them back to the house.
Saturday dawned cloudy but Trever had plans for the train show first thing that morning. I took along my crochet and book and stayed in the truck while he went to the show.
While we were having a late lunch at El Lago, the storm that had been forecast all week finally hit. The rain poured and was still steady as we left the restaurant. If we had been staying locally, we would have gone back to have some downtime before we went to Silver Dollar City for the evening. But the drive was over 50 minutes from where we were and it wasn’t worth the time and gas to do so. We made our way to the theme park, which – not surprisingly – was nearly deserted due to the weather.
The rain had slowed to a sprinkle by the time we decided to brave the still wet seats on the shuttle to head into the park. We had never visited during the Harvest Festival before and there were an impressive amount of pumpkins – both artificial and real. The lack of crowds and more seasonal (but still muggy) weather should have made it an ideal time to be there. But my feet were wet from the get go, I wasn’t feeling my best, and I was a bit of a Harvest scrooge. I stole all these pictures from Trever because I just wasn’t feeling it once we were there.
The drive back to Crane was long, curvy, dark and rainy. By the time we got back to the house, I was more than ready for a shower and bed.
Sunday morning was just packing up and heading home to watch the Chiefs game. Fortunately, I had Monday off as well so I was able to get caught up around the house (and put out some of my flea market finds).
-Karri Temple Brackett
10/23/2025