Insiders' Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains, 5th (Insiders' Guide Series) [Paperback]

Fred Pfister Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Series: Insiders' Guide Series | Publication Date: July 1, 2004

Find the scoop on the entire local entertainment scene, the best places to stay and to eat, as well as how to get the most out of the surrounding Ozark Mountains--such as hunting, hiking, camping, and fishing--and the charming older towns to be found in the region.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

For more than twenty years, the Insiders’ Guide® series has remained the essential source for in-depth travel and relocation information.
Each guide is written by locals and true insiders and offers a personal, practical perspective that readers everywhere have come to know and love.
With more theater seats than Broadway and Los Angeles combined, Branson is proudly called the Live Music Capital of the World. Meet the stars, get an autograph, and visit with performers after the show in this year-round vacation destination. Let this authoritative guide show you how to navigate the glitz and glitter of Branson as well as the natural beauty of scenic Ozark Mountain country. Inside you’ll find:
• countless details on how to live and thrive in the area, from the top
fishing sites to the lowdown on real estate
• the inside scoop on theme parks, seasonal festivals, and live enter-
tainment offerings, including the best morning show and the best vocal group
• comprehensive listings of restaurants, lodging, and recreation opportunities
• sections dedicated to children, retirement, and much more
Whether you’re planning a vacation, living in the area, or looking to relocate, Insiders’ Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains will show you everything you need to know.

About the Author

Fred Pfister is a retired English professor who edits The Ozarks Mountaineer, a bimonthly regional magazine that covers the Ozarks. His work has been published in Newsday, Reader's Digest, and various regional papers. He lives in Branson, Missouri.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Insiders' Guide; 5th edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762729988
• ISBN-13: 978-0762729982
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,615,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Worst guidebook ever, September 17, 2007

By 

Stephen Cannon (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Insiders' Guide to Branson and the Ozark Mountains, 5th (Insiders' Guide Series) (Paperback)

Fred Pfister's guide is bad in a number of ways.
One, although it says it was repressed as of 2006, it was hopelessly outdated as of Sep. 2007. We went to Sadie's Sideboard & Smokehouse because Pfister recommended the gooseberry pie (P.72), but they didn't sell it and hadn't sold it in recent memory. We also went to the Farmhouse Restaurant, which Pfister said closed at midnight (P.69). As it turned out, they closed at nine, and a waitress of four years said it had as long as she had been working there.
Two, Pfister sabotaged our vacation with miserably bad recommendations. Example one, Pfister recommends the Glade Top Trail as a scenic drive (P.201). He fails to mention that although it is close to Branson as the crow flies, it's about an hour and a half drive each way due to the twisty country roads that lead to it. He also fails to mention that the drive does not showcase the majestic mountain vistas that the Ozarks are famous for, but the trail is just a narrow dirt road lined with trees, so it does not at all warrant the trouble it takes to get there. Example two, Pfister recommends Stage Door Canteen as a restaurant "decorated like a World War II canteen," selling "roast turkey with walnut dressing and the chicken and dumplings," (P.72). My wife and I went there excited to try these items, but what we found was a buffet befitting a hospital, an interior that was decorated like a shopping center food court, and a very small clientele whose average age was 80.
Three, the book offers only one very mediocre map, which does not show the locations of the sites and restaurants it recommends.
Four, there are no color photos in this book and only around a dozen very small B&W photos.
In short, going to Branson with no book would better prepare you than Pfister's book will. Avoid like the plague.