Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, MO – Our Stay as a Family of Six
For YEARS I have been wanting to go to Big Cedar Lodge in Branson, MO. An “influencer” I followed on Instagram shared her family’s trip there and it looked like something my own family would love. It’s definitely been a dream destination for our family to travel to and a few weeks ago we did just that! Whenever I’m planning a vacation, it’s always so helpful to look up “real people’s” experiences at the place we are heading. And that is what I wanted to do for you all- a recap of our experience at Big Cedar Lodge and my honest opinion about it all!
SO Big!
The first thing about Big Cedar that caught me off guard was how BIG and BEAUTIFUL the place was. It is HUGE and very spread out. It’s a few miles drive from the entrance to the main part of Big Cedar. Very windy roads, lots of trees and scenic views. It feels a little magical entering.
SO excited to be here finally after a 7 hour drive!
Cabin- Where We Stayed
The best bang for our buck was staying in a cabin that sleeps 6. Literally SO cute and quaint! The cabins were further from the main area than I imagined but depending on where your cabin is situated you could walk to some areas which we did a few times. But if your cabin is further out, you will definitely have to drive.
Our cabin came with a fridge, microwave, dishwasher, stove and oven as well as a coffee maker. There was also a basket on the dining table filled with popcorn, gummy worms and chocolates to welcome us.
We had a deck off of the back of the cabin that looked out into a ton of pretty trees.
How cozy would this fireplace be in the winter?!
The beds were so comfortable! We had a king bed and a pull-out couch that worked great for Emersyn and Brielle. In the loft there was a bed that Jayde and Aubree slept in. The older girls loved having the loft to themselves – perfect for teens!
The large bathroom had a separate shower and claw foot tub with double sinks. The toilet was also enclosed with a door which was nice. The bathroom could get very crammed at times, especially when everyone wanted to shower/bathe at night, but we made it work with 5 girls so I would call that a win!
We loved the cabin- overall so comfortable and cozy!
Things To Do On Premises
One thing I love when traveling with a larger family, is finding a place where we can for the most part stay put and keep busy. Big Cedar is just the place for that.
Putt-Putt
The putt-putt course is free to all guests- you can play anytime you want! The balls and clubs are there ready to use. It’s a cute little course!
Park & Pickleball Courts
We brought along our pickleball gear but unfortunately didn’t have time to play- the girls took full advantage of the cute little playground though.
We saw deer every single day at Big Cedar. There is plenty of room to jog, walk, sprint-whatever you prefer.
Fun Mountain
The girls LOVED Fun Mountain! Fun Mountain is in the main area of Big Cedar but no matter where you are staying, you would probably want to drive there. There is an outside ropes course with real alligators underneath you. I legit thought they were fake until I saw one move right when I got down. After the ropes course we did go-karts- Brielle and I kept our undefeated record. Inside there are a few places to eat with a playground. The arcade was one of the most loved things and Matt and I both were surprised with how reasonable the prices were. Very clean and lots of fun games!
Swimming Pools
Kids LOVE to swim on vacation and we did quite a bit of that! Big Cedar offers various swimming pools; the one the girls loved the best was the Swimmin’ Hole Pool. I really liked that this pool was open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the girls looked forward to swimming at night.
We ate lunch here twice- the nachos and pizza are SO good! And they have this pineapple whipped smoothie thing that was delicious. If you go, you must get this pineapple thing-just trust me.
One afternoon they had karaoke at the pool; that was so fun for the kids- Emmy won flamingo sunglasses for singing!
Top of the Rock Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail
This was one of my favorite things we did! A shuttle takes you to the top of the Top of the Rock. From there you get into a golf cart and go on a tour through scenic views, an awesome cave (felt like I was in Aladdin), and waterfalls.
Outdoor Movies
Most nights we were there they had a huge screen with an outdoor movie; it was so cool!
Dance Party
We were driving back to our cabin after our time at Fun Mountain and came upon a dance party. SO fun!
As you can see, there is SO much to do at Big Cedar- not to mention they have the lake where you can go paddle boarding, boating, etc.
Restaurants/Food
We really enjoyed the food at Big Cedar- the Truman Cafe & Custard has really good coffee and tons of breakfast items.
We also ate at the Devil’s Pool, Buzzard Bar and Uncle Bucks which is inside Fun Mountain. One night we ordered room service to our cabin and that was really good too. There are some more fancier restaurants as well, but we chose to forgo those this trip.
The Spa
I booked myself a massage one morning at the Big Cedar Spa and holy moly guacamole- it was the BEST massage I’ve had in my life. Not. Even. Kidding. It was also one of the most beautiful spas I’ve ever been in.
The spa had a sauna, steam room, hot tub, cold room, mineral water room, an outside area to relax, a complimentary drink, little snacks, I mean…. it was just the best, most relaxing time. Also, once you book a service, you have access to the spa the whole day!
Gift Shop
The Shoppe at Big Cedar is AMAZING! Like best gift shop I’ve ever been in. Tons of home decor, lots of items for kids, clothing for women and all the necessities you might’ve forgotten to bring for a trip. I frequented this shop more than once!
Activities We Did Outside of Big Cedar
Silver Dollar City
We opened and closed this place down. We were all exhausted but in the best way. We rode EVERY ride in that park and had a blast. Matt and I may of been a little nauseous by the end of the day and wont be upset if we don’t get the chance to ride another rollercoaster for quite some time.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO SILVER DOLLAR CITY I HIGHLY RECCOMMEND THE FAST PASSES. SOME LINES FOR RIDES WERE OVER 2 HOURS LONG AND OUR FAST PASSES GOT US ON IN UNDER 10 MINUTES.
Matt and I both agreed, that without the fast passes, it would not of been very fun- really would’ve been standing in line most the day. For us, it was 1000% worth the extra cost.
The Branson Belle
Almost 20 years ago, Matt proposed to me on the Branson Belle when we went on vacation with my family. I thought it would be fun to go back on the boat. Looks way different than what I remember – but the food was good and the show was actually better than what I thought it would be. The only bummer thing was, it was too windy for the boat to actually go out on the water.
Golfing at Payne Valley
There are tons of golf courses around Big Cedar- this was one of Matt’s favorite things he did!
I really have no complaints about our vacation- we did have some car trouble and a trip to the emergency room within the first 24 hours we arrived; but everything turned out ok and the rest of the trip was amazing! I would HIGHLY suggest Big Cedar Lodge for a family vacation. Lots to do, beautiful scenery and really good food. The only cons were it was humid (that’s not really Big Cedar’s fault, lol) and there were a lot of bugs. I mean, that’s really all I got for the bad! Truly had the best time!