Little Known Secrets of the Ozarks

Level Walking Trails Except at Blueberry Farm

Visit this quaint, working blueberry farm called Persimmon Hill. Each June it is host to scores of area residents who come to hand pick the succulent berries, but other products are sold year round. We will be treated to their famous blackberry cobbler and ice cream at the country kitchen store. Visit the nearby forest (steep walking here) and learn about the interesting process of growing shitake mushrooms on some 10,000 logs there. Owner Earnie Bohner will also demonstrate his home-devised bio-diesel operation.

En route to our next tour site, we will stop for a short time at Hwy 265's renowned scenic overlook. This vantage point afford a view of beautiful Pointe Royale Resort with its hundred of uncharacteristic red tile roof homes. The Lennon family and singer Andy Williams are among the residents there.

At the Dewey Short Visitor Center we will begin with lunch under the big tent, after which we will view a short film on the building of Table Rock Dam. We will then be escorted lakeside for a guided and factual tour of the lake in this setting. Following, there will be free time to wander about the 12 flowerbeds that are planted and maintained by the Master Gardeners of the Ozarks.

Our final stop -- shopping! But oh so much more. The Country Barn sits atop a hill that fairly reeks of Ozark history. The owners of this quaint village are 7th generation residents who are anxious to share their stories with you. From the compact by flourishing flower garden you are afforded a vista of the hills and the city of Branson that you will long remember. The shops offer thousand, yes thousands of items, all of special interest to gardeners.