If you’re looking for an extremely affordable, fun-packed mini Ozark family vacation, then the Grand Country Resort in Branson answers that call. With online package deals, you can get a two-night, 3-day vacation for the whole family for under $300 (prices depend on season).
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Located on the main strip as you enter Branson, MO—Grand Country Inn is central to all that the Live Entertainment Capital of the World has to offer.
| Package Offerings | Indoor Waterpark | Arcade | Live Shows | Go Karts | Mini Golf |
Package Offerings
Experience Branson on a budget with a family stay package at the Grand Country. Here are a look at the resort packages offered by Grand Country throughout the year (as of October 2023). Each package includes a two-night stay, entry to the indoor waterpark, and more vouchers for fun for a family of 4.
Jan & Feb: Warm Winter Fun (Under $300)
March, April, & May: Spring Break (Under $550)
June, July, August: Hot Summer Fun (Under $550)
Sept, Oct: Happy Fall Ya'll (Under $400)
Nov & Dec: Happy Holiday (Under $500)
Bear in mind, though, if you’re taking a package deal, you might only catch slivers of time to explore beyond the resort! Your package deal includes access to:
4 Swimming Pools
Dinner (4 On-Site Dining Options)
Additional Dining + Entertainment Discounts
The Grand Country Waterpark Resort Experience
During gloomy February, we booked a Warm Winter Fun package for a bright weekend adventure. And, spoiler alert--it was the best decision we've made for family-friendly fun!
Insider tip: the parking lot is overwhelming with entertainment buildings, and it was packed at the 3 pm check-in. The resort lobby is the furthest building to the left. Save yourself a trek by having your license plate number handy before you go inside.
The lobby is bright, clean, and well-decorated in a playful Western theme. Just be prepared to enjoy it for a little while as you wait your turn to get your vouchers and room keys! Send the hubby off to explore the property with the kids, so they’re not dying with anticipation waiting in line with you.
When we got to our room, we were pleasantly surprised. Despite contrary online reviews, the place was cheerfully decorated and very family-friendly. The rooms corresponded with the lobby theme of whimsical meets western. It was clean, there were plenty of towels, and they were generous with toiletries.
I will note: we traveled as a group, and both of our parties did receive rooms contrary to the ticket (bedding arrangements were different). In case you didn't know, it's common for hotel reservations to guarantee a room but not a specific bed type. Our situation just happened to work out in our favor, as we got a separate bunk bed area just for the kids.
On that first day, it’s overwhelming trying to decide how you’ll do everything included in just three days. Regardless, it was winter, and we had to get these swimming-deprived kids to the waterpark!
Another pro tip: Don’t forget your wristbands in the room (you need them even if you aren’t swimming)! Also, at check-in, you’ll get a handy little drink card that you can use to get complimentary iced tea or coffee at the various food venues on site. Stick it in the sleeve with your room key, so you always have it on you!
Impressive Indoor Waterpark
Based on reviews, I’ve gathered that, at one point the indoor waterpark was a little underwhelming. That’s not the case anymore! The Grand Country Indoor Waterpark is two separate but connected, expansive buildings full of endless fun. We were there in the winter, so we can't give a personal review, but the resort also offers an outdoor waterpark for warmer weather fun.
Sidewalks connect the hotel rooms to the back entrance of the indoor water park. As you enter the building, you’ll be greeted by helpful staff who will provide additional wristbands for kids who are tall enough to ride down the slides.
Towels are also available at the entrance (although they are more like hand-towel size, there is an endless supply). Children under 42” tall need to be within arm's length while in submersible water. Lifeguards are very serious about this rule. Your little one can't even be in the toe-deep water of the wave pool without you by their side.
Bring a water repellent beach bag to keep all your belongings together and dry while you enjoy the indoor waterpark!
The Waterslides
The newest addition has three substantial slides that twist and loop while shooting you quickly through the tubes, which actually pop outside of the building while you’re inside. Go on the green slide for a complete blackout experience. If you want to race a friend, the blue and yellow slides have timers to call an official winner at the end.
The Wave Pool
This building is also home to our crowd's favorite: the wave pool! We spent a good bit of time getting carried away by the waves there. Little kids under 42 inches tall must be within arms reach of a supervising adult at all times!! The waves are turned off and on so there are periods of time when the water is a little calmer. But for the most part, we were in it for the waves! Also included in this area is a deeper pool lined with basketball hoops, balls, and flying sports equipment.
At an enthusiastic pace, my family headed over to the second room, which was the original indoor waterpark building with an impressive play structure. I’ll say that as sticklers for safety, as this place is, the bridge between the buildings gets pretty slick (trot carefully).
The Treehouse Water Playscape + Slides
This room holds an adorable, yet massive splash pad with even more slides for all comfort levels. There is also a toddler play area, two giant (but slower) slides on the upper deck, a lazy river, two large hot tubs, and a snack bar.
The OG Slides
Also in the original building, you will find two very tall waterslides accessible from a second-story platform. Compared to the newer slides we found when we first walked in the door, these were a bit underwhelming but still worth a mention.
The Toddler Pool + Play Area
The original waterpark building also contains a two-part area designed for the six-and-under crowd. This toddler and little kid play area contains a variety slides and climbing structures in shallow-depth water and was actually a good bit of fun for littler kids who were still afraid of the BIG slides.
The Lazy River
For a chill place to float, we enjoyed the lazy river in the original building for the Indoor Waterpark. The current was pretty strong though, little ones like my six-year-old struggled to move against the current when it was time to get out so keep a close eye!
We stayed at the indoor water park from about 4 pm until around 7 pm on the first night. There are endless towels, locker rooms, and seating to help you get dry when you’re done. However, one thing that was surprisingly in short supply was water. I wasn't able to find any water fountains and the trek to the Mining Company Grill located inside the original building was a significant one!
Pizza + Games @ the Grand Country Fun Spot
Not willing to miss a thing, we cashed in on our dinner vouchers, and arcade passes on the first night’s stay. Included in our package were two large pizzas. We were a little skeptical again, but our entire party ended up pleasantly surprised with pizza which seemed to hit the spot!
You can get free tea and water, or purchase fountain drinks or the salad bar to add to your meal. The two pizzas fed two adult women and three hungry children comfortably. It was made to order, hot, and pretty decent.
After dinner, we used our arcade passes (each room came with vouchers for two game cards loaded with $10 each). Each game takes about $1.00, while a few are less and a few are more.
You can add a couple of extra bucks to your cards and kill an hour or so to end your evening. Skee-ball, air hockey, and a virtual roller coaster were a few of our favorites. Tickets are earned digitally, and in true arcade style, they can be cashed in at the counter for fun gifts once the kids are done playing.
Our kids walked away with some cool prizes, including stuffed animals, candy, a sword, and a motorcycle launcher toy.
Live Entertainment & Discounted Buffet
Who does live entertainment better than Branson, Missouri? The answer is nobody, as it’s officially nicknamed the Live Entertainment Capital of the World! Of course, Grand Country has its own live shows!
You can choose between a Comedy Jamboree Show or opt for the Amazing Pets. Toting my not-too-quiet, thrill-seeking, and sometimes squawking man of mayhem son on the autism spectrum, we went with the Amazing Pets show.
The Amazing Pets Show
Amazing Pets is a very family-friendly live show. When the host announced that yelling, clapping, and general loudness were encouraged, I knew we had made the right choice. In fact, this is the first theater setting my son has ever made it through. We saw household pets perform trained acts (I have a cat, and he would just absolutely never!).
The Comedy Jamboree Show
Our other group attended the Comedy Jamboree Show. This show was two hours full of musical performances, singing, and incredible instrumentals. The piano player impressed our little one with how quickly his hands moved.
As far as jokes, don’t expect a whole lot of stand-up comedy. This is more of an improvised show where the actors come up with skits on the spot based on the audience. If you’re trying to decide between the pet show and the comedy show, families with kids will probably have a better experience at the pet show.
Our show tickets came with a discount to the tasty Grand Country buffet located inside the same building. We feasted there for breakfast. It was quite the spread of made-to-order omelets, biscuits and gravy, cheesy, meaty potato hash, sticky buns, waffles, french toast, and so much more. But the real star of the show was our sweet waitress! They even had chicken fingers, so you could do the chicken and waffles thing!
Go-Karts, Mini-Golf, and Final Farewells
Okay, so you’d think the indoor waterpark would be the major hit on this vacation (and it was pretty supreme), but those go-karts were our family’s favorite highlight. The height limit to ride solo is 58” tall. My short stack 14-year-old barely squeaked by, but then she flew! Other Mountain Ridge Racers Indoor Go-Kart track rules include:
Must be at least 4-years-old to ride
18 years old to drive a two-passenger car
60” tall to drive a two-passenger car
10 years old to drive a car solo
At least 40” tall to ride
The cars are equipped with a boost button. You can hit it twice during your race, but don’t waste it going downhill. The track automatically slows the cars down at that point, and you’ll waste your boost. My son squealed with delight when we hit the booster going up the corkscrew track and drifted around the corners.
On top of go-karts and laser tag (which we didn't get a chance to play), the Grand Country Resort has three mini-golf courses to choose from. Two of those are indoors, and one is located outside. The two courses experienced by our group were a little beat up but still provided about a half hour of fun (nobody followed any rules). You can choose from the following:
Indoor Black Light: Located upstairs of the fun spot, the black light course is an old river town theme lit up by luminous painted paths and objects. While the room was neat to see, it was almost uncomfortably warm.
Indoor Rainforest: USA Today labeled this course one of the top ten mini-golf courses. It’s 36 holes with an “Ozark Rainstorm” experience every 30 minutes. You can find this one next door to the buffet and gift shop. This was not included in our voucher options but was reasonably priced.
Outdoor Farm: This one can be seen from the entry of the resort. It’s a cute animated course with all of the appropriate farm animals on display and sensors to trigger sound effects every once in a while when you hit the ball just right. There are two 18-hole courses to choose from here, and both have a fun surprise at the end.
If you want to grab a souvenir, something sweet, or something neat to remember your trip, there are shopping opportunities right on site, including:
Bitz of Glitz Boutique
Grand Country Gift Shop
The Sweets Shoppe (fudge, taffy, & candy)
Is The Grand Country Inn Experience Worth It?
While the Grand Country Waterpark Resort is no 5-star luxury hotel and spa, I’d say that for a 3-day vacation under $500 for the whole family, it’s 100% worth it! The hotel itself is clean, there’s plenty to do, and it’s centrally located.
I’ll add that if you have a big personality, save it. The staff here don’t play. They’re sticklers for the rules, but considering there are some high-risk activities, I can understand that stance.
One other consideration is that you may want to ask for a calendar of the hours so you can plan your itinerary ahead of your arrival. Upon check-in, you’ll get a calendar that shows the hours of each dining, fun, and shopping venue. We were surprised to see that the waterpark didn’t open until 2 pm on our checkout day.
Aside from one dinner and a trip to Branson Landing, we spent the entire three days at the resort without a minute of boredom.
Perhaps not on an annual basis, but we’ll definitely cash in on this deal in the future.
Plan Your Stay
If you're ready to experience Branson with your family, Grand Country Resort is a great way to go without breaking the bank. They run different resort packages throughout the year.
Since their all-inclusive packages accommodate up to two adults and four children, if you're traveling in a large group, you might want to consider renting a van to fit the whole family!
Check rates on rental vehicles for your Ozarks family road trip.
If you're looking for more to do while you're in town, don't miss 12+ family-friendly things to do in Branson.