There I was, on my first long car ride, 10 hours. The bumpy rides in my grandfather’s minivan did not make it any easier. But my parents borrowed his van so my brother and I could watch Disney movies on the small screen behind the front seats as we sat strapped in the back. I was 8, and my brother was 11 years old, we were on our way to visit my cousins in Branson, Missouri. I met my 3 cousins at family functions before this trip, but now I could visit their homes. My brother told me that there are so many fun things to do in Branson. As I looked outside my window, I could see the landscape change from the flat roads of Illinois to the stacked rocks of the rocky roads of Missouri. I could see the various colors of the sediments in the rocks, stacked on top of each, with the road cutting through these mountains. Entering Branson, I saw small shops and signs of various shows being advertised. My parents drove up a steep hill and stopped in front of a large white and red home; I made it. My cousins, Amin, Sameerah, and Saminah, ran out to greet my brother and me. We jumped out of the car, and I ran straight inside, excited to begin my adventure.

It began with a large arcade with bumper cars and video games. I enjoyed the go-carts, and my favorite game was MarioCart, and I was Mario. After playing games, we ate cheese pizza, and I mixed various soda flavors to make a unique soda drink. Next was indoor golf, and we went upstairs to a large, darker room to play minigolf. There I played indoor golf until I made it to the last hole. An arcade is full of plenty of activities.

Next, we headed to the butterfly museum, a large butterfly sanctuary or palace. Their butterflies landed on my hands and shoulders. So many brilliant colors filled the room. My brother attracted plenty of butterflies on his shoulders. Then we went upstairs to watch a movie on butterflies, a scientific film. Moving out of the small theater room, we walked into a gift store. I bought a butterfly pen as a souvenir.

As we returned to my cousins’ home, we planned an exciting dinner at the Dolly Parton Dixie Chicks show. It was 6 pm, and we headed towards a large stadium where we sat to watch the show below, the Dixie Chicks. Eating chicken and bread, I felt like I was in the Roman Empire in the Colosseum as I cheered for my team, the North. The place was split into 2 groups, North versus South, and below there were horse races, pig races, and fencing on horses by knights in armor. In the end, my group won, but Dolly Parton showed up on the big screen and emphasized that it did not matter if we were Team North or Team South because we were the United States of America at the end of the day. 

When we got home, I slept well, exhausted from the exciting day, and worth the long car ride. My aunt’s cat Sophia purred as she sat next to my bed. I told my cousins they were lucky to live in such a fun place. But they reassured me that this was not the daily case and that they were going places to entertain us, this is not their routine.

The next day we spent at an amusement park called Silver Dollar City. I went on roller coaster rides, played games to win small prizes, and ate cotton candy. It reminded me of Great America. My favorite ride was the Ferris wheel, as I could visualize the entire park at the peak of the wheel. I sat with my brother as we went a few times in circles until it was time to step out. I enjoyed the snow cone, my favorite flavor of lime. After running around in the park, we headed back home to take a break and get ready for dinner at Red Lobster. 

Every day we did things, and the next day we went to a Magic show. Branson is a fun place to visit, and there is plenty to do. The 4 days I spent there went by fast. As I headed home, I thanked my cousins for a wonderful trip and promised them I would take them sightseeing and visit all the fun places in Chicago and Naperville.