BRANSON, MISSOURI

BRANSON, MISSOURI A formerly sleepy town that was best known for its natural springs, Branson has become a center for (mostly older) country and pop performers who have built lavish theaters there to present their music. The Branson story is oft-told. This town of some 3,700 inhabitants, nestled in the foothills of the Ozarks, was first put on the map by Harold Bell Wright in his 1907 best-selling romance, The Shepherd of the Hills. Things heated up a little further when a minor-league theme…