Joe Gunnels Tours & Reservation Service, Inc.
~ The only "Legitimate" Group Tour Franchise in Eureka Springs ~
Local Tours of Eureka Springs, Arkansas and Branson, Missouri
This tour is getting to be so popular with our groups. Group leaders and motorcoach drivers that have been to Branson many times, tell us frequently how much they learned and how much they enjoyed the Branson tour. So if we're impressing them imagine how much your group(s) will love the Branson tour. In additon to all the other parts of our local Branson Tour, we are now able to offer your groups a very unique opportunity! The Behind The Scenes Tour, at Sight and Sound Theater. A $65,000,000.00 theater complex. You will be truly amazed at this magnificent facility! Tour Guide Fees are: 
Branson Area Tour
Click HERE to see something NEW and VERY special for this tour in 2011 and 2012
The tour will begin at your place of lodging and will take in part of the infamous Highway 76, better known as "the strip" where we will talk about how Branson got to be the world famous entertainment mecca that it is today. We'll answer all the questions about "Who was the first star in Branson?", "who started the first show?" "How many theaters are there in town?" How many hotel rooms?" etc. etc.
After cruisin the strip for a while, we will then turn south and follow "the dam road" out to Table Rock Lake and the White River. We will talk about how important these two "stars" have been to the Branson area for decades and how THEY were two of the major factors of attracting visitors to the area, even before the first music show ever strummed a note! We'll talk about the construction of the dam as well as make a stop at "the scenic overlook." The view from there is awesome and a great photo opportunity, and it's also where you will look down on Andy Williams' house.
After the scenic overlook we continue on to what many of our customers deem to be the highlight of the Branson area tour, and that's The College of the Ozarks. You will be impressed, inspired and amazed at how this college operates without charging any tuition or room & board. Let me give you and hint and let you know that the Wall Street Journal gave the college its nickname, "Hard Work U." We will make a rest stop at the brand new, beautiful Keeter Center, where there is a great gift shop, snack bar and mini-museum about the history of the college. This part of the tour honestly is fantastic and we know you and your group(s) will love it.
After leaving the college we will finish the tour by driving through the quaint little Old English village of Hollister, Missouri on our way to the historic downtown area of Branson. This is when we will talk in more depth and detail about Reuben Branson, the founder and namesake of Branson.
NEW in 2011 and will also be available in 2012.....
A million watts of lights - sixty-thousand watts of sound - and a stage over twenty-thousand square feet in size: shows at the Sight & Sound Branson Theatre are live theatre productions on a massive scale. And now, we have the exceptional opportunity of going backstage in a Behind The Scenes Tour.
Discover the technology and ingenuity that powers the dramatic complexity of each show. You'll visit the nerve centers that keep the lights, sound, stage - and even animals on cue. You'll also glimpse a state-of-the-art scene shop creating sets for upcoming shows, learn about the process involved in bringing a story to life, and step up to the stage for an actor's view at the incomparable Sight & Sound Theatre in Branson.
This is an optional or "add on" portion to our local Branson Tour, and must be pre-scheduled. There is no additional charge for the Behind the Scenes Tour, but it will extend the overall length of our local tour to approximately 3 1/2 hours. These tours do fill up, so let me know ASAP!
$5.00 per person for the Regular Tour.
$6.00 per person for the Regular Tour plus the Behind The Scenes Tour.
DRIVERS and ESCORTS are always FREE!
Allow 2.5 to 3.5 hours for this tour.
Tips for your tour guide has not been included in this price. $2.00 per person is suggested.
To make a tour reservation, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page. Thank you!
Eureka Springs City Tour
On this tour you will learn all about how Eureka Springs got started as a health spa city, and how we grew to be the 4th largest city in the entire state of Arkansas. You will also learn some of the reasons Robert Ripley, of Ripley's Believe It Or Not! fame, called Eureka Springs one of the 10 most unusual places in America. On the tour we will visit and make stops at the following places:
- Christ of the Ozarks Statue
- The 1886 Crescent Hotel
- World famous Thorncrown Chapel
- The beautiful Historic District, with Victorian Homes and a few of our springs.
- NEW in 2012 - A stop at Grotto Spring, one of the famous healing springs!
You will also see the church that Robert Ripley, of Ripley's Believe It Or Not called "The only church in the world that you enter through the bell tower." This is referring to the Saint Elizabeth's Catholic Church. Though we won't be able to stop and go inside, we do stop for photos and to give the interesting history about the building.
Thorncrown Chapel has become the highlight of the local tour. This building was nominated in 2000 for the "Design of the Century" award given by the American Institute of America (AIA). You really need to think about that. Just think about how many homes, public buildings, airports, hospitals, estates and mansions that have been built since 1900. There are literally millions. So, just to be nominated is incredible, and wait until you find out where it wound up in the competition. You will be impressed.
At the end of the tour you will have a very thorough knowledge of Eureka Springs' past and present, and will have a true appreciation for "America's Victorian Village."
The cost of the full 3 Hour Tour, including the Historic District Tram Tour and your Local Tour Guide is $15.00 Per Person.
The cost for Step-on Guide only, with no Tram Tour is $5.00 per person.
The cost for Tram Tour only, is $11.00 per person
DRIVERS and ESCORTS are always FREE!
Tips for your tour guide have not been included in this price. We suggest $2.00 per person.
To make a tour reservation, please fill out the form below. Thank you!
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