SHEPARD OF THE HILLS ( TRAIL OF LIGHTS and POLAR ADVENTURE REVIEW)

       TRAIL OF LIGHTS and POLAR ADVENTURE REVIEW by The Outlaw Micheal Tomsik

On December 3rd 2023 it was our 27 year anniversary so I had decided to take Annie to a place in Branson Missouri called SHEPARD OF THE HILLS.

Shepard of the Hills is located at 5586 W 76 Country Blvd Branson Missouri. The park is normally open Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM, and Sundays 10 AM to 5 PM. Though during the Holiday season they offer NORTH POLE ADVENTURES and TRAIL OF LIGHTS.

The Trail of Lights is a drive through light that has been going for around 30 years. It is open Dec 4th to Dec 31st Monday to Saturday Dusk to 11 PM, and Sundays Dusk to 11 PM. 

There is a fee for this light drive through of $24 per car, or $50 for a van. 

North Pole Adventures operates from Nov 10 TH to Dec 30 TH. If you buy the tickets online they are $15 for adults, and $13 for kids, if you buy at the gate $20 for adults and $18 for kids. The hours of operation are pretty much the same as the Trail of Lights because you get a ride on a trailer through the Trail of Lights included in the purchase,

Upon arrival the parking can be interesting I advise parking near the main office under the tunnel. The park is set off the main HWY not hard to find at all. Going into the park it is set up similar to an old west town with some shops and food. 

Upon entrance there are many lights and displays. Annie and I conquered the Tree Bridge the first thing, This was very difficult for Annie for fear of heights. 

After that we walked around the Park looking at light displays and decided to take the HAY RIDE through the TRAIL OF LIGHTS. I will warn you to dress warm as this time of year in the OZARKS it gets cold fast at night time. We came ready with gloves and hats and extra jackets however.

THE HAY RIDE WAS NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE!

This is a bit of a miscommunication and should be better advertised. I was thinking of a horse drawn trailer with hay in it to sit on but it is not. It is a small trailer with benches pulled by a truck. Honestly the experience was even ruined more by the people in our group. The kids screaming and overall noise on the experience made it not enjoyable. To top it off you really do not get to see the whole experience from the trailer. The person who drove us nearly crashed into several of the areas on the experience.

Overall it was very disappointing.

After we got done with the ride I think Annie and I both had gotten so frustrated that we really could not enjoy the rest of the evening. Annie was also getting cold so I did one more thing I slid down a ride on an inter-tube. This was fun for me anyway!

We decided to leave after that we had spent about 2 hours in the park. 

 NOTES: 

We did not go on the roller coaster or check out the petting zoo. 

There also is a zip line that was not open during this event.

There also is a Theater and Dinner show that was not open at this time.

OVERALL REVIEW is that if you have kids this is a fun place to go and overall a good experience.

I would not mind going back and checking out the things that had been closed or the few things we did not get to experience.