View Full Version : Branson Has It. Will OKC Get It?



ETL
11-25-2006, 02:17 PM
I have heard that people are trying to bring a little Branson to Oklahoma. Is this true? Can OKC pull this off? I think this would work around S. OKC, Texoma, or in the SE part of OK. What do ya'll know?

jbrown84
11-25-2006, 05:24 PM
It's a rather vague question...

bandnerd
11-25-2006, 05:50 PM
I'm not sure what "it" is, but I'm pretty sure I don't want "it." Can't we just find our own identity instead of latching onto the identities of other cities?

NE Oasis
11-25-2006, 07:57 PM
I'm not sure what "it" is, but I'm pretty sure I don't want "it." Can't we just find our own identity instead of latching onto the identities of other cities?

I must agree wholeheartedly with bandnerd. Why can't OKC fully embrace all of the "it's" that already exist. Without even trying I realized OKC and environs are destinations for softball, horse shows, and drag racing (Noble). We need to quit trying to become "just like a little......" and embrace who we are.

Spartan
11-26-2006, 12:40 AM
Branson is a tourist-infested hole.

It's not on my 'must-return' list until I'm over 65.

Karried
11-26-2006, 05:49 AM
I would embrace bringing a little bit of Branson to SE OK... save me the six hour trek to Branson.

I love Silver Dollar City.. I could ride Powder Keg and Wildfire a hundred times a day ( and usually come pretty close.. the kids are saying .. I'm tired and I'm saying, no, no, let's go one more time please! lol - it reminds me of the new Burger King commercial where the parents are crying because the son won't take them to BK as promised.. it cracks me up)

Anyway, I wouldn't want the touristy crowds near Bricktown but a little ways out would be perfect for me. We need something other than Frontier City for visitors with kids to do.. an amusement park and shows.. it works for me.

sweetdaisy
11-26-2006, 08:34 AM
Branson is a tourist-infested hole.

It's not on my 'must-return' list until I'm over 65.

We call it "Hillbilly Haven". And you're right...it is a hole.

jbrown84
11-26-2006, 07:06 PM
If you're talking about the shows, there is a "Branson-style" show in Talequah and they at least used to have one at Preservation Playhouse in Guthrie, but I can find no evidence online that it still exists.

Easy180
11-26-2006, 07:32 PM
Now playing at the Bricktown Events Center....One week only

Yakoff Smirnov...."What a Country!"

No thanks

Patrick
11-26-2006, 08:56 PM
At least Branson knows what a retail-oriented downtown area is like. Branson Landing is first class. We have the Bass Pro like they have, but we're missing all of the other stores in between it and the river/lake!

metro
11-27-2006, 12:42 PM
I have heard that people are trying to bring a little Branson to Oklahoma. Is this true? Can OKC pull this off? I think this would work around S. OKC, Texoma, or in the SE part of OK. What do ya'll know?

I love how rumors get started. Why would OKC want to become like Branson? Do we want more tourists? Yes. Do we want to go back to our former ways of thinking to do so? No. We have what will be and is becoming a world class river, a revived downtown, arts district, asian district, adventure district, stockyards city, and the list goes on...

Patrick
11-27-2006, 12:47 PM
Your right metro. We shouldn't push for being a suburban sea of concrete, like Branson. Branson was designed with the car in mind. We need to get away from that, and continue to think urban, as we have done with many of the housing projects downtown. At least Hogan is thinking a little urban on The Centennial, but still, he has a ways to go. The rest of downtown is shaping up nicely.

BDP
11-27-2006, 03:59 PM
I know we've menetioned it before, but is thare any state adjacent to us that has a boardwalk? I'm not a fan of tourist traps either, but if it is something that no state adjacent to us has, I'll support it as long as it is planned correctly and placed with consideration.

With a boardwalk, you could include some Branson type shows, but diversify it as well and not brand it with a niche aesthetic.

Edit: Or what if the idea were combined: a Bransonish boardwalk, but put it on the river at the Agnew bridge. You expand on Stockyards' country theme, but add some more universal flair. It would also be a seperate attraction from bricktown, downtown, and the arts district, but connected to them by ferry...

jbrown84
11-27-2006, 07:53 PM
There is a boardwalk in Galveston/Houston.

Macromedia Flash Detection HTML Example (http://www.KemahBoardwalk.com)

Spartan
11-27-2006, 07:55 PM
Mr. Brown, for the last time, OKC is not on the ocean. I am glad that you are the latest booster of Houston, the city I'm from of course, but your boosting is really unnecessary because it's apples and oranges. Ocean and bayous, and woodlands and prairies...

SpectralMourning
11-27-2006, 08:31 PM
Eh, I'd give him some credit; BDP asked if an adjacent state had one, and he did answer. But I digress :-)

BDP, that's really not a bad idea, just so long as it isn't "too country." (ie: Toby Keith's ILtB...and grill, a cheezy Oklahoma Opry, pt. 2) However if it were pulled off with quite a bit of class, a country-themed boardwalk would be pretty fantastic, gristmills and all. The same would apply for shows. I think with a lot of local performance theater, people tend to think locally and not internationally. If we could pull off a performance theater in that area (which I'm more warm to the idea of an opera house than an opry house, but you work with what you're given.) that thinks in the big picture, it'd just be another item to enlarge OKC on the map.

Patrick
11-27-2006, 08:53 PM
So, do you guys think Branson Landing is just another outdoor shopping center or is it something special?

jbrown84
11-27-2006, 09:55 PM
Mr. Brown, for the last time, OKC is not on the ocean. I am glad that you are the latest booster of Houston, the city I'm from of course, but your boosting is really unnecessary because it's apples and oranges. Ocean and bayous, and woodlands and prairies...

I put up with a lot of your crap, but this is pretty ridiculous. As SpectralMourning pointed out, I was simply answering the question raised one post before by BDP. He was the one who brought up the idea of a boardwalk, which you seem to think only works on large bodies of water. And yes, I have brought up the Kemah Boardwalk before, but I've never been there and I've only been to the Houston area once in my life, so I would hardly count myself as a "booster". Get a grip.

The Old Downtown Guy
11-27-2006, 10:26 PM
. . . and Spartan connects with a left hook up to the side of jbrown84's head, spit a flyin', but as quick as you can say "Houston my ass" jbrown84 counters with a combination to Spartan's mid-section . . . . jbrown84 dances back and weaves side to side looking mean and nasty as Spartan nods to his corner and wonders if this is gonna be the final round.

traxx
11-28-2006, 10:23 AM
I really think a boardwalk could work if done right. And no it doesn't have to be next to an ocean, it would work just fine by the Oklahoma/Canadian river.

BTW, I'm still not sure what the It is in the original post. What It is the original poster talking about. Is It the It from those ebay commercials? Is It the flu?

BDP
11-28-2006, 03:30 PM
just so long as it isn't "too country."

I agree it can be overdone and the city is probably too limited to that image to begin with. But that's one reason why I'd like to see any country themed attractions locate in/by the Stockyards which is already countrified, instead of injecting that into any new developments in the downtown area.

Basically, I'd just approach it as a boardwalk first and if we did want some Branson style entertainment, then the boardwalk would be a good place to do it. Following that thinking, I thought the Stockyards would be a good area for it as it has some history, but will probably need more planned attractions for it to develop, whereas I think the areas on the river closer to downtown will develop more organically in the revamped I-40 corridor. I'd be pretty happy to see the dirt farms replaced with a boardwalk for sure, no matter what kind of entertainment it has.

Thanks, jbrown for the link. I think we all understand that we can't really make up for not having a coast, but I think a boardwalk could work well on the river. If for nothing else, it simply adds an aesthetic and development philosophy that hopefully would not be intent on making the parking lot the defining feature.

writerranger
11-28-2006, 03:42 PM
I agree with you Jbrown. I have brought up the idea of a boardwalk for the Oklahoma River for a long time. Your example of the Kemah Boardwalk , by the way, is very appropriate and a good example. Yes, it's on a large body of water, a boardwalk can also be built along a river and create much the same atmosphere. I mean complete with the ferris wheel and the whole bit (after all, what's a boardwalk without a ferris wheel?). Don't be intimidated by anyone, your post was on-target.

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jbrown84
11-28-2006, 07:13 PM
Thanks writerranger.

Patrick
11-28-2006, 08:51 PM
Let's get Randy Hogan to volunteer to build one, like he did on Lake Hefner East Wharf.

Spartan
11-28-2006, 10:18 PM
Amazing idea. Heckfire, let's just rename the thread, "WE need another Randy Hogan masterpiece!!"

Branson, move over... there's a new hick in town.

AFCM
11-28-2006, 10:59 PM
Shreveport, LA has a boardwalk on the Red River. By the way, I also saw signs at the boardwalk pointing towards a Bass Pro Shop, though I never actually saw the building itself. When I saw that, I couldn't help but think of Oklahoma City.

As for the boardwalk, I don't think I can give it a fair rating because it's the only one I've ever been to. It seemed nice, but the buildings were all stucco, which again made me think of OKC (lower canal). Perhaps if any of you have been to the boardwalk in Shreveport, you can add your comments.

writerranger
11-28-2006, 11:49 PM
Amazing idea. Heckfire, let's just rename the thread, "WE need another Randy Hogan masterpiece!!"

Branson, move over... there's a new hick in town.

I missed the post suggesting that Randy Hogan develop anything discussed in this thread.

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redredwine
11-29-2006, 07:04 AM
"I love Silver Dollar City.. I could ride Powder Keg and Wildfire a hundred times a day "

Karrie, ofcourse, because WE are parents of kids who LOVE Silver Dollar City, WHY, because it is so damn cute, 5 hours away and a cheap quick trip. Yes their are alot of oldies there, which to me just means more quiet in the hotel!! I agree w/Karrie, it would be nice, but maybe outside of OKC, maybe South of Arcadia, East of 1-35 WAYYY out there where their are some trees, Branson has alot of trees.

Swake2
11-29-2006, 09:06 AM
The Springfield based developer of Branson Landing and the Tulsa Developer of The Cross Timbers (at Skiatook Lake) have announced they want to build a larger and nicer version of Branson Landing on the west bank of the Arkansas River, right across the river from downtown Tulsa.

Flatlander
11-29-2006, 10:01 AM
Wow Swake thats good news for Tulsa,will this be a part of the channels project? If so that will be great news for green country,Lots going on up there,Is there a time line for these projects or any pictures.

Spartan
11-29-2006, 12:58 PM
Writerranger, it's the one just above my post.

Flatlander, they are in discussions with the city and the county right now. That is all. They will be using the land that would otherwise be submerged in water, with The Channels proposal, for which there is also another alternative proposal for.

redredwine
11-29-2006, 02:47 PM
oops I already replied to this.................sorry!! But one more thing while I am here. I do not think we need any BRANSON SHOW type stuff here, unless it is out of the already congested traffic areas. I think that floating casino's would be so cool on the Oklahoma River. Have they ever talked of that (all I ever do is drive kids to soccer etcetcetc, so I am slightly out of the planning loop).

Spartan
11-29-2006, 02:54 PM
WHAT are you talking about?

mranderson
11-29-2006, 03:33 PM
Will Oklahoma City get it? Yes and no. Branson is described as Las Vegas with no casinos. Oklahoma, as a state, has leaglized gaming. So, what will happen when we finish easing into full blown casino gaming, is somewhere in the metro, we will have a Las Vegas type strip. I see many mega resorts such as Harrah's, Binion, and others with the shows, the malls, the casinos that would cover three Crossroads, and more.

So. Will we get it? Yes... And more. I am guessing between five and ten years.

BDP
11-29-2006, 03:42 PM
Branson is described as Las Vegas with no casinos.

What maniac describes it like that? Talk about over selling it. Did they mean Reno?

jbrown84
11-29-2006, 04:19 PM
WHAT are you talking about?

Makes perfect sense to me.

Spartan
11-29-2006, 04:22 PM
You know, Omaha has a full-blown strip of fabulous casinos. We went to see a show at the Horseshoe Casino there, once.

Flatlander
11-29-2006, 04:26 PM
Thanks for the info Spartan,look forward to seeing more quality development in our great state.

Spartan
11-29-2006, 04:38 PM
Sure, no problem.

mranderson
11-29-2006, 08:03 PM
What maniac describes it like that? Talk about over selling it. Did they mean Reno?

No. Branson does not allow casino gaming.

SpectralMourning
11-29-2006, 08:30 PM
No. Branson does not allow casino gaming.

Naw, it was a slam on Branson. As in it's more comparable to Reno than Las Vegas.

Swake2
11-29-2006, 11:28 PM
This would be in place of the "Channels"

BDP
11-30-2006, 07:24 AM
Branson does not allow casino gaming.

Obviously.

I was saying that Branson is in no way comparable to Las Vegas even without the casinos. You said people describe it that way. I'm saying those people are nuts and that maybe, just maybe, Branson may be like Reno if Reno didn't have casinos.

redredwine
11-30-2006, 07:34 AM
WHAT are you talking about?

Branson................incase the what are you talking about was directed at me.........what are you talking about. I was just talking about something random.........that I wanted River casino's here...

mranderson
11-30-2006, 09:06 AM
Obviously.

I was saying that Branson is in no way comparable to Las Vegas even without the casinos. You said people describe it that way. I'm saying those people are nuts and that maybe, just maybe, Branson may be like Reno if Reno didn't have casinos.

No. Reno has very little as far as shows are concerned. Mainly casinos. Branson has been accuratly described as Las Vegas without casinos. If you have not been to Reno, I suggest going. You will find I am quite correct.