This week we learned that Golden Arrow Resort has sold and will no longer offer quaint cottages and cabins on Indian Point. From what we gather, the new owners will convert the existing resort into luxury condos and lodges keeping with the trend we have seen over the past 10 years and it got us to thinking; “How will blue collar families vacation in the future with nothing but $400 to $1200 a night lodges and condos taking over Indian Point?”

Indian Point has always been the place to stay on vacation going back for the past 50 years. Yes, there is Stormy Point, Nantucket (nothing like cookie cutter people stacked one on top of the other cramming to make your trip memorable…), Big Cedar, the strip and so on, but when it came to the hands down winner of the best in Branson – Indian Point ALWAYS won out. It simply was a no brainer to be honest. The traveler has Silver Dollar City located at the entrance and the marina at the end of Indian Point.

Situated perfectly between Branson and Branson West – Indian Point offers significantly more to the travelers than any other area in the Branson Tri Lakes area. To be honest it’s not even debatable. Considering that 25% of all tourists to Branson go to Silver Dollar City the proximity of the resorts on Indian Point made it a breeze to get into the park and immediately straight to the festivities. In fact, on busy days it is fairly common for tourists staying in Branson to waste upwards of 2 hours just fighting traffic jams while guests staying on Indian Point are already enjoying their day in the park.

Seriously, think about that for a second. Our guests will leave their rooms at 9 a.m. – in the parking lot by 9:10 a.m. – catch the next tram by 9:20 a.m. and playing by 9:30 a.m. for park opening. Tourists staying in Branson won’t even make it to the intersection at the IHOP before 9:30 a.m. and will spend the next 60-90 minutes fighting stop and go traffic, all while Indian Pointers are laughing, playing, partying and riding. 

Leaving the park is pretty much the same nightmare day after day. Ours are home 20 minutes after they leave the park. Guests staying off of Indian Point probably will make it back home before midnight (or maybe not…)

Indian Point also features the largest portion of Table Rock Lake. Yes, there are large areas by Kimberling City and yes the lake looks lovely over there – but there is nothing there!!! Trust me, I know what I am speaking about – my very own mother and father lived there for years. Great city, great people, zero anything else. The only “franchise” line anything there is a Subway sandwich shop as I recall and that’s it. I don’t believe there is even a restaurant of any measure. Just a very clean, quiet, polite city with nothing else to offer.

Same goes for Nantucket and Stormy Point. Located literally in the middle of nothing and built one on top of each other – I don’t know what to make of the community other than to say it would not interest me to pay such an astonishing amount of money and be so far removed from everything.

Even the Crown Jewel of Branson – Big Cedar – is located miles from anything, not to mention it requires 6 mortgages and 25 paychecks to stay and eat there…. which leads us back to the premise of this blog. 

When we moved here in 2003 it really caught my attention that one of the best qualities of Indian Point was its proximity to everything and affordability for blue collar families. Nowhere else in Branson could you find such a convenient location to the lake, the park, shopping, groceries, fuel – you name it – and still be able to leave without a huge hit on your credit card. It simply didn’t exist. 

We had the Wig Wam Resort – Rockwood – Wolf Ridge – Antlers – Uncle Johns – Golden Arrow – Hunter’s Friend – and DreamCatcher that were all highly affordable (kitchenettes under $100/night) and now we are down to 2. Hunter’s Friend and Marina Inn. 

All of the other resorts have sold and been converted to lodges and condos and charge astonishing amounts per night. It is true that these condos and lodges will sleep many more people and for some guests that is ideal for them. But for families who don’t want to stay with 23 other people in the same unit and can’t afford the extreme expense of a condo – where do they go? What if you are simply a husband/wife with a couple of small kids? Your choices are becoming more and more scarce by the year. Even an “affordable” condo on Indian Point now goes for $200/night and up.

The choices are growing slimmer by the day and the days of affordable nightly rentals on Indian Point are becoming fewer and further between. They can either book with us and stay in a marvelous kitchenette or motel style room that comes complete with pillow top mattresses, 50 inch HDTVs, DVD players, free DVDs, great pool side room, Weber grills or they can save up and blow thousands of dollars on a cookie cutter condo that looks just like one of the other 499 located side by side, on top of one another that are so in vogue now. 

When you book with us you are supporting a veteran owned small business. In fact, we are the quintessential small business owner husband/wife duo offering unparalleled quality lodging at an affordable price. We will continue to offer great rooms at a phenomenal price for as long as we are owners at Hunter’s Friend. If you are truly looking to support small business – book direct with us and create lifetime memories with reasonable rates.