Branson Has It. Will OKC Get It?

[ETL]

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]

It's a rather vague question...

[bandnerd]

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]

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]

Branson is a tourist-infested hole.

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

[Karried]

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]

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]

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]

Now playing at the Bricktown Events Center....One week only

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

No thanks

[Patrick]

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]

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]

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]

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]

There is a boardwalk in Galveston/Houston.

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[Spartan]

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]

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]

So, do you guys think Branson Landing is just another outdoor shopping center or is it something special?

[jbrown84]

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]

. . . 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]

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]

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]

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]

Thanks writerranger.

[Patrick]

Let's get Randy Hogan to volunteer to build one, like he did on Lake Hefner East Wharf.

[Spartan]

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.