Dolly Parton's Stampede — Attraction in Branson

Earlier in December I went to Medieval Times in Scottsdale, Arizona and then the day after Christmas I went to Dolly Parton's Stampede. They're both dinner shows and I had to request the celiac meal for both.

Prior to the show, my husband and I walked around to check out the horses and the dovecote. They have quite a lot of very beautiful animals in this show and it was nice to see them up close before showtime.

After we went inside, my husband got the pre-ordered boot cup with a non-alcoholic slushie as part of the package we bought. I thought the souvenir cup looked really cheap. It's just a tiny, white, plastic boot. I would not repurchase that.

The preshow was amazing with 2 brothers and a cousin? Uncle? Playing an upright bass, a banjo and a guitar. Loved it. Highlight of the day.

When we found our seats, the chairs are really crammed in together and of course a couple comes in to sit next to us in our row with a huge diaper bag because they had twin babies (probably about 10 months old) that they were going to have be lap children. It was impossible for 4 people to cram in to two tiny seats. Luckily our waiter saw how cramped we all were and moved them to the next section that was empty so they could spread out. He also gave them a third meal so the kids didn't muck up their parents' plate.

There needs to be a rule that there are no lap children. Everyone needs a seat. There is no way a baby carrier can even fit in. It should be 1 soul = 1 seat. It's too cramped otherwise. We would have been miserable if the row next to us hadn't been completely empty so that family could move.

As someone with celiac disease, I was very disappointed with the food. Instead of the soup, the gluten-free substitution was steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots with zero seasoning. Who wants to eat this? Nobody. I would rather have nothing than have a steaming pile of unseasoned fart vegetables. I was also given a nasty, cold Udi's roll. I asked if they had a pat of butter or anything I could put on the roll or vegetables. NOPE! Not an option - only salt, pepper or bbq sauce.

The chicken was meh tasting and I ended up taking it home. I also had mashed potatoes and pulled pork. Again, no toppings and finally an Udi's snickerdoodle cookie. I hated the food honestly. Can someone without celiac disease try what they serve celiacs and then decide if they'd be satisfied with that meal?

The show was fine. It was Christmas themed. I didn't like that no video was allowed but photos without flash are allowed. No other dinner show that I've been to has that rule. Even though I have a new camera, low light action shots just don't turn out great compared to a video clip. I don't know why the rule can't be "video clips are allowed but please don't film the whole show or more than a minute or two at a time."

Overall, I enjoyed the preshow a ton. I loved seeing the horses and birds. I liked the regular show enough, including the ice skating and camels that came out as part of the nativity play. I also loved the fire show rider act. I just didn't like the cramped seating, the food and the no video policy.

With a few tweaks, it would greatly improve the experience.

Visited:...

Venue: The venue is beautiful and so well kept. Being able to see the horses ahead of time was cool, and it's fun to arrive early to hear the musicians play around the bar. Inside there really aren't any bad seats to the show. I was impressed with the condition of the horses. I have 3 of my own and their horses looked well fed, muscular and very well taken care of.

Show: The show is fantastic, the audience participation is really fun. We took my 6 year old son and his friend and they had a blast. The horseback riding itself is very impressive. I watched in amazement the whole show thinking of all the things they were doing on their horses that my quaterhorse would have no part of.

Meal: The food (except for the Cornish hen) is terrible. The coke was so flat and watered down. You could tell the sweet tea was from instant and it had a bit of a robitussin after taste. The biscuit didn't have any taste and the "soup" was watered down white gravy mix. The chicken was moist and I thought was good, but my kid and his friend saw it on their plate and were disgusted. (I can't believe there aren't other options for kids like a chicken strip). I didn't care for the pulled pork, it tasted off somehow. The mashed potatoes were ok. I think they were from red potatoes and tasted real, but not necessarily good. The corn cob tasted like field corn (country people will understand what i mean). The apple turnover was ok, the kids had the coconut chocolate cake and hated it. They both took a few bites and pushed it away.

Service: The service staff was very friendly. They are in a bit of a hurry though which is why at the end of the show i had someone's coke dumped in my hair and down my back. The server helping the row above us was taking everyone's plates and drinks away and they never even paid attention to the fact that when they poured out the remaining drink from a glass into their tub that they missed the tub and it all landed on me. They just kept on moving quickly down the row oblivious that I was soaked.

Value: We went to a 5:30 show on a Sunday and got tickets at the venue. For 2 adults and 2 kids under 7 (no cocktails or extras) we paid $319 (that was with our discount for being season pass holders at silver dollar city). The show was great, but all of us left hungry. For that reason I'm...

The performance atmosphere was outstanding and highly enjoyable and entertaining. However, if you have a service dog, it is crucial to be cautious regarding your ticket arrangements. My family and I attended this event and faced difficulties due to my service dog. We were informed that a chair would be removed to accommodate the service dog, but upon arrival, this was not honored, and the staff was unhelpful when we attempted to clarify the situation based on our ticket purchase. This miscommunication negatively impacted our evening, particularly when they informed us that a spot was made for her just in the aisle, which I found concerning due to the risk of her being injured by passing patrons. The confusion between the staff and ticketing personnel led to a disappointing dining experience. Our server was disrespectful, making inappropriate comments about my service dog, such as, “Does your dog need a biscuit too, oh I forgot your dog needs a chicken too” and other similar remarks. All because we asked for water for her. As someone with experience in the food service industry, I understand the pressures of a busy environment, but the server's behavior was unacceptable, especially when he approached my mother to question her frustration, which was justified. Additionally, our meal was not served in the same portions as others, our chicken was overcooked, and some of us were not offered drink refills. When dessert was served, while others received a choice between pineapple and apple desserts, we were not given the same options. Furthermore, during the event, when the term "stampede" was mentioned, the expected response was to stomp feet; however, some servers, including ours, chose to bang on tables instead, and he did so at a much louder volume directly infront of my service dog and laugh like it was no big deal. I was extremely upset and disappointed with how we were treated and how they handled having a tasked trained medical alert service dog in their building. Especially when horses are my passion and all I was looking forward to my whole trip. So, I caution you if you or anyone you know will be attending this show and has a service dog be very careful with how you purchase...