Chicago to Branson

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I need to take one of my children to Branson for an event. My spouse can’t go, but is worried about me making the drive alone. It is about 8 hours according to Google maps.

I am a good, competent driver who has lots of experience on highways thanks to my hour commute one way to work.

Is the drive doable for one driver in one day? Or is there a safe place to stop halfway? I do NOT want to stop in St. Louis.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

how old are the kids? 8 hours is if you're driving straight through with no washroom or eating break. So figure at least a 10 hour day. Any reason you're opposed to stopping St. Louis?

 

[dez1978]

Its totally doable. We live between Branson and STL and my husband frequently has to drive to near Gary Indiana. He makes the trip from Gary to home in about 6 hours, depending on traffic up there.
From where I live to Branson is just under 3 hours. There are lots of places in Il to stop. Springfield and Bloomington are both safe, so is Lincoln. STL to me is a pain in the butt so I try to stay away from it entirely, but there are plenty of safe places on the missouri side of STL. I do stay away from East Stl lol. From Stl to Branson is an ok trip. The Hwy is fine and there isn't any place thru there that I would be hesitant to stop at with my kids.

 

[dez1978]

Also you could take the slightly longer route that takes you thru Jefferson City Mo and avoid STL all together. That is the route my husband takes home from Gary. From the Missouri border on that route you have about 1.5 miles of 2 lane rd instead of highway. Then highway again for a bit. Then a another 45 miles or so 2 lane, then highway all the way to branson. Thats the way we go to Branson, and it's not bad either. Takes you thru/across the Lake of the Ozarks which is pretty.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

The child is 8 and we have a well-equipped van so I think she would survive. Obviously we would stop for meal and bathroom breaks which adds to the time.

 

[dez1978]

The child is 8 and we have a well-equipped van so I think she would survive. Obviously we would stop for meal and bathroom breaks which adds to the time.

Then it's totally doable in one day. Beware tho if you are planning on using cell signal for internet for a tablet or something There are lots of spots where coverage is minimal as you get further south in Missouri (depending on your provider). We have at&t and with the exception of a couple minutes here and there we have service the whole route no matter which route we take. We have friends who come down from Il who have sprint and verizon and they have much spottier service in Missouri than we do. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I was trying to take screen shots of the directions and kind of add remarks on the roads and such but I can't figure out how to post them form my computer lol.