By Steve Bergsman

Branson, Missouri, touts itself as the family entertainment capital of the world, and its main drag, which is called The Strip, just like in Las Vegas, is lined with a crazy quilt of entertainment venues. There's Moon River Theatre, The Starlite, Mickey Gilley's Theater, Jim Stafford Theater and about a thousand ticky-tacky amusement centers. A recent addition has been the skyline-defining 15-story Ferris wheel that was formerly at Chicago's Navy Pier.

But take a wide look around. Branson sits in a picturesque part of the South, in the heart of a low mountain range called the Ozarks. The rolling landscape rises to rocky crests and dips into hollows; it is crisscrossed by waterways and covered with thick forests. Underneath it all sit miles of limestone, a malleable stone that percolates away when brushed by underground water streams to create labyrinths of caves.

If you travel outside the core of Branson, there's a whole different world out there.

I'm going to start in the most unlikely of venues, the College of the Ozarks, which is a short ride to the south on the far side of Lake Taneycomo. My visit to the campus was on a cold, windy day, but that didn't stop the tour buses from arriving. The college, where students work 15 hours a week to help pay for their tuition, is famous for its fruitcake during the holiday season. Buses carry tourists from around the Midwest who know the best fruitcake in the land - along with other tasty treats, such as jellies — comes from the busy hands of the C of O students. You could say that at those times the commissary is "jammed" with eager buyers.

Indeed, the C of O students sell about 20,000 fruitcakes a year along with 35,000 jars of jellies. But even at other times of the year it's worth it to take the ride to the college, which is quite pretty and with its strong agricultural and tourism curriculum offers a lot to the visitor. For me, the highlight was the greenhouses, including a group dedicated to the growing of orchids. The C of O boasts about 7,000 orchid plants, including a few that are genealogically very old - and therefore very expensive if someone wanted to buy a cutting.

Near the campus entrance is the Keeter Center, a combination store, restaurant, meeting space and hotel - all run by the students. Not only is it beautiful, but the recently restored building in log cabin style has been awarded the title "No. 1 Small Hotel in the United States" by TripAdvisor.

For something a little more quaint, try the dinner cruise on Table Rock Lake. This journey takes a little getting used to because no sooner are you on board than you are herded into the dining room to get ready for supper. Try to make a break for it and head outdoors to the promenade because the big paddle-wheel steamer courses through some picturesque countryside, all hilly and wooded. White clapboard homes dot the landscape, but they don't break either the serenity or the views. Try to be out there when the sun falls beyond the western hills and the world turns a beautiful black.

The boat is called the Showboat because that's exactly what it is. Dinner comes quickly because a full-bore Branson show follows, complete with comedian-magician (a staple in Branson), singers, dancers and a rousing finale - a salute to the U.S. military. When it's all over, the boat has docked.

Johnny Morris - having created the outdoor emporium Bass Pro Shops — knows a good deal about success. A fan of the Ozarks, he built the luxury accommodation Big Cedar Lodge outside of Branson, then followed in 1996 with the purchase of 10,000 acres, which has since become Dogwood Canyon Nature Park.

He has continually invested in the preserve, recently completing a grand complex of wood and stone structures at the entrance to house a restaurant, shops, meeting rooms, museum and even a gristmill. The true delight is in the preserve itself, a canyon crisscrossed with streams, waterfalls, 32 natural springs, parklands and caves. Elk, buffalo and long-horn steers graze in the pastures on the hills above the canyon.

If one hiked (unpaved trails) or biked (paved paths) to the end of trails and back, it would total more than six miles, and at the end of the line would be a creek full of golden trout. There is some pretty good fly-fishing in the park, but it might not be very challenging. As one novice noted, "I don't call it fishing, I call it catching."

Finally, the biggest single draw in all of Branson land is the rambling amusement park and artisan center known as Silver Dollar City. Even more fascinating than the park's roller coasters, glassblowers and fascinating cuisine, however, are its origins. The reason the park is there today is because of a sinkhole near the top of a mountain that fell 90 feet. Eventually, in the late 1800s, an intrepid soul dropped a rope to the bottom and climbed down to what he believed was the bottom. Instead he found that the sinkhole led to a vast cave system. By the 20th century a 90-foot ladder was constructed so tourists could make the journey into the cave, and to keep them coming, Silver Dollar City grew up around the sinkhole.

Today the cavern system is known as Marvel Cave, and it is still open to visitors. It is a wondrous journey through the "wet" cave that is still growing and changing. Eventually you will end up about 50 stories below ground or 505 feet below the entrance. A guide takes you through the caverns. The stairway down is long and steep, as is the climb up, but not as steep as the climb in because a pulley-railcar system carries the intrepid out of the caves and back to the amusement park. The kids may prefer the roller coasters, but to me the Marvel Cave is a bigger thrill.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information, visit www.branson.com and www. explorebranson.com.

Although Branson has a small airport, most visitors arriving by plane come into the Springfield-Branson National Airport. The ride from Springfield to Branson is less than an hour.

Hilton boasts a complex of hotels on the edge of historic downtown Branson. I stayed at the Hilton Branson Convention Center, but others with whom I traveled stayed across the street at the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing: www/hilton.com/branson.

For information about Silver Dollar City: www.silverdollarcity.com

Steve Bergsman is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.