Grand Country Waterpark Resort

The indoor waterpark was a hit with our summer-loving kids and helped with the winter blues. It was warm inside without feeling too hot, and the water wasn't cold. The chlorine smell was pretty strong, though. Our first visit went very well. The hotel staff were friendly, checked us in efficiently, and were helpful whenever we needed something. The lifeguards were attentive and took their work seriously, with plenty of safety practices in place. We can't wait to return.

We brought bed bugs home, unfortunately. Now our family Christmas present comes with the added expense of an exterminator, new sheets, and new bed covers for five beds, among other things. I checked the beds in our first room but didn't think to check again after we were moved. The move happened because, soon after we arrived, we saw a mouse run from the clubhouse area into a crack in the floor. We had driven six hours and gone to the room to rest. At the front desk, staff apologized lightly and offered to switch us, but our family of six ended up in a room even farther from the pool, with no compensation. We'd also been surprised that the “poolside room” was in a separate building. In winter, walking between buildings wet isn't appealing. The waterpark was fun, though managing several kids was hard because of the arms-length rule. My daughter was just under the age allowed to go out of arms length, so she had to stay with me while I held her toddler brother. She liked the toddler-area slide, which helped. The buffet and pizza places were good.

I spent over $1,000 and drove four hours each way, and I wouldn't recommend this place. At Fun Spot, a boulder in the parking lot scraped the paint off my new truck. There were no attendants at any of the activities. We had to let ourselves play mini golf, which I'd already prepaid for. Go-karts and laser tag were the same, with nobody there to help. I have an injured ankle and couldn't get a wheelchair or accessible parking near the waterpark. The 33 percent off ad said laser tag was included, but when we arrived they said the deal covered only go-karts and mini golf. The Fun Spot was pitiful. Check-in on a holiday weekend took over half an hour. The line snaked almost out the door, and there were only two employees checking guests in. They should be prepared for that kind of weekend if they don't want families waiting in the lobby. We were also sold a room for six that sleeps four. There was no freezer compartment, though we needed one for an ice pack, and the temperature couldn't be set below 65.

We love Branson and will come back, but we won't stay here again. We still had fun because we were in Branson, but the resort was the least enjoyable part of the trip. We'd usually choose an Airbnb on our two or three yearly visits, and this was our first time staying at Grand Country Resort and trying its attractions. It's disappointing because this is a family-owned business. The room was hot even in February, since the thermostat couldn't go below 67. It felt more like a motel, with exterior doors, and there was no bathroom fan. The room looked clean but smelled musty. Carpet and an indoor waterpark don't seem like a good combination. At the waterpark, staff were yelling constantly and seemed unprofessional around kids. The atmosphere felt chaotic. The pet portion of the show was great, but only about 15 minutes was actually about pets; most of it was fart and poop jokes. At the packed Fun Spot arcade, I lost $2 in a broken machine. Staff were hard to find except behind the counter.