Greetings from Branson, Mo.! As I write this, I’m in the Ozarks city for the first time, attending the North American Travel Journalists Association Conference but also taking the opportunity to explore the city a bit. By the time you read this, I’ll be at 30,000 feet, heading back to Philadelphia in time for the weekend.

I started the week by sitting on an Editor’s Panel at the conference. As one of four editors, we talked to a room of freelance travel journalists about our pitching and assigning processes, as well as how they can reach out to us and potentially help us deliver stories to you, our readers.

That evening we took in one of the city’s most popular attractions, the Showboat Branson Belle. The city is known for its abundance of shows and entertainment, and the Showboat offers the opportunity to cruise Table Rock Lake in a traditional riverboat while dining and enjoying music and dance. The new show includes a unique movie song melody featuring 26 songs in nine minutes with costume changes.

I was excited to experience the world’s fastest, steepest and tallest spinning coaster at Silver Dollar City yesterday afternoon. The recently debuted Time Traveler roller coaster is the park’s newest attraction, and it was among six roller coasters I rode. I love thrill rides, and I didn’t let yesterday’s rain stop from me from experiencing them as well as other aspects of the theme park, including the culinary school and the craftsmen.

Last night I enjoyed the delectable surf and turf option at Chateau Grille at Chateau on the Lake Resort. My sesame-crusted crab cake paired with pork loin and blue cheese-and-bacon whipped potatoes was delicious. Unfortunately, given the weather, we missed the sunset, but the room where we dined was perfectly positioned to enjoy the view had it been clear.

Today I head out to explore Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, exploring more of the outdoor scenery the Ozarks are known for!

— Kimberly Krol, editor in chief