The rustic Sycamore Creek ranch in Branson offers all things stay, play, and wedding day.
As visitors enter Sycamore Creek ranch in Branson, they are met with sycamore trees swaying to the songs of cicadas as if beckoning guests into the secluded oasis ahead.
This serene 272-acre ranch—known for its vast number of nature activities, wedding venues, and covered Glamping Wagon stays—was opened in 2015 by Mike and Lisa Button. The couple’s goal is to bring families together while immersing them in nature.
“The whole reason we’re here is because we’re just following what we felt like God was leading us to do. And through prayer, he revealed these ideas. I really felt his heart bleeding over the state of the family in our culture,” Lisa says. “This is a place for family.”
Visitors can hop in a canoe or kayak or on a paddleboard and glide along the still waters of a branch of Lake Taneycomo, gazing up at the limestone bluffs above them. Hidden between bushes, there is a small beach along the water. For those wanting to lace up their hiking boots, the ranch has three miles of mowed trails, which pass by an eagle’s nest and Lake Taneycomo.
“Sometimes, when you’re back here, you can hear coyotes. You might wake up and there’s wild turkeys running through here, or there could be a lot of deer,” Mike says. “There’s a ton of wildlife out here.”
Overnight guests can snuggle up inside one of the six Conestoga Glamping Wagons, which look like spoke-wheeled wagons straight off the Oregon Trail. Each wagon is decorated in its own style and has a toilet, shower, at least one bed, a copy of Little House on the Prairie, and other modern amenities. In the center of the circle of wagons, there is a fire pit for those wanting to roast a hot dog or s’more.
“You’re going to be unplugged here,” Lisa says. “Its simplicity and unplugged. Just go with the flow, and enjoy the rhythm of being away from crazy and schedules.”
Down the gravel road from the wagons, the ranch is bursting with family-friendly activities. The ranch features a playground, a pickleball court, lawn games, a giant tubing slide, frisbee golf, and a low-elements challenge course. For animal lovers, visitors can collect eggs from the chicken coop; pet the dust off of the farm’s Jerusalem donkey, Ringo; or watch the Nigerian dwarf goats, Andy, Buzz, and Woody, wrestle for attention.
If wedding bells are in the future, couples can get married in one of the three wedding venues: the Heartwood Barn Venue, Sycamore Tree Ceremony Site, and Shiloh Ridge Lake View Venue.
Heartwood Barn has massive hand-carved beams and 30-foot ceilings. Besides weddings, the barn is also host to barn dances, featuring two-stepping, line dancing, and swing dancing. The Sycamore Tree Site has an outdoor aisle lined with Russian sage flowers that leads to an over 200-year-old sycamore tree and a wooden wedding arch. The Shiloh Ridge venue is a more quaint area with a glittering view of the lake. Those having their wedding on-site can rent the Sycamore Creek Pizza Co. Wood Fired Food Truck to feed their guests. There is also a rehearsal dinner area called the Gathering Place.
“We always put our values in our business,” Lisa says. “We want people who come here to feel love and like they’re part of the family.”
For more information, visit SycamoreCreekFamilyRanch.com
All photos courtesy of Andrea Kaneko.
This article was originally published in the November/December 2025 edition of Missouri Life magazine.
