Thunder Ridge Nature Arena (SMX FINAL)

Never heard of the place until it was announced for SMX. After googling to see where it is located I understand the involvement of bass pro shops in the series this year seeing as the facility is the work of the bass pro shops founder.

I used to sneak onto golf course ponds in FL as a kid to fish and when I was not reading mx mags I was drooling over the bass pro catalog looking at all the gear and lures I wished I could own.

it's right down the road from branson, mo, which is a huge tourist area.  if you are into lake sports, fantastic place.  look up big cedar lodge https://bigcedar.com/ if you want to see a cool luxury/rustic place to stay/fish/etc.

the first bass pro shops was in springfield, mo, about an hour north of there, and they have several high end fishing/outdoors related properties in that area.  all top notch.

Good luck staying at the lodge itself.  It’s been on our bucket list for awhile (almost had our wedding there), but all that was left were a few glamping tents and $1000/night cabins.  The regular rooms were all booked.  This was Saturday afternoon.

There’s plenty of rooms within a 10-20 minute drive though.  We snagged one in Branson already.  There’s apparently a way to book a shuttle to/from events at Thunder Ridge, but I haven’t figured that out yet.

I spent two days in Branson on a cross-country road trip back in October.  It’s an, um, interesting town.  Demographics definitely skew older but there’s no shortage of things to do.

Hitting the original Bass Pro and the attached museums are a must.  There’s plenty of live entertainment and the outdoor mall at Branson Landing.

for anyone more east coast, branson is similar to gatlinburg, tn, as said above, it can be 'interesting'.  plethora of mini golf, tons of places to stay, and it's basically like vegas musical residencies, but for older crowed oriented country 

Stoked to have it there and will be going for sure. Branson is a great place but traffic is terrible and book your stay early for a better price.

Howler MTB park nearby!

Did anyone end up buying tickets?  We put $100/ea. deposits down for the VIP options (NOT the Feld SMX experiences).  We ended up paying $375 each for a table on the terrace. That includes food, a few drink tickets, and better parking.

I believe those VIP tickets are going on sale to the public this week via the Thunder Ridge site.

So is camp kanakuk ..... sigh... 

Being in the middle of nowhere just shows how smx did not work out... not enough attendance to remotely fill an actual stadium... bring back one weekend of mec in vegas for massive bucks... chitkicker missouri is just embarrassing for an intergalactic world championship like smx.... 

I’m interested in seeing how the track layout is going to work with the spectating hill.  It appears to be a bit of a further distance to the track from the seating area then most events. 

Gotta say the SMX drop off in only a few years is hilarious…

From the coliseum to a bunch of shitty supercross tracks and this outdoor music venue… 

If this was WSX Don would be stroking out over how pathetic it is

I don't know necessarily if this is a "drop off".  The series has secured sponsorship with one of the largest outdoor retailers in the country.  Now the final is being held at a new concert venue owned by the same guy.

Yeah maybe SMX Finals at Thunder Ridge isn't the same as the LA Coliseum or Vegas, but it's also not Comp Park II.

The area as a whole is great imo. Tons to do no matter what your interest are, I personally love cave exploration and they have tons. I have been to this place, and I honestly can’t see how they are going to get a track in the proposed area and have decent seating. There are buildings where they say the track is going to the left of the stage that I didn’t think were temporary, I could be wrong. The place is definitely a different vibe, but it’s a cool area, definitely worth visiting. 

It depends I guess...  My wife and I did the coliseum 2 years ago, but due to my knee replacement, we didn't go to Vegas.  But I showed this to my wife and she was immediately more interested than any of the others.  Now I'm working on scheduling to see if I can make it work with time off, etc.

I think it's interesting and really curious to see what kind of track gets built there.

Fairly local to me. Went to a concert there last year and I think it could be a great venue for a track. The banked seating area will be great for viewing. Parking lots were a mess last year but I think they’ve been working on them. 

I get that people aren't jazzed about the soccer stadiums but Thunder Ridge has potential to be a great SMX round. We're hitting Bentonville on Thursday and Friday, SMX on Saturday, and either fishing or more MTB on Sunday. It's a great area for outdoorsmen. 

Im about 20min from Thunder Ridge. I highly suggest getting a hotel/cabin/airbnb away from Branson. There are tons of beautiful spots on the lake to stay at. Branson West, Lampe, Kimberling, Shell Knob, Cape Fair. Even down in Arkansas on the Buffalo River there are some nice cabins. You also have Bull Shoals Lake to the east.

There are 2 mtb parks close, Howler and Two Rivers.

Mx track in Branson West (Ricks Branson MX)

Tex Plex at Fox Creek for SXS.

Chadwick is close as well for wood riding. Buffalo Wilderness Ranch is about an hour and a half south and the best single track in the Midwest imo.

I'm holding out until the end of the season.  The last thing I want to do is spend the time, money and effort to attend only to have the top riders not there due to injuries (Or just as bad have a 3 day rain come through).  I did the MXND at Red Bud when it was a mud bath and the weather was a bummer.  I live 2.5hrs from Branson and the cost to spend the weekend there can be pricey.  That said I'm prepared to drop a grand on the weekend if I go. 

We’ve raced the Branson National a few times, and our family has always loved the area and visiting there. We stayed at Big Cedar a couple of years ago for a family Christmas trip, and the property is absolutely incredible. Between the caves, the lake, the sinkhole (they were in the process of clearing it out to make it walkable when we were there), and all the activities, there’s just so much to do. We had an amazing time and no doubt that it is on the pricey side, but the experience was worth it. We are really looking forward to getting back up there for the SMX race.

Definitely take the clubs with you! If you can't get a tee time online, try calling. They sometimes have them blocked off for guests of the resort, but will open them up closer to the day you want to play. Every course down there is amazing, and a truly killer golf experience! 

Very much looking forward to this race. My best friend's in-laws live right across the highway basically at Big Cedar. Needless to say, I already reserved the guest room. Johnny Morris' pockets run deep so I know he will make it awesome. Don't listen to anyone whining about the parking situation. You can't compare a Garth Brooks, or Post Malone show, to the SMX race. They improve their logistics and get better with every event they host.

Oldham, Im in Ozark and keep my boat there in Kimberling City.  Is there a way to get close to Thunder Ridge on the water, and come in from the opposite direction on Hwy 86?

Me as well, I'm at POK.

Yes but Thunder Ridge was designed so you cant see and hardly can hear anything going on at the amphitheater. People will cove out for concerts and what not but I've heard its not worth it. If you're familiar with the state line sign past long creek, the cove is just before the mo/ark line.

Id come in from 86 not 65 when attending the venue. Traffic is far far less

I drove through Branson and stayed for a few days once, it has an okay lake, but all the tourists are mostly overweight mid westerners going to buffets and weird shows. It's def not the demographic I think when I think moto fan. 

 

Ya I was just wondering if there was a place to dock up over closer to the arena, then drive the few miles from there, versus fighting all the traffic.  

With traffic its probably a 45min to hour drive for me. If I took the boat (if there was a dock), I would still be looking at the same drive time by boat I imagine. Traffic wasn't that bad when I went the last time. Seems like most of the traffic issues are when people are trying to get into the venue as everyone shows up right before a concert starts. SMX will be an all day event

How difficult is it to find one MX venue, one SX venue and then a hybrid venue for the final??

Apparently really hard based on results so far 

Looks like Big Cedar isn’t available to book. Just tried to book a room there since it’s walking distance to the venue. Just like the Holiday Inn in Crawfordsville for MXON it’s completely blocked off. They have it listed as “Departure Only”. 

Has anybody seen any information on RV camping at the venue? Considering driving the motorhome up there now I guess.