Magic supplies in Branson, Taney and Stone counties, Missouri

A Branson audience has usually just watched an illusion show built for a thousand seats, and the first thing many of them want is something they can do in a living room or a lakeside cabin. The honest answer is that the stage pieces they saw need a crew and a truck. What travels home is the parlour end of the same craft. A Metal Appearing Cane gives you a stage-style production from an empty hand, a Dove Pan brings something out of an empty pan, and Stick to Flowers changes a black wand into a bouquet. The stage magic collection is where those live, and our piece on famous magicians in history is good reading for anyone who has just seen the modern version.

Much of Branson's visitor trade sleeps in rented condos, lake houses and resort suites, and the evenings there are card tables and board games among grown-up guests. That suits close-up magic far better than anything with a stand. A Svengali Deck gives a newcomer a strong routine on the first night; a See-Through Marked Deck lets you name a card someone only thought of. Add a Three Cups and Balls — Chrome Finish set for the coffee table and you have a short show that fits in a weekend bag. Our guide to card magic for beginners covers the handling.

Few towns let you watch this much live magic in a week. Go to two different kinds of show, an illusion production and a variety bill, and watch how the performers talk to the room between effects; that patter is the part a beginner skips and the part that makes the effect land. Then pick one prop and learn it properly before buying a second. The beginner collection holds the props we would start with, and how to become a magician lays out a sensible order for the first year.

People search for a magic shop in Branson, and the theatres' gift counters do sell souvenirs and boxed tricks. We could not confirm a dedicated magic dealer trading in Branson or elsewhere in Taney or Stone County from a current source, so we don't name one.

If you want props that last beyond the holiday, buying online is the practical route. Each of our product pages says what comes in the box and whether there are printed instructions, which matters when you're learning alone in a cabin rather than at a counter.

Branson's nearest city is Springfield, about forty miles north up US-65, where most of the region's corporate and wedding work is booked. Across the Arkansas line, Fayetteville and the northwest Arkansas cities are a couple of hours' drive through the hills. For everything else in the state, from Kansas City to St. Louis, see magic in Missouri.

Branson's theatres are not the only paid stages. The convention hotels, the lake resorts and the coach-tour trade all book entertainment for dinners and hospitality nights, and those rooms want an act that plays to seated adults in a short slot. Mentalism suits that well: Forcing Dice and a PK Ring — Silver carry a ten-minute set with nothing on a table. If you are moving from close-up to a platform spot, mentalism versus traditional magic explains why the style projects to a banquet hall.

We post to every address in Branson and the rest of Taney and Stone counties on the same terms as anywhere else in the US, including holiday rentals if someone there can take the parcel. Most of the range comes from our supplier, so we don't quote a delivery date; order before the trip, not during it. Unopened items can come back within 30 days of delivery. Read our shipping policy and returns and refunds for the detail.