Start planning your next vacation now. Your family will love The Lake of the Ozarks. Located in the heart of Missouri, it's just two and a half hours from Kansas City or St. Louis
The Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri is an outstanding lake recreational vacation destination. Located in central Missouri, the lake is an easy 2.5 to 3 hour drive from Kansas City or St. Louis. The Lake of the Ozarks area offers world-class golf, boating, fishing, shopping and an extensive variety of restaurants, state parks, and other recreational activities. No matter what your budget or interest, you are bound to find activities to please every member of the family. Summer is no doubt the peak season for recreational visits, however with the variety of year-round activities the lake area has truly become a destination for all four seasons.
One of the lake's defining landmarks is Bagnell Dam, built in 1930 by Union Electric, which is now Ameren. The building of this structure across the Osage River formed what was once a system of rivers into the 90 mile long Lake of the Ozarks. First time visitors, or anyone interested in knowing more about how the lake came to be and Bagnell Dam, should take the time to visit Willmore Lodge. This is the home of the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. Located just 1 mile from our Lake of the Ozarks Condo Rental and just off of Business 54 close to Route W, this rustic lodge houses a small museum and offers a great view from the bluffs overlooking the lake's main channel. The St. Louis Post Dispatch published this interesting article about Bagnell Dam in 2006. Bagnell Dam Birthday Article By Tom Uhlenbrock.
State Parks
Ha Ha Tonka is a 3,679 acre park filled with great adventurous activities. Lake of the Ozarks State Park provides endless opportunities for outdoor activities including picnics, hiking and fishing. The park consists of over 17,000 acres and offers boating hiking, camping and more. Here there are two swimming beaches. Boat rentals and boat ramps are also available.
Fishing
Lake of the Ozarks is one of the most popular fishing destinations in the Midwest. Prime fishing targets are Largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, hybrid striped bass, catfish and walleye. Almost anytime of the year you will find good fishing at Lake of the Ozarks. Fishing tournaments are held practically year round, and often the Lake of the Ozarks hosts major professional fishing events. Anglers particularly like to target the Spring spawning season when the action is particularly good for bass and crappie. While you'll see many fishing boats on the Lake of the Ozarks, you will also find that there is excellent fishing from docks and sea walls as well as the banks below Bagnell Dam. Check out the Lake Sun Leader fishing report. If you are serious about crappie fishing, check out a popular locally designed and packaged crappie jig at www.slabbuster.com.
Golf
The Lake of the Ozarks area boasts 261 holes of golf with a variety of challenging layouts and price ranges. Whether you just enjoy a weekend game or you are an experienced, low handicap player, you are bound to find a course that is fun plus challenges your golf game. You will find a variety of courses with water, sand and elevation changes winding through the hills. Lake of the Ozarks is becoming practically a year-round golfing destination. More info on golfing at Lake of the Ozarks can be found at the Golfing in Missouri website. Of course, if you are looking for a family activity, the Lake of the Ozarks also has numerous miniature golf courses for a fun outing.
Shopping
Need to find groceries? Looking for great outlet bargains? Souvenirs? Antiques? You will find all of these and more all within minutes of Lake Ozark and our condo rental. There are new full line grocery stores including Hyvee and Paul's Supermarket that provide all the items to stock your shelves during your stay. You will also find outlet shopping at the Osage Beach Premium Outlets. Here you'll find an exciting collection of 110 outlet stores from fashion designers and name-brand products. This outlet draws shoppers from through out Missouri and nearby states as they travel to the Lake of the Ozarks to seek a variety of bargains. In Osage Beach, close to Bagnell Dam, there are numerous gift shops, souvenir shops, arcades and ice cream parlors. Here you'll find those unique items found only at the Lake of the Ozarks.
