The ‘No-Toll’ Effect
Now that the toll’s come to an end, is it a new frontier on Shawnee Bend? by Tegan Pasley In April 2024, the last toll was collected on the Lake of the Ozarks Community Bridge, two years ahead of schedule. The end of the tolls was celebrated by residents and...
The Filmmaking Accident At Lake Of The Ozarks That Changed Hollywood Forever
by Michael Gillespie (posthumous) with additional information by Shore While Netflix could be credited with thrusting Lake of the Ozarks onto the global stage, Hollywood actually discovered the Lake in 1938. A movie production company used the still-new body of water...
Captain Ron’s Dishes Delicious Fun
by Kate Robbins, photos by Lake Shots Photography It’s a favorite Lake of the Ozarks hotspot as well as the home of the Shootout and Aquapalooza: there’s no place at the Lake quite like Captain Ron’s! The prime location on the 34 Mile Marker, plus fabulous food and...
Whimsy & Nostalgia! The Aquarama Mermaid Show From Lake Of The Ozarks’ Past
by Nathan Bechtold Long ago—when The Clown was the best waterfront restaurant around, the Ozark Opry was roaring, and Tan Tar A had a ski resort—at Lake of the Ozarks had a mermaid show. The Lake’s tourism “golden age” produced plenty of zany attractions, but Aquarama...
High Tide: The Adults-Only Club, Lake Of The Ozarks Style
The adults-only club where pool bars abound and the music blasts after dark. by Kate Robbins Just up the road from RedHead Lakeside Bar and Grill, High Tide is bringing a beach club vibe to the 21 mile marker. This poolside bar is always a party. After dark, the Night...
Franky & Louie’s Brings Those Tropical Vibes
by Ariel Kralina, photos by Brad Glidewell On the Lake of the Ozarks 10 Mile Marker, Franky and Louie’s offers live music and fun games with a white sand beach for the family to enjoy. The kitchen staff clearly loves crafting a delicious and memorable experience, and...
Throwback! The Lake Looked GOOD In The 70s & 80s
Ski shows, fast boats, and the Shootout is born by Al Griffin & Nathan Bechtold 1970s: The Ski Show Era The 1970s was the heyday of ski shows at Lake of the Ozarks; meanwhile behind the scenes, innovators and entrepreneurs were shaping the future of family...
My Happy Place
Boaters tell us why they love Lake of the Ozarks, and some favorite memories of sunny days on the water. Ben VensI grew up spending summers at the Lake with family and working. I have been a full-timer now for almost three years.What I love most about the...
Lake History: The Lake of the Ozarks in the 1960s
1960s — Second-Home Ownership GrowsTourism Booms. Boat Manufacturers Move To The Lake. SeaDoos Invented.The magnet of a huge lake in the beautiful Ozarks along with the glitter and entertainment along the Bagnell Dam Strip drew more than 100,00 people a...
Captain Ron & The Tale Of The First Shootout
by Nathan Bechtold“A change in the winds,” Captain Ron Duggan muttered under his breath. He adjusted his course bearings and steadied his grip on the helm; he knew what this strange shift foretold.Years ago Captain Ron had piloted the fastest ship on the...
Redhead Serves Up Lakefront Dining, Year-Round
Lake of the Ozarks is the Midwest’s favorite playground, and between Memorial Day and Labor Day, vacationers abound and business is booming. But when October hits, locals and boaters know plenty of waterfront places close for the winter. Not so at Redhead...
The Go-Fast Scene: Lake Of The Ozarks Is The Center Of Speed
All motion, Einstein tells us, is relative. A mach-speed fighter pilot outstrips the rat race on the highway far below. There white-knuckling drivers jockey for position, darting at speeds measured in single miles per hour. Everything, though, must seem...
Furry First Mates! 12 Tips For Bringing Your Pup Aboard
by Emily Smith“Dog people” are their own special breed of human. To us, dogs aren’t pets - they’re family - so it’s only natural that we want to take our furry children with us wherever we go, and that includes going on boat rides. Taking your dog out on...
Find The Best Wakeboard & Wakesurf Coves At Lake Of The Ozarks: Tips From A Pro
by Sydney Liesmann The Lake of the Ozarks is known for its fantastic scenery and recreational boating; however, it may not be the first place enthusiasts consider for recreational watersports. That is about to change. Kirby Liesmann, owner of Kirby’s...
Silent Killer Leaches From Unusual Suspects
The alarm screeched from two docks in the same cove. It was the week before Memorial Weekend 2018 — not a good time for electricity to scorch through a cove close to one of the Lake’s hottest pool bars. It turns out, the source was from a most unusual...
Missouri’s New No-Wake Law: What You Need To Know
by Nathan Bechtold Boaters love Missouri. Besides being home to the number one recreational lake in the country—Lake of the Ozarks—Missouri also boasts several other very popular lakes for recreational boaters and anglers, as well as the Mississippi...
Millstone Marina & RV Resort
by Janet DabbsThe new Millstone Marina & RV Resort has a magnificent cliffside view that stretches both directions on the 7 Mile Marker along the main channel of the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks. This panoramic view is breathtaking and perfect for...
Lake History: The Lake Of The Ozarks In The 1950s
1950s — Tourism Takes HoldFiberglass. Links Landing. Century Boats. Bridal Cave. Major Hull Innovations.The Lake of the Ozarks came into its own in the 1950s, thanks to post-war prosperity and revolutionary advances in technology. The period brought...
Dock Problem Solved: Meet First Mate, The App That Syncs To Your Boat Lift
John and Julie Figura spent their dating years boating on the Mississippi. John, an electrical engineer by trade, worked in satellite communications. He has been a boater since before he had a driver's license, and tells a lot of great stories about skiing...
Could There Still Be Graves Beneath Lake Of The Ozarks?
by Michael Gillespie (posthumous) and Nathan Bechtold Don’t read this if you are squeamish about cemeteries. Especially don’t read this if you dread the thought that there might be burial sites under the Lake of the Ozarks directly in front of your property. You see,...
Lake History: The Lake Of The Ozarks In The 1940s
The Lake of the Ozarks has evolved from a rustic hunting and fishing destination to the boating Mecca of the Midwest. Here’s a peek at the Lake's second decade: the 1940s.1940s — Boating Grows With Post-War ProsperityDisposable Income Increases. Vacations...
Tan-Tar-A’s Journey To Margaritaville: From Ski Slopes To Sandy Beaches
The first-ever lakeside Margaritaville resort is welcoming guests at Lake of the Ozarks this year. The widely loved resort brand partnered together with the historic Tan-Tar-A Resort in 2017, and began a top-down renovation. As of spring 2019,...
Six Boating Scenes From Netflix’s ‘OZARK’ That Hit The Mark
While very little of the Netflix series Ozark was filmed at the lake where the story takes place, the show still resonates with those who live at Lake of the Ozarks or love to visit. Not all Ozarkians appreciated Ozark’s magnification of the drug and crime elements,...
Lake History: The Lake Of The Ozarks In The 1930s
The Lake of the Ozarks has evolved from a rustic hunting and fishing destination to the boating Mecca of the Midwest. Here’s a peek at the first four decades: from the building of the dam in 1932 to the start of the Lake’s heyday in the 1960s. 1930s — The...
Missouri’s New No-Wake Law: Are You Affected?
The pared-down expansion of the No-Wake rules went into effect at the very end of last year’s boating season, and can be a bit confusing. Let’s cut to the chase.
Fishing On ‘The Big Lake’: An Old Lake Of The Ozarks Angler Takes A Cruise Down Memory Lane
Award-winning outdoors writer Brent Frazee knows every fish tale isn’t a whopper, and the best ones happen when you least expect them.
Editor’s Note: A Lake Story
Before the dam was built, what would one day be Lake of the Ozarks was a largely undeveloped area, with tiny communities scratching out a living in the rocky Ozark soil. Through the years, people arrived to play at a Lake built first for power, but whose...
