Overlooking Table Rock Lake near Ridgedale, Big Cedar Lodge spans 4,600 acres in the rolling Ozark Mountains. The vision of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, the wilderness resort offers a luxurious yet comfortable, rustic stay, featuring five golf courses (with Tiger Woods designing the most recent, Payne’s Valley), a relaxing spa, two full-service marinas, multiple restaurants, an expansive activity center, and ample opportunities for fishing and other outdoor activities.
As winter turns to spring, Big Cedar and Morris’ other ventures are hosting a full slate of seasonal events. Bass Pro Shops World’s Fishing Fair, March 30 and 31 at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, includes concerts (with Luke Combs, Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, and Hank Williams Jr., among others), seminars from outdoor pros and celebrities (such as Dale Earnhardt Jr., Dude Perfect, and Larry the Cable Guy), rides, games, and sales on all sorts of fishing and outdoor gear, with 50 percent of all sales supporting conservation efforts. Then, from April 13–20, Big Cedar hosts an array of Easter-related activities, including egg hunts, bunny visits, and more.
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Read More: 5 food-filled reasons to spend a day in Ozark, Missouri
This spring, nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park also offers flowering dogwood tours, foraging classes, and a primitive skills workshop, as well as fishing, wildlife tram tours, and a new trail and stream kayak activity. (That’s not to mention, of course, the expansive Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, which merits spending an extra day.)
With Big Cedar offering 317 private lodging accommodations, guests can choose from lodge rooms, cottages, private log cabins, glamping and camp cabins, golf-adjacent lodging, and other luxurious accommodations. Lakefront glamping at Camp Long Creek, for instance, includes luxury tents, camp huts, and camp cabins, as well as access to a pool, s’mores kits, lakefront beach access, and food and drinks from a vintage airstream trailer. Even dining can feel like an event, with the Lady Liberty brunch and dinner cruise on Table Rock Lake or a scenic view from one of a dozen restaurants, including the Worman House Bistro and the stunning Osage Restaurant at Top of the Rock.
And families have a whole other assortment of options for children: archery tag, a Mad Hatter–themed tea party, and a Cozy Critters workshop, as well as Fun Mountain, a kid-friendly attraction with laser tag, underwater-themed bowling, an arcade, go-karts, a ropes course, bumper cars, a climbing wall, a golf simulator, the Kids’ Adventure Club, and the Kids’ Nature Discovery Center.
