The beach has been rated by Conde Naste's Traveler Magazine as one of the 25 best shorelines in the world. MTV has ranked the Oval as one of the top five beaches in the country. They are unhurried spots where you can spend the day reading a book while relaxing in the sun and watching the sailboats slip by. Their water-bound excursions are punctuated by cottages, extravagant homes, forests, wetlands, and a panorama of dunes. Visitors can enjoy an even more leisurely boat ride by hopping aboard North America's only hand-cranked chain ferry for a trip across the river.
Anglers can charter boats to go after salmon, trout, pike and perch.
And those who want to make their own waves rent boats, pontoons or charter sailboats. Back on land, the adventuresome can climb 279 steps to the top of the Mt. Baldhead sand dune. For another aerial view take a freewheeling ride on a converted pick-up truck, known as a dune schooner, across some of the towering sand hills. Golfers can hit the links at three 18-hole courses, one designed by golfing legend Arnold Palmer. Bowlers can knock over pins in Douglas at Lakeview Lanes, the area's only bowling alley.