This is where the changing face of the Lake of the Ozarks, from simple family fishing resorts toward a more sophisticated, affluent condominium lifestyle, is most apparent. This ain't no hillbilly haven, friend. Get tattooed if you like, but a parasail ride would be more in tune with the times. Although this is the area that is most exposed, it represents but a fraction of the 1,372 miles of shoreline. Hidden among quiet, heavily wooded coves is something for anyone in search of care-shedding relaxation and pure pleasure.
Water sports are one of the biggest draws to Lake of the Ozarks.
At the time Union Electric Co. of St. Louis finished damming the Osage River back in 1931, Lake of the Ozarks became the largest manmade lake in the world. And because Bagnell Dam was built with private capital, the shoreline has never had any restrictions. The Lodge of the Four Seasons, reached by Route HH, is on larger Horseshoe Bend, a peninsula formed as its name implies by a huge bend of the river just west of Lake Ozark and Bus. Families or more party-oriented groups often find themselves headed for a friend's house, a barbecue restaurant or a swimming beach across the way. With 5,000 hotel rooms and 7,000 resort condos capable of handling upwards of 30,000 visitors at a time, a challenge to help keep them filled has fallen on Rick Ammons, who recently took over as director of the Lake of the Ozarks Association.