In 1960-1961 I lived and worked in Kansas City, Missouri. I have returned about every 10 years for a wedding, bar mitzvah or graduation. This time I had five nights there while attending the 9th annual Travel Media Showcase, a travel writer’s conference. There were 75 travel writers and the same number of destinations present (the hurricane season prevented a handful from attending). On my own, I revisited the Spanish inspired Country Club Plaza, where I had lived, with its fountains, murals and statues. I also toured the Stockyards (what is left of them) with fond memories of both the smell and the “best steaks in the world.” I wished I had time for a performance at the Starlight Theatre, the second largest outdoor theater in the US, where I vividly remember seeing a performance of South Pacific. My one disappointment was that the College Basketball Experience, which holds the College Basketball Hall of Fame, was closed for maintenance.
Our conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center, located across the street from the revitalized Union Station: still a working railroad station, but with added shops and restaurants (think Grand Central in New York). Our local hosts offered several half a day tours and I choose the one that visited the Hallmark Visitors Center; the new Power & Light District with clubs, restaurants and the Convention Center. I especially enjoyed the American Jazz Museum with its Blue Room, the place to listen to Kansas City Jazz. The same building houses the Negro Baseball Leagues Museum. The opening reception was at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, one of the finest in America. When I lived in Kansas City I used to eat at Arthur Bryant’s at least once a week. The best BBQ restaurant in America did not disappoint. We were also taken on a short drive to Independence, Missouri and a visit to the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum.
When the conference hosts offered several post trips I said yes to the three-day Lake of the Ozarks journey. Forty-eight years ago I remember driving more than three hours from Kansas City (the same from St. Louis) where I stayed at mainly small family owned fishing lodges (the bass, catfish and stripers are still there) and motels with few dining options. Wow, have things changed! Our small group made a side trip to the capitol city. NO, it is not St. Louis but Jefferson City. Amtrak can take you there but you still have a 45-minute drive to the lake. Worth seeing in town is the State Capitol, Governors Mansion and Gardens, Lewis & Clark Trailhead Plaza (they passed by on their way west). Lunch was at Madison’s Café & a definite dessert stop is Central Dairy for ice cream.
The 54,000-acre lake was formed by the construction of the Bagnell Dam in 1931 and was owned by the Union Electric Company (now AmerenUE). The land bordering the lake is privately owned and shoreline development of resorts, docks, restaurants, etc is permitted. When originally formed it was the largest man-made lake in the world. The area adjacent to the dam is known as “the strip”(not that kind of stripping) with family restaurants, souvenir shops, flea markets, etc. The Osage Beach Premium Outlets is the largest in the state with 110 stores. The rest of the lake area has gone upscale with gourmet restaurants (about 35 are on the waterfront), over 250 lodging options including luxury resorts, campgrounds, bed and breakfasts and rental condos galore. There are 16 golf courses, 100-plus marinas and magnificent homes, some selling for many millions. August Busch IV home has its own heliport so the CEO of Anheuser Busch can arrive from St. Louis in style. Getting around the lake got a lot easier with the 1998 construction of the Community Toll Bridge that connects the east and west sides of the lake. Yes, the lake is under naval gridlock on summer weekends, but with 40 miles of tributaries and 1,150 miles of shoreline there are plenty of “tranquil” settings. The year round population is over 80,000 in the three-county area surrounding the lake; that swells to 100,000 in the summer. The lake area hosts around five million visitors a year. We took a 1 1/2 hour lake cruise aboard the 75-foot, 150-passenger Tropic Island Cruise vessel that departed from the dock at our resort, The Lodge of Four Seasons.
The Lodge of Four Seasons features 302 guest rooms and 50 condos, plus two golf courses and a 120-slip marina. While two of our group went fishing, the other three of us opted for a visit to Spa Shiki where I had a foot reflexology and Swedish massage then used the sauna and steam room. The kind folks from the Lake of the Ozark Bed & Breakfast Association had arranged for breakfast in bed the morning we left Kansas City, as well as breakfast “on the road” on our early morning returns to Kansas City airport. We were invited for breakfast and to meet our benefactors at one of their nine members- Bass & Baskets Inn overlooking the lake. We learned that if the B&B had 4 or fewer rooms they had less stringent requirements to be licensed. Andre Torres, owner and chef of Andre’s, hosted our group for dinner. Talk about a family restaurant; his three sons and wife all work there. He is the Lake’s only Certified Executive Chef but refers to himself as “a French Hillbilly.”
I had tasted Missouri wines both at the travel conference and as a judge and found only a few I enjoyed. It is difficult to grow vinifera grapes (Cabernet, Chardonnay, etc) in Missouri so many of the wines are off dry. We had lunch at a brand new winery, Seven Springs, where I found a few favorites: Traminette, Vignoles and Norton. Despite the funny name, Ha Ha Tanka State Park is a gem with hiking trails, caves and springs. Originally developed after the turn of the century by a Kansas City businessman as a stone replica of a European castle, a fire gutted the building in 1942. What is left is the shell that overlooks the lake and was donated to the state by his heirs.
Our second night was spent at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Golf Club, Marina and Indoor Water Park. With 950 guest rooms, multiple pools (including a man-made sand beach), a health spa, bowling alley, three golf courses (one miniature), three restaurants (plus a Burger King and Sbarro) it is definitely a family friendly resort. The indoor water park is guaranteed to keep your kids (and adults) occupied. Dinner was at Windrose, an American steak and seafood restaurant, on the property. Our group all agreed we had now eaten at the two best restaurants on the lake.
Most of the resorts stay open year round with golf available for at least 10 months. I hear the Christmas season brings out thousands of decorations and lighted properties. Personally, I would like to return during the summer. The next morning we took about three hours to arrive at Kansas City International Airport with many fond memories to cherish.
For More Information:
www.crowncenter.com
www.amtrak.com
www.visitkc.com
www.nww1.org
www.americanjazzmuseum.com
www.countyclubplaza.com
www.unionstation.org
www.trumanlibrary.org
www.nelson-atkins.org
www.hallmarkvisitorscenter.com
www.nlbm.com
www.collegebasketballexperience.com
www.arthurbryantsbbq.com
www.funlake.com - (800) FUN-LAKE
www.visitmo.com
www.4seasonsresort.com
www.tan-tar-a.com
www.premiumoutlets.com
www.tropicislandcruises.com
www.bassandbaskets.com
www.andreslakeoz.com
www.sevenspringswinery.com
www.visitjeffersoncity.com
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