Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.

Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.

Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content.

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribe purchase a subscription to continue reading.

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribe purchase a subscription to continue reading.

Thank you for signing in! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.

Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.

Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code.

Promotional Rates were found for your code.

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%..

Partly cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 72F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.

The long-awaited Fourth of July holiday weekend is here, and the "Best Recreational Lake in the Nation" has something for everyone in the family. Swimming and boating? Oh, yeah. Water parks? You know it. High-flying fun like ziplining or parasailing? Check and check. Go-kart tracks and miniature golf? No problem. Arcades and ice cream shops? Absolutely. At the Lake of the Ozarks, families can have an experience they won't forget and make memories worth treasuring years later.

To enjoy the Lake, all you have to do is jump, dive or wade in. For free public swimming access, Lake of the Ozarks State Park offers two sandy swimming beaches along the Grand Glaize Arm of the Lake. Both, the Grand Glaize Beach in Osage Beach and Public Beach #1 near Brumley offer amenities such as restrooms, changing houses, playgrounds and picnic areas for visitors' enjoyment and convenience.

There are four great options for splashing around in the water but off the Lake.

Big Surf Waterpark in Linn Creek is an outdoor water park open annually from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Big Surf Activity Pool and its lily pad bridge can keep the kids busy for hours and Zambezi Falls, a three-story tall half-pipe of rushing water, delivers lots of adrenaline-pumping thrills that mom and dad will enjoy, too. The Challenger Flumes are dueling 300-foot water slides, twisting and turning their way down to a catch pool. Visitors also can float leisurely down the Lazy River or choose The Rapids for a white water float. Other attractions include a large wave pool and the Space Bowl, which was the first-of-its kind in the country. Perfect for younger and smaller children are the tropical-themed Splash Island featuring small water slides, teeter-totters and squirting toucans, and the Dry Ground Activity Area with sand volleyball, basketball, sandbox and playground.

Jolly Mon Indoor Water Park , located at Margaritaville Lake Resort in Osage Beach, is a tropical-themed Jolly Mon water park featuring 600 feet of water slides, an activity pool, an over-sized whirlpool, and a lazy river for tubing, and floating. That's in addition to the highlight of Jolly Mon - a three-story wilderness tree house with slides, bridges, water blasters, tunnels, and a gigantic 600-gallon tipping bucket. Come rain, shine or snow, kids of all ages can splash, play, slide and enjoy endless aquatic adventures inside this 20,000-square foot family-fun water park.

Bear Bottom Resort in Sunrise Beach is home to the two longest water slides in Missouri, each measuring more than 700 feet providing fun for kids of all ages.

Coconuts Caribbean Beach Bar and Grill in Gravois Mills features a sandy swimming beach and the kid-friendly Bananas Water Park, complete with water slides and swimming pool playground.

Miner Mike's Indoor Family Fun Center in Osage Beach has been a family favorite for almost 30 years, offering tons of miner-themed indoor activities and more than 100 token-operated arcade games. The Runaway Mine Train Roller Coaster flies over dips, bends and through a rock tunnel while the Chuck Wagon Ferris Wheel takes riders two stories into the air for a birds-eye view of the entertainment complex.

Buster's Arcade features more than a million dollars of high-tech arcade games and simulators geared toward older children and adults.

Buster's Garage is a Route 66-themed indoor go-kart track, which is the largest elevated indoor tracks in the country.

Speaking of go-karts, Lemans Go-Karts in Lake Ozark, Gran Rally Karts and Winner's Circle Go-Karts , both in Osage Beach, all provide more action-packed racing fun. Each business offers single- or double-seated cars so mom and dad can race against or race with the kids along the smooth, winding paved racetracks.

Visitors looking for an old-fashioned arcade experience will appreciate a stop at the  Dogpatch Arcade  located near the Dogpatch store, the Lake's original kitschy souvenir shop. The Dogpatch Arcade, located on the Strip in Lake Ozark, keeps vacationers entertained with old-school skee ball machines and other arcade classics as well as video games, simulators and more.

For those looking to putt around, there are three fun miniature golf courses to choose from around the Lake of the Ozarks. 

Putt N' Stuff in Osage Beach features two different 18-hole courses with caves, waterfalls and rivers coming into play. Putt N' Stuff also is home to the Lake's only bumper cars track for family fun off the course. Also in Osage Beach,  Pirate's Cove offers "swashbuckling fun for the whole family" with two 18-hole courses in an 18th century setting with pirate memorabilia to read and enjoy as golfers make their way from hole to hole.  Sugar Creek in Lake Ozark has been challenging families for over 30 years and offers the choice of two shady 18-hole courses in a park-like setting with many hazards to test golfer's skills.

If high-flying entertainment is your family's idea of fun, there are several places around the Lake of the Ozarks that will get the adrenaline and excitement pumping. Guests at Jetz Trampoline Park in Osage Beach can partake in a number of trampoline-based activities and games including foam pits, dodge ball, basketball, "battle" balance beams, a "Top Gun" ninja course, a slack line and a "Little Jet Jump Zone" for the smaller and younger kids. Malted Monkey , located on the Strip, is one of the Lake's newest entertainment options and includes an outdoor ropes course that reaches up to 60-feet high across three levels and features over 45 obstacles.

The newly opened Adrenaline Zipline in Camdenton offers the Lake area's first zipline canopy tour. Adrenaline's Osage-8 Canopy Tour features eight different ziplines with tours lasting approximately two hours taking visitors on a high-flying tour into the heart of the Ozarks. And, Paradise Parasail , located next to the Bagnell Dam in Lake Ozark, has been taking customers up to 500 feet above the water for a thrilling ride and unique view of the Lake of the Ozarks for nearly 40 years.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.

Vacation News has been THE entertainment guide for more than 70 years! Featuring restaurants, music, arts & theater, business profiles — everything that’s happening at the Lake is in Vacation News each issue.

Lake Media is the trusted source for news and information covering Lake of the Ozarks. A family of publications: Lake Sun, Lake Lifestyles magazine, Vacation News (Real Estate & Boats special sections), and a variety of other niche products.

Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates.

Each day's obituaries, delivered to your inbox.

Get the latest headlines on local sports!

Get our expert short-term forecast, summary of the weather details and news of any severe weather.

Best trending stories from the week.