If you’ve ever found yourself wandering amid the hunting-lodge armchairs and fake canyons of a Bass Pro Shops location, and experienced the intrusive thought, “I kind of wish this was a real hunting lodge I could, like, sleep in,” then, reader, I have flabbergasting news for you: Bass Pro Shops World is a place on earth. And it is called Big Cedar Lodge.
This news will only be flabbergasting if, like myself, you’re from one of the coastal states where Big Cedar is not already a household name. There are parts of the country where it’s as iconic a destination as Walt Disney World, Great Wolf Lodge or Dollywood.
I set off on a pilgrimage into the Ozarks to find out what this place was about, and what you can do there. And it turn out the better question is: what can’t you do at Big Cedar Lodge? With multiple lodging options, landscapes and activities for all ages, Big Cedar is an ambitious resort that caters to just about everybody. There are curated paths for families with young kids, adult family reunions, the boys’ trip, the bachelorette weekend, the lovestruck couple, and even the high-profile in need of privacy.
From fishing to fantasyland
Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops, is like a Henry Ford or a Steve Jobs: a guy it’s easy to build a cult of personality around. Morris got his start in 1972 in Springfield, Missouri, selling homemade fishing tackle. Fast-forward to 1987, and he’d built an empire of brick-and-mortar Bass Pro Shops locations. Morris wanted a small lakeside property to test out the boats he was considering for stock in his stores. When he set eyes on this inlet of Table Rock Lake, he fell in love, and a much bigger idea was born: to open a hotel.
Of course, banter with employees at such a place often turns to tales of their famous boss. The picture those conversations painted was that of someone humble, approachable and even quiet at the company party … but a perfectionist when it comes to his vision. Apparently when the Chapel of the Ozarks was built, high on the property’s highest point, Morris examined the brand new structure and informed his team that they’d have to disassemble the whole thing and move it several feet to the left. He had to make sure that the sun set directly behind the steeple in summer, choreographing the most ideal storybook view of the sunset.
In hindsight, anyone who’s visited Bass Pro Shops won’t be shocked that this is the kind of person behind those wacky interiors. But it’s still striking to see how far Morris can take his signature aesthetic with a champagne budget. At every turn throughout my three days on property, my jaw just kept dropping at every reveal of a new building or vista. The interiors are full of stuffed leather armchairs, stone fireplaces, country tchotchkes hanging from exposed wooden beams, vaulted cathedral ceilings and stained-glass windows. Every room gives off an intoxicating scent of fresh pine wood, which I later found out was the resort’s signature scent, Blue Ice. Outdoors, lawns and patios are positioned for maximum lake views. Paths wind over wrought-iron bridges across landscaped waterfalls.
Oh, and there are taxidermied heads. Plenty of taxidermied heads.
Welcome to Branson
The Ozarks are often called a mountain range, but are technically more like uplands: a plateau spread between Missouri and Arkansas, split by canyons where the lumpy gray limestone below the surface can be admired in the form of cliffs and chimneys. The region’s name comes from the era of French trappers, when letters to Arkansas were addressed “aux Arc’s”. Most of the settlers here, though, were of the same waves of Irish and Scottish immigrants who colonized Appalachia. So the Ozarks share a lot of Appalachian culture and folklore. Even the landscape is redolent of the Appalachians: a land of long plunging slopes and shimmering summer air, where the next ridge is always a hazy silhouette in the distance.
The nearest town to Big Cedar is Branson, Missouri, the “family-friendly Vegas of the East”. This is the ecosystem into which Big Cedar Lodge fits: a peaceful rural region, yes; but one with enough going on to easily absorb the lodge’s activity and growth.
The scoop on Big Cedar Lodge
Think of Big Cedar Lodge like Disneyworld—a complex of interconnected properties and resorts, which more or less operate as one single resort. Most of the property is contiguous, but not all. Much is walkable, but not all.
For the bits that aren’t walkable, there are two options: drive yourself or take the complimentary shuttle. I found that shuttle wait times can be unpredictable, fluctuating from three minutes to 23 minutes and back again. Know that you can always ask an employee for help calling a shuttle; they’re brimming with friendly hospitality, and they can be found just about everywhere.
Here’s the lowdown on the main sub-sections of Big Cedar.
- The heart of the property: This is the complex comprised of the reception, gift shop, Cedar Creek Spa, Fun Mountain amusement park (think go-karts and a ropes course over live gators), multiple swimming pools, the beach and boating options of Bent Hook Marina, and a laundry list of restaurant options. It’s also, for those who like to be oriented to that kind of thing, where you’ll find the property’s oldest historic buildings, like the Worman House.
- The accommodations most walkable to this central zone are the three lodges (Falls Lodge, Spring View Lodge and Valley View Lodge—no, there is no actual lodge called Big Cedar), the Log Cabins and the Knotty Pine Cabins.
- The Lakeside Cottages are located on contiguous property, but can’t be considered the same complex. They boast incredible forest settings and full kitchens. To do these cabins right, one would load up the car with groceries and spend afternoons grilling on the deck.
- Amenities and walkability: There’s not so much as a general store in the immediate neighborhood of the cottages. While the half-hour walk to the heart of the property is pleasant and doable as part of a slow morning, it’s not convenient for simple logistics like grabbing a morning bagel. A car is ideal to drive back and forth from “town”.
- Camp Long Creek is served by two dining options, one of the most beautiful swimming pools on the complex, and Long Creek Marina.
- Accommodations: Big Cedar’s glamping tent cabins (unsurprisingly, they’re gorgeous)
- Walkability: none; you have to drive off-property to reach the rest of the resort
- Top of the Rock is scant on accommodations, but as the home of some of Big Cedar’s highlight attractions (and its highest point), it felt to me like the resort’s second heart. It’s here that each sunset is sent off by a bagpipe concert (a tradition Morris started to honor the Scottish heritage of golf… because why not) and the firing of a Civil War cannon. It’s here that you’ll find the Lost Canyon Cave Trail, the Ancient Ozarks History Museum, and some of the resort’s most fun food and drink, like upscale Osage and the cozy End of the Trail Wine Cellar.
- Golf courses: Besides the two courses at Top of the Rock, these are among the most far-flung satellite pieces of the property. Courses like Cliffhangers and Payne’s Valley are more than 20 minutes’ drive from the lodges. These courses are landscaped wonderlands that Morris has created (or invited golf celebs like Tiger Woods to create). At Cliffhangers, for example, your golf cart zigzags through a crevice in the rock and splashes across a wet ford just before you tee off through a waterfall. At Big Cedar Lodge, even golf can never be just golf. Unsurprisingly, at most of the courses, it’s difficult to get a tee time before 2028, so plan well ahead.
What you shouldn’t miss
So, among this embarrassment of riches, where should you focus your energy?
Of course, it depends what floats your boat. But I’ll start by saying that a boat is probably something you should find time for during your stay. After all, the lake is the reason this whole paradise is here. Kayaks, canoes and paddleboats are free to use for lodge guests and available at Bent Hook Marina. For a fee, you can rent stand-up paddleboards or small motorboats for group fishing trips. The marina also has a lovely beach where kids (and the young at heart) can build sandcastles or swim in the water. Meanwhile, if you don’t want to do the steering, book a spot on a cruise aboard Lady Liberty, the lodge’s historic steamboat.
Another highlight is the Cedar Creek Spa. Access is not included for hotel guests (you pay for a time slot in the complex of indoor pools) but at a place where you could so easily get caught up in doing it all, I’m a major proponent of reserving a specific activity to do nothing. You get what you pay for: rarely in the US have I seen such a fantasia of saunas, steam rooms and a co-ed indoor pool which looks lifted from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It reminded me of the extravagant hotel spas in the Alpine countries, where soaking and sauna-ing is a cultural phenomenon.
Two more highlights are to be found at the Top of the Rock area of the property. One is the Lost Canyon Cave Trail, along which visitors drive in golf carts—with a stop for a libation at the drive-through Bat Bar inside the cave—in one of the most extravagantly Disney-esque experiences on the property.
The other is the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, possibly my favorite place in the entire resort. Morris has spent a lifetime and a fortune amassing these 40,000 artifacts displayed over 75,000 square feet. You might be impressed by the fossils, the Civil War cannons, Abraham Lincoln’s desk, Mary Todd Lincoln’s gowns, General Custer’s uniform, the gorgeous oil paintings, or the rooms upon rooms of colorful Native American clothes and artwork. But to me, the standout was the sensitivity and care with which all this history is portrayed. The organization and labeling is thoughtful. Stories from all those present are featured throughout, including amazing testimonies from Native American voices. And somehow, this massive hoard becomes a cohesive depiction of the Missouri (and American) story.
Finally, I’ll share a food & beverage highlight out of many options, and in fact, conceived because there are so many options. The Pour & Gourmet Tour offers a bar crawl of sorts between four of the resorts’ restaurants. At each stop, a course and a drink are offered, and a staff member gives the group a brief lowdown on the history of the building and the area. A shuttle is reserved for each tour, which becomes the party bus for a group of diners who, by the end of the night, have often broken the ice. If you’re staying for a short time, this is a wonderful way to try it all out. Or do it on one of your first nights so you know the culinary lay of the land.
I’ve barely covered the tip of the iceberg, especially when it comes to activities for kids. And live music. And golf. And seasonal events, like the candy-cane Christmas decorations.
But c’est la vie at Big Cedar. In Johnny Morris’s maximalist outdoor world, there’s no such thing as “been there, done that”. And that’s exactly what makes it so iconic.
How to get there
Fly into Springfield Airport (SGF). Rent a car or get a shuttle pick-up from the lodge ($330 for 1-4 people; the ride is about an hour; book online or call 417-339-5104 at least 10 days before your arrival).
