Discover the 'Quiet' Charm of the West Side
at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. -- Ever since Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks was created in 1931, its west side has been known as the “quiet side” of the Lake.  But that's slowly changing.  When the Community Bridge opened in 1998, cutting travel time between the east and west sides of the Lake in half, more visitors began to discover the scenic Highway 5 corridor.
   
Today the Lake's west side is experiencing growth in tourism, commerce and development.  But, compared to the popular Osage Beach and Bagnell Dam areas, the “other” side of the Lake still is calm, quaint – and quiet. Whether you spend a couple of hours or a couple of weeks, here's a brief tour of some highlights of the Lake's west side, traveling from north to south along Highway 5.

# Old treasures and fresh fish
At the northern tip of the Lake, Highway 5 twists and turns through beautiful Ozarks scenery on its way to Gravois Mills, population 208.  Osage Indians lived here before the French settled in.  The town is the oldest in the Lake area, first platted in 1884.  It's the site of the Hummingbird Fest, held in late June.
   
“Zebulon Pike passed through Gravois Mills on his way to Pike's Peak,” says Ted Whiting, owner of Village Antiques, one of the first businesses you see when you drive into town on Highway 5 and one of the many antique stores in the Lake area. Whiting says his wife's relatives had a place in the area and he often visited as a young man.  Years later, in 2005 when the Whitings were ready to retire, they moved from Washington, D.C. to the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks and bought the antique shop.
   
“I saw this building and it was just like I remembered it,” Whiting says.  “It still had all the original fixtures and hand-painted signs around the walls” – signs such as NATIVE MADE CHAIRS, INDIAN DOLLS, MOCCASINS, HAND MADE RUGS, LIFE PRESERVERS and more.  “If you needed anything this was the place to get it,” he says. Since acquiring Village Antiques, Whiting says, “I've had more fun here than I've had in years.  When I quit having fun, I'm gonna lock that front door.”
   
Just past Village Antiques off Highway 5 is Lake Road 5-12 which leads to Troutdale Farm.  If the blue gate is open, drive down the pretty country lane that crosses a creek and takes you to beautiful Collins Spring and the trout hatchery that has been in operation since 1932.
  
Dennis and Merritt Van Landuyt bought the scenic 140-plus-acre trout farm in 2002 and have been making improvements ever since.  Van Landuyt farmed crops in the area before he became a fish farmer. “Raising trout is a form of agriculture,” he says.  “Some of the challenges are the same.”
   
When everything's working and the weather cooperates Van Landuyt can raise 100,000 rainbow and brook trout annually.  Public fishing – with no license required and no limit – is available practically year-round.  Ten dollars per person covers the first 2.3 pounds of dressed and iced trout; beyond that the fee is $4.25 per pound.  Family rates are available. In fact, most of Troutdale Farms' customers are families from across Missouri and the Midwest.  “It's not unusual to have three generations of one family fishing together here,” Van Landuyt says.

# Shoes and a shrine
Back on Highway 5, visitors drive past bait and tackle shops, real estate offices and gravel roads that lead to pretty coves and private lake homes.  Turning right on State Road 135-3, and following the two-laner through hills and hollows, they encounter an amazing sight well known by locals.  It's the famous Shoe Fence, a section of wire fence adorned with dozens of shoes, mainly tennis shoes – new, old, tiny, huge.  Shoes also are stuck on nearby fence posts.  No one really knows how the Shoe Fence got started but anyone is welcome to contribute to it.
   
A bit farther along is another remarkable local landmark, the Cup Tree.  Actually it's a tall, twisted stump of an old tree in front of a house, from which hang dozens of coffee and tea cups and mugs.  Kenagy says, “In the early years it was believed there was a spring there, so people kept their cups handy to take a drink as they traveled past it.”  There's also an old crutch leaning against the tree that surely has an interesting story behind it.
   
Returning to Highway 5, on the north end of the town of Laurie is the Shrine of St. Patrick Church, home of the National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church.  This internationally recognized non-denominational shrine is dedicated to mothers everywhere regardless of race, color or creed, living or deceased.  The centerpiece is a 14-foot stainless steel sculpture of Mary that slowly turns 360 degrees in a natural amphitheatre, surrounded by fountains and a waterfall. Nearby the black granite Mother's Wall of Life features the names of more than 2,500 mothers from 37 states and 14 nations.  Anyone can honor any mother with an inscription on the wall.  Visitors can stroll the gardens, the Prayer Path and the Avenue of Flags while serene music drifts softly through the area.
   
A short trip down Highway 5 to State Road O brings visitors to the original Old St. Patrick Church, Cemetery and Museum. Built in 1868, it has been restored to its original condition and is now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

# Growth and golf
The sign at the edge of the town of Laurie says Population 663.  Considering all the building and development going on there, that number is probably on the low side.  Along Highway 5 through Laurie is a mix of established, new and soon-to-open businesses that will serve the growing population.  “We're seeing more visitors here and certainly more permanent residents and second-home owners,” Kenagy says, “but we still have plenty of land available for development.”  For example, off State Road O, the Blue Anchor Marina will add about 500 new homes and 250 luxury condominiums are going up where the old Millstone Lodge once stood.
   
“Laurie and west-side visitors and residents find a wide array of dining choices, from fast food to fine dining, plus a five-screen cinema, and nightlife and live music on the highway and on the water,” Kenagy says.
   
Laurie also has excellent golf.  Indian Rock Golf Club on State Road O offers 18 holes on 300 acres interspersed with about 70 homes and more than 130 homesites, plus a sports bar and grill. It's famous for its signature hole #17 with a 140-150-yard fairway featuring a majestic outcrop of rocks at the back and a deep clear water lake in the front.
   
“Our golf course has seen more growth with people moving here, wanting to get away from the crowds,” says General Manager Paul Irwin.  “Also a lot of people from the east side come to play here.  We're glad our golf course is growing in popularity, but we also enjoy working with all the golf courses at the Lake to promote the entire area.  That benefits everyone.”
   
Indian Rock also is known for its thong trees, which early Native Americans bent in unusual angles to mark trails, springs or caves. Golfers can see a thong tree in the middle of the #12 fairway and another behind the rocks on #17.
   
Highway 5 from Laurie leads to Sunrise Beach, where Lake Road 5-33 takes visitors to an impressive veterans memorial at the American Legion building.  Dedicated in 1995, the memorial features a sculpture of a solider on bended knee, flanked by a deck gun from a battleship and a field artillery piece, along with flags of every American military division. Sunrise Beach also is the address of well established resorts that have welcomed generations of families to the Lake of the Ozarks.
   
Beyond Sunrise Beach on Highway 5 are the communities of Hurricane Deck and Greenview.  The name “Hurricane Deck” comes from a 1.5-mile slice of high bluff along the Osage River.  The Hurricane Deck Bridge crosses the Osage River here, where in the past cars were transported by a ferry that later became a showboat. Both this bridge and the Niangua Bridge, five miles down the road, were built in 1936.
   
As Highway 5 winds to the end of the west side tour, visitors can make a final stop at Bridal Cave, two miles north of Camdenton on Lake Road 5-88.  More than 2,040 weddings have been held in its Bridal Chapel since 1948. Among the highlights of the hour-long guided tour are Mystery Lake, giant columns, delicate soda straws and massive draperies. Next to Bridal Cave is Thunder Mountain Park, the area's largest lakeside gift shop, and the Thunder Mountain Mining Company rock shop.
   
“It's a very exciting time on the west side of the Lake of the Ozarks.  You can live or stay here and in 20 minutes be on the busy east side, then escape back over here to the quieter side again,” Kenagy says. “Or you can just stay over here because there are plenty of things to do.  You'll only be bored if you want to be.”
   
For more information about the Lake's quieter west side, and all the exceptional lodging, dining, shopping and entertainment options available throughout Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN LAKE , or visit www.funlake.com.

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