Family-Owned Resorts Serve Generations of Vacationers
at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MO -- Central Missouri's scenic Lake of the Ozarks offers all types of accommodations: full-service resorts to condominiums, hotels to motels, bed-and-breakfasts to campgrounds and even houseboats. But for several generations of families, the place to stay is at one of the Lake area's small and cozy family-owned resorts.

At many of these resorts, the third and fourth generations are adopting their parents' and grandparents' tradition of spending a week or two every summer at a familiar and friendly resort -- in many cases, at the same place they visited year after year when they were kids. The cabins most likely have been updated, and perhaps a hot tub and docks have been added, but the laid-back ambience hasn't changed a bit. As a result, to many families these resorts truly are a home away from home.

The number of small family-owned resorts at the Lake of the Ozarks has dwindled. According to the Tri-County Lodging Association (TCLA), in 1958 there were 358 such resorts at the Lake. Today there are slightly more than 100 -- still accounting for nearly half of the 250 total lodging facilities in the area.

"Small family-owned resorts provide great family vacation experiences at the Lake of the Ozarks. They hold so many memories for families who come here generation after generation," says Jim Divincen, TCLA executive director. "And they continue to attract new visitors who prefer the atmosphere and amenities these resorts offer."

SECOND GENERATION OWNERS
Among those remaining 100-plus resorts, Lake visitors have a wide array of choices in regard to location, style and amenities. But they all have one thing in common: the total devotion of guests and owners -- including Paulette and Michael Spriggs of Point Randall Resort at Lake Ozark. They recently bought the circa-1965 resort from Michael's parents, Doug and Christii Spriggs, who purchased it in 1980 when Michael was 5 years old. Originally the resort
had nine units; today it has 27, from tidy studios and two- and three-bedroom duplexes and triplexes to private cabins. The resort's serene location is close to the busy part of the Lake -- but not so close that it's bothered by noise or traffic.

The couple met at college, married and moved to Texas to pursue their careers. "My dad decided to sell the resort and my two brothers weren't interested," Michael says. "Dad had put so much work into it. I hated the thought of losing all the customers we'd served for 20 or 30 years." Paulette adds, "We just decided, let's go for it. We knew we'd regret looking back someday and wondering, 'Why didn't we buy the place?'"

Despite the hard and constant work, both agree they made the right choice. "We love it," Paulette says. Michael's father and brothers frequently help out. "It's truly a family-owned business," he notes.

About 85 percent of Point Randall's guests are repeat customers, Michael estimates. "Some remember Michael from when he was a little boy," Paulette says. "They've been coming here that long, and now they bring their own kids
and grandkids." The resort also is hosting new guests - families who stayed at resorts that no longer exist.

In the short time they've owned Point Randall, Michael and Paulette have made some noticeable changes, including adding a fourth dock with a fish-cleaning station as well as the McCoy Mile Mini Mart. Other amenities include decks or patios at each unit, a heated pool, hot tub, game room, playground, grills, sand beach, laundry, crappie beds and more. There's even the recently completed Tuscany Getaway, a beautifully decorated private cabin with a Jacuzzi tub, fireplace, and sunken patio with a gorgeous Lake view. The resort also attracts golfers through its participation in the specially priced Golf-A-Round Package program. Boat and wave runner rentals are available nearby.

Paulette says she and Michael have heard from developers inquiring if they might consider selling. No way, they say. "We're in it for the long haul. This place is too special," Paulette says.

RUSTIC AND REMOTE
Another resort that's special to so many families is Rippling Waters in Camdenton, built in 1950. With its lived-in, rustic coziness and tucked-away location down a long, winding road on the Big Niangua Arm, it's no wonder families have been coming here -- and coming back -- for decades.

Debbie and Art Stastny bought Rippling Waters Resort in 1996. They moved from outside Chicago, where both had high-stress jobs and were ready for a change. "We had friends who vacationed at the Lake of the Ozarks. They told us
about it and we checked it out," Debbie says. "We really liked this area and the fact that the resort was in good shape." They also appreciated that at the Lake of the Ozarks, property owners own their shorelines, unlike lakes managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she adds.

Once the Stastnys took over Rippling Waters, they remodeled some of the resort's 15 units and added new covered boat docks. The game room with a pool table and arcade games, sand beach, playground, swim platform and swinging
bench overlooking the expansive Lake view already were there. Boat rentals are available.

Most of Rippling Waters' guests are repeat customers. "Some have been returning for 25 years or more," Debbie says. "Resorts are funny. Families come here when their kids are little, up until they're in college. Then that family will be gone a few years. And then, they come back with their kids who are now married and have kids of their own."

Guests get to know each other, especially those who come every year at the same time. "Here you can really make new friends, and that makes vacation more fun," Debbie says. "In fact, people meet here and then they e-mail each other through the year." Rippling Waters has brought people together in other ways, too. "The son and the daughter of two families who came here for years fell in love and got married," she says. Speaking of marriage, the dock at Rippling Waters recently was the setting for the wedding of a couple who were frequent visitors at the resort.

Yes, owning a resort, even a small one, is hard work, Debbie says. But she and Art have never regretted their decision. "We love it," she says. "Every morning we wake up and see this beautiful lake. Also, when people are here they're on vacation. They're happy!"

COZY COTTAGES
Guests also are happy at Dogwood Acres Resort in Sunrise Beach. The resort celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. Its original, simple white-frame cottages and beautiful 1,000-foot shoreline don't look much different today than they did in 1955. However, owners Lindy and Weldon Steinmann have made some changes to the property since they bought it in 1998, including new roofs, furniture, appliances and bedding. The resort has 14 units, from an efficiency to two-and-three-bedroom cottages with knotty-pine screen porches, to newer condo-type units.

Also on-site are a huge indoor heated pool and hot tub, picnic grounds, playground, game room, covered fishing dock and boat slips, boat rentals and more. Well-behaved pets are welcome with prior permission.The Steinmanns moved to the Lake from Houston, where Weldon managed a restaurant chain and Lindy ran a large travel agency. She wanted to be closer to her family in Columbia, Mo. So they sold or stored their belongings and moved into an apartment at the Lake while they searched for the perfect resort to purchase. "We knew that's what we wanted to do," Lindy says. "We were used to hard work but it was inside, at a desk."

Dogwood Acres was the first property they looked at, although they continued looking at other resorts. "There just was something about the place," Weldon says. "It was very family-oriented and we liked that. We both have a deep sense of family. Today, with both parents working, families need a place to spend a week or so together enjoying good, clean entertainment and the outdoors. This is that kind of place."

Like other small resorts, Dogwood Acres has its loyal customers. A men's fishing group has been coming annually for 37 years, and one couple has been coming for 50 years, ever since the resort opened. "They've always stayed in the same cabin," Weldon says. "We mentioned we were going to remodel it and they said they'd prefer that we didn't. But they did allow us to paint it."

The Steinmanns -- like the Spriggs and Stastnys -- have no regrets, except, "I wish we had done this 10 years sooner," Weldon says.

Along with the satisfaction of owning a small resort, however, comes the responsibility, which the Steinmanns gladly accept. "The owners before us were good operators and we like to think we have been too," Weldon says. "We have an obligation and a responsibility to maintain the resort, to keep it here and keep it open for all the families who have enjoyed it in the past and for those who will enjoy it in the future."

For more information about small, family-owned resorts and other accommodations at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, as well as Lake-area dining, shopping, golf, attractions and events, contact the Lake of the Ozarks
Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN-LAKE, or visit www.funlake.com.

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version of this article at www.funlake.com/press_releases/current_releases.