Lake of the Ozarks Weekend
A two-night summer weekend at Lake of the Ozarks from Kansas City. Drive down Friday afternoon, settle into Osage Beach and stroll the Bagnell Dam Strip after dinner. Saturday is for land: the castle ruins, spring and natural bridge at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, a Bridal Cave tour and a late-afternoon swim at a state park beach. Sunday morning you take the wheel of a rented pontoon, then head home after lunch.
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From late May through mid-September, expect hot, humid days, often around 90°F in July and August, with warm, muggy nights and strong sun on the water. Afternoon and evening thunderstorms can build quickly, bringing lightning, gusty wind and rough water; get off the lake and out of exposed spots at the first thunder. Heat is the main hazard on Ha Ha Tonka's steps and rocky trails, so walk early and carry more water than you think you need. The lake is warm enough for swimming through the summer, though water near Ha Ha Tonka Spring stays cold. Late May and September are milder, with cooler mornings. These are seasonal expectations, not a forecast for your travel dates. Check the NWS Springfield forecast before you go and each morning.
Admission and parking are separate. Check current conditions before departure.
A loop through Missouri's German wine country from St. Louis: a house tour at Deutschheim in Hermann, the stone cellars of Hermannhof and Stone Hill, lunch above town, then back east along the river on Highway 94 to Augusta's hilltop wineries and an evening walk on the Katy Trail near Defiance.
A long day in Missouri's oldest mountains from St. Louis: the French colonial streets of Ste. Genevieve on the way down, the giant granite boulders of Elephant Rocks, the rock-walled pools of Johnson's Shut-Ins, and the state's highest point on Taum Sauk Mountain, with the parking, river-flag and no-food rules that catch first-timers.
A classic St. Louis day: the tram to the top of the Gateway Arch and its free museum, a walk down to the Mississippi levee, the free Saint Louis Zoo and Art Museum in Forest Park, and an Italian dinner on The Hill, with the parking, ticket and closing-time details that shape the day.
A full Kansas City day: the Spanish-style Country Club Plaza, the free Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, ribs and the Z-Man at Joe's original gas-station barbecue, the Negro Leagues Baseball and American Jazz museums at 18th & Vine, Union Station's Grand Hall, then Arthur Bryant's and a live jazz set in the Blue Room.