Your Ultimate Guide to Lake of the Ozarks Kids Activities for the Best Midwest Vacation Ever

on 29 Oct 2018


Lake of the Ozarks is one of the best vacation spots for families, with tons of entertainment, sports, and other exciting family-friendly things to do. Kids obviously love riding around in the boat and spending all day swimming. If you’re not taking advantage of the other kid friendly activities, both on and off the water, you’re missing out on some prime vacation fun.

Here are some of our favorite suggestions for what to do at Lake of the Ozarks with your family. We’ve included links to our favorites businesses that can help you out, so just click to view more information about how to find them.

1. Water sports

Bring your own boat, or rent one here, then spend a day skiing, tubing, and wakeboarding. There are plenty of marinas that offer equipment rental. For those of you who will spend several weekends here a year, it makes sense to buy your own equipment to have it on hand. Tubing is great for the younger kids- they just hold on and go. Skiing and wakeboarding take some practice, but if you’re patient and willing to keep trying, getting up the first time is so rewarding. If you’re not experienced yourself and want your kids to have expert help, several businesses offer lessons to get them riding the waves in a flash.

Wave runner rentals are also a great way for older kids to get out on the water. Race each other at 60 mph, jump the waves, or just cruise along enjoying the sights.

Boat Rentals w/ Watersport Equipment Rentals

Water Sport Lessons

2. Outdoor Activities

Activities like mini golf and go-karts are entertainment staples when it comes to kids vacation activities. Kids love the fun competition between each other, but what’s better than beating your parents? Test your putting skills on a mini golf course that bring in fun obstacles and beautiful scenery. Feel the wind in your hair as you race down fast tracks and navigate hairpin turns on a go-kart track. Whatever your speed, Lake of the Ozarks offers some of the best attractions around.

Mini Golf Courses

Go-Karts

3. Escape Room

Older kids (12+) will love solving mysteries in an escape room. When you’re locked in a room with only one way to escape, you get creative! Work with your whole family to put together clues and solve the puzzle. Choose your room, then watch your kids flex their problem solving skills. Reservations are required, so call early.

Escape Rooms

4. Helicoptor Tour

For the adrenaline junkies among you, a helicopter tour may be just what the doctor ordered. Rides range from 6 to 50 miles and allow you to see the Lake in a way that few others do. Seeing the Lake area from a birds eye view is a memory the kids will be talking about for years. Fly with experiences pilots who can show you the prettiest parts of the Ozarks and the most interesting sights like the Dam, bridges, and million dollar homes. Besides being fun, it’s an exciting way to learn about educational topics like topography and nature.

Helicopter Tours

5. Water Parks

Whether it’s a beautiful day, or cloudy and cold, we have a waterpark that fits the bill. Big Surf is your traditional outdoor waterpark with a lazy river, wave pool, toddler area, and (of course) huge slides. If Big Surf is closed due to weather, or it’s the middle of winter, you can always visit Timber Falls Indoor Waterpark, located at Tan-Tar-A resort. Enjoy the kid-friendly whirlpool and lazy river. Then race down the slides to see who is the fastest. Both parks offer food and drinks, so you don’t have to leave. Bottom line is, if you want to spend all day in the water with activities for every member of your family, a trip to the water park will do quite nicely!

Big Surf

Timber Falls

6. Miner Mike's

Another great rainy day activity at the Lake is Miner Mike’s and Busters. Miner Mike’s houses a giant tube maze (think a McDonald’s play place on steroids) with all kinds of activities to keep your kids moving all day. Busters has a whole warehouse of arcade games if you’re feeling competitive. The newest addition, Buster’s Garage, is an elevated electric go-kart track where the speed-greedy members of your family can race to their heart’s content. Did we mention it’s the largest in the US?

Miner Mike’s and Buster’s Garage

7. Role-Playing Games

RPG like Laser Tag and Paintball are  popular activities at the Lake as well. Don your vest and practice your aim, because your family can turn into your foe within seconds. Whether you spend hours planning your strategy ahead of time,or just decide on a free-for-all, you’ll leave with your heart pumping.

Laser Force

Fort 54 Paintball

8. Trail Riding

If you’ve always wanted to ride a horse, this is your chance. Get matched with some of the best trail horses in the Ozarks and relax as they take you through the beautiful Ozarks terrain. You don’t have to have any experience on horseback to start. The gentle horses are used to newbies, so you can sit back and enjoy the view.

Tan-Tar-A

9. Go on a cruise.

Big boats like the Celebration let you enjoy the views and Lake atmosphere without having to worry about who’s driving. Enjoy the narrated lunch cruise and learn some facts about the Lake, and order a meal to get the best experience. Kids love any kind of big machinery, and will have some great stories to tell their friends about their Lake cruise.

Celebration

10. Lakefront Restaurant

Get the most of that party life with the kids in tow as you spend all day at one of our lakefront restaurants. Many have kids pools or certain hours where kids can swim. You can all enjoy the atmosphere, and eat and drink to your heart’s content.

Lakefront Restaurants


Each family is unique and is looking for different kinds of fun things to do on their vacation. We’ve covered a lot of ground here, from water activities, games, and sightseeing. Whatever you choose as vacation entertainment for your kids, it’ll be a blast at Lake of the Ozarks!