Big Cedar Lodge. Ridgedale, MO

Day 1 - Road trip from Texas to Missouri. Checked in to our charming log cabin! The attention to detail is immaculate! This was my Birthday trip, so I arrived to a card & cake in our room! We spent the first day resting from our long drive. The cabin was a perfect escape!

Day 2 - Taking it all in! Lunch at Truman Cafe & Custards- HIGHLY recommend! The best grilled cheese around ;) Followed by an afternoon massage at their (always impressive) Cedar Creek Spa, and then an evening at "Fun Mountain" for killer desert-filled milkshakes! Their milkshakes are like an entire Birthday cake in a glass! Fun Mountain is fun for the whole family. They have a game arcade, an Ocean-themed bowling alley, a full bar and restaurant and MORE! We usually end up here most nights when we are at Big Cedar Lodge!

Day 3- We REALLY packed in ALL in this day! We visited the most unsuspecting museum I've EVER come across. Part of Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO is The Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. To say we were overwhelmed would be an understatement. We were there for hours and needed more time! I've never seen so many artifacts in one place. This museum is a true gem- not only to Missouri but our country.

At Top of the Rock, also located on the property of Big Cedar Lodge is a golf course, restaurants and an amazing overlook of a collapsed sinkhole. It looks otherworldly when viewing it from the observation deck.

The evening led us back to Fun Mountain for some bowling!

DAY 4 - Another incredible day! We visited Dogwood Canyon which is a nature park owned by Big Cedar Lodge, which is about 15 mins away in a town called Lampe. I believe they have shuttle service from resort to Dogwood Canyon (with limited hours), but we drove. At Dogwood Canyon we ate lunch at Mill & Canyon Grill. We had an excellent window seat right next to the waterfall. After lunch we went on a guided tram tour thru the park - we got to see (up close and personal) the bison, longhorns and elk. It was my kind of day! There's MANY activities to be had at Dogwood Canyon, including hiking and horse-back riding.

My Birthday dinner that evening was back at the resort at their steakhouse, Osage. I wouldn't rate this as one of the best steakhouses I've been to, but it was still a lovely evening. The views from the restaurant are breathtaking!

Day 5 - One of my favorite things to do at Big Cedar Lodge is the golf cart ride thru the Lost Canyon Nature Trail and Cave! It's truly an experience. If I recommend ANYTHING while visiting Ridgedale, MO or Big Cedar Lodge, this is it! Getting to drive your golf cart thru a cave, is really neat, oh, and there's a drive up bar in the cave.

We ended the day by playing some putt-putt back at the resort!