midwestliving.com

LOVE THAT LAKE EFFECT!

July/August 2015

THE LUXE ES CA P E FISHING LURES HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD to Johnny Morris. In the

1970s, he parlayed a tackle shop in his dad's Springfield liquor store into the outdoor-gear empire known today as Bass Pro Shops. Then Johnny turned his attention to building a luxurious outdoor escape so carefully planned and polished you'd think Disney Imagineers were involved. In 1987, he opened Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock Lake's eastern shore, just south of Branson. Its upscale lakeside log cabins, lodges and Big Cedar Spa sit near the renowned Devil's Pool, a water-filled gorge rumored to have no bottom. And last year, J ohnny opened companion destination Top of the Rock Ozarks Heritage Preserve, a golf course, two restaurants and a museum, situated to showcase every sunset over the lake. Pause to marvel at a subterranean waterfall in Lost Canyon Cave, or relax over a glass ofred in a candlelit wine cellar, and you can bet Johnny personally had a hand in crafting the moment. Venture out onto the lake, and you'll find quiet-its 800-plus miles of forest -shrouded shore prese1?ed thanks to the .Army Corps of Engineers and state park lands.

4 MUST-SEE SIGHTS 1 Views that ruin your

putting focus Top of the Rock's nine-hole course-the only par-3 course ever used in PGA play-tops a bluff overlooking Table Rock Lake. Arnold Palmer designed the practice range, and Johnny Morris relocated a barn from Palmer's hometown in Pennsylvania to house Arnie's Barn, a Mexican restaurant near the range.

2 Where the fish hide Known for its clear water

and relative solitude (compared to often-hectic Lake of the Ozarks), Table Rock Lake provides some of the area's most consistent bass fishing. In parts of the lake, anglers can peer down into ghostly forests still standing from when the White River started flooding the lake in the late 1950s.

3 Life on the hilltop Towering above Table

Rock Lake's northeast shore, Chateau on the Lake stacks suites around a soaring central atrium. (It's owned by the same company as Embassy Suites, and feels like an extra-luxe version.) Guests can borrow canoes from the marina, then enjoy a massage in the on-site spa.

4A Missouri mammoth The Ancient Ozarks

Natural History Museum at Top of the Rock shows off woolly mammoth and saber-toothed tiger skeletons, a collection of local Native American artifacts and other exhibits celebrating the geologic and biologic history of the Ozarks. For more information, contact Branson/Lakes Area Convention and Visitors

Bureau (800/296-0463; explorebranson.com).