BRANSON, Mo. — There's nothing like getting away from it all, taking long hikes on rugged trails, fishing for rainbow trout or largemouth bass, watching the free-roaming wildlife.
Relaxing in the whirlpool bath and spa?
Well, the owners of the Big Cedar Lodge understand that some people's idea of roughing it doesn't include getting roughed up.
Spread throughout 800 acres of wooded hollow on the shores of Table Rock Lake, the vacation retreat provides the ideal backdrop for hiking, fishing and other outdoor fun with all the amenities and fine food to keep even the most finicky outdoor aristocrat happy.
"It's a wilderness resort with the rustic look of the early 20th century Adirondack hunting camps, but with modern conveniences," says Kim Thrap, assistant director of marketing.
Big Cedar Lodge, built in 1988, features a marina, two log lodges and a number of cabins with walls decorated with mounted deer heads, game birds and rainbow trout.
"The log-cabin decor and animal mounts give the place a rustic feel, while at the same time a very elegant look. It's a very romantic place," Thrap says.
Before the lights of Branson drew tourists like moths to a bug zapper, the Ozarks of southern Missouri were known more for their remote and uncharted wilderness areas.
Natural glades and sink formations found only in the White River Valley drew the Osage Indians, who were protective of their hunting grounds. Big Cedar Hollow was of particular interest to the tribe because of a natural spring called Spirit Pool, believed to be a bottomless formation where pale, white fish with slits for eyes would occasionally surface.
Hunters and trappers who later came across the pool would say the spring went down "all the way to the devil himself," and that the white fish were scared by demons. The pool became known as Devil's Pool.
At the turn of the century, when the amount of time devoted to recreation and the good life ballooned, wealthy upper-class city families sought refuge in places like the Ozarks. That's what brought two wealthy Missourians to Big Cedar Hollow, where they purchased 300 acres of oak forest around the famous Devil's Pool.
Harry Worman and Julian Simmons had no intention of roughing it as the hill people did. The badge of success for the wealthy was called resorting, a luxury escape to the woods without the sweat and bugs.
The men developed forest retreats and built docks below their property in anticipation of the government's plan to build a dam on the White River that would eventually form Table Rock Lake.
In 1947, the properties were bought by a California real estate agent who turned the grounds into the Ozarks' first dude ranch — Devil's Pool Guest Ranch. When Table Rock Lake was finally filled in 1959, covering the famous Devil's Pool spring, fishing boats and outboard motors were provided.
The ranch resort enjoyed success through the 1960s, but after exchanging hands several times, the property eventually went idle.
The former ranch was bought in 1988 by Bass Pro Shops entrepreneur Johnny Morris.
He brought his Bass Pro architects to help design the lodge into a fisherman's paradise, showing how a man with vision and money can improve on nature.
"Table Rock is considered one of the top 10 lakes in the world for largemouth bass fishing," says marina manager Jamie Keys. He says his 20 fishing guides stay busy. Big Cedar may have a reputation as an exclusive resort for the rich, but that's not exactly the reality, says marketing director Debbie Bennett.
In truth, the year-round resort offers a wide range of rates and packages for individual guests and groups. Rates are seasonal, with spring and fall offering attractive alternatives at reduced prices.