Blair’s Landing: 5845 Osage Beach Parkway, Osage Beach, MO 65065
You can’t get more family friendly than a three-generation, family owned shopping area! Our crew had the chance to visit The Landing on Main Street during our shoot in Lake of the Ozarks and were happy to find the cutest shops offering everything from clothing at Blair’s Landing to antiques & gifts to my kids’ favorite, CANDY!
We met with Jennifer Dowdney, granddaughter of the original founders, and her son to learn more about her family’s contributions to the area, starting with the confectionery store. In the center of the store is a HUGE, four sided candy counter with all types of homemade chocolates, candy and fudge. It smelled like heaven!
My daughters and I had the opportunity to make a newer recipe with them – chocolate bark. After mixing in nuts and cranberries into the chocolate, we spread the mixture out onto a jelly roll pan and sprinkled the top of it with just a touch of sea salt. The combination is out of this world. Make sure to try some when you visit their store!
The girls love making things in the kitchen, so this was really fun for them. What I particularly appreciated was how much Jennifer’s son Aidan knew about the business. He was about my kids’ age and he not only knew how to make the recipe, but he also was really informed on the history of the shops and how his great-grandfather and great-grandmother had started the business. Black and white framed photos showing the progression of the company are on display and Aidan gave us a history lesson about his family. He is a good PR rep for his family, that’s for sure!
During your visit to The Landing, you’ll want to include the Main Street Music Hall, which offers three different shows throughout the year. They offer music and comedy and are family friendly. It’s quintessential Lake of the Ozarks entertainment!
Captain Ron’s Bar & Grill: 82 Aloha Lane – Lake Road 5-50, Sunrise Beach, MO
Our very last stop in Lake of the Ozarks couldn’t have been any better because we not only had a great meal, but the kids had a blast going on a pirate ship ride and playing in the water at the beach. Any time you can mix food and fun together is a win-win to me! We started with lunch at the picnic tables next to the beach. Just an FYI on the menu…it’s not just hamburgers and basic sandwiches. We tried snow crab legs, a Thai peanut chicken wrap and a “build it your own way” Captain Ron pizza…delish! While we ate, the kids watched people playing beach volleyball while other kids were building sandcastles and having fun in the water.
Captain’s Ron’s was popular, but it was easy to see why since there was more to do than just have lunch. With lunch wrapped up, it was our turn to have fun! We took a ride on the Gypsy Rose pirate ship with, of course, some real life pirates – AARGH! The little ones on the boat had a ball during the excursion. Kids each got a turn to steer the pirate ship while crew members looked out for bad guys along the shore. After we docked, the kids looked for buried treasure and found a pirate’s booty worth of prizes to share. This ride is especially good for little ones, I would say 8 and under would be good ages.
Older kids will have fun hanging out on the beach and swimming in the lake waters. At Captain Ron’s, music is playing, people are laughing and everyone is having a good time so don’t miss out on your next family vacation in the Lake of the Ozarks!
