Ridgedale, Missouri

A Guide to Big Cedar Lodge

Being tucked away minutes from Branson, Big Cedar Lodge is in a terrific location and there is always plenty to do on the resort to keep company of all ages entertained. Big Cedar Lodge offers a variety of rooms at all different price ranges. We typically have stayed in the Wilderness Club which are timeshare properties. Side note: We do not own a timeshare but have rented them from others who do and have never been pressured into buying a timeshare when renting them directly through the owner.

Travel tip:  we recommend looking into Wilderness Club rooms on eBay as many owners put them on there for lower fees during the weekdays.

In the main area of Big Cedar Lodge you can shop at the gift store, grab a coffee at the Truman Coffee Shop, or dine at the Buzzard Bar which also has terrific live entertainment nightly.

Another new addition is the Cedar Creek Spa. Inside you’ll find an inviting walkway and be shown to the locker room area where staff will show you all of the facilities in order to enjoy your stay. You will be given a personal locker with complimentary sandals and a robe to wear during your visit. After changing for your appointment you are shown to a nice waiting area where you can sip on some water, have a light snack, and sit by a cozy fireplace. You will then be greeted shortly and taken to your service. After, you can enjoy the co-gender gratto pool, sauna, steam room, or relax in a more private gender specific pool. After enjoying a morning or afternoon of relaxation, you then can easily begin your day using the open-air showers and complimentary toiletries provided by the spa.

Beautiful birch tree entrance

Relaxing waiting area.

Private gender specific pool

Staircase to the gratto pool and spa areas

Entrance to the gratto pool and spa areas

Tranquil co-gender gratto pool

Relaxing area by the gratto pool

Ice room for a quick cool down

Recently Big Cedar Lodge opened another area on site called the Top of the Rock. When visiting recently we were able to do the Lost Canyon Nature Trail & Cave Tour and it was magnificent. You have the option of walking the trail or driving a golf cart.

Lost Canyon Nature Trail

Lost Canyon Nature Trail

Lost Canyon Nature Trail

Lost Canyon Nature Trail: Cave Entrance

While your at the Top of the Rock you’ll also need to check out the golf courses and the driving range. You might even feel like your at the Master’s for a moment.

After playing a round of golf or visiting the driving range you can relax and dine at one of three restaurants at Top of the Rock or you could grab a drink at the End of the Trail All-American Wine Cellar.

Buffalo Bar

End of the Trail All-American Wine Cellar

Other than the fact that Ridgedale is roughly 20-30 minutes from Branson, Big Cedar has a lot of other draws. One example being, they have a tram service that will take you anywhere on the resort without you having to drive. They also have 7+ restaurants on site, two golf courses, a new luxurious spa, a boat marina where you can rent pontoons/boats + other complimentary water sports, nature trails, and much more!

We enjoyed going out on this 1930’s replica Chris Craft

Crusin’ on Goin’ Jesse

If you are into the tranquil outdoors another place we also recommend visiting is nearby Dogwood Canyon.

Dogwood Canyon offers a variety of activities perfect for all ages and all size groups. Some of the activities we recommend are:

–Stables: there are a variety of different options when it comes to their horseback riding. They offer romantic carriage rides ($25 per person) and a trail rides (price depending on the length of time). 

–Trout Fishing: Dogwood Canyon offered self-guided fishing for a $20-25 (adult price) depending on if you catch and release or catch and keep. They also offer guided fishing tours for 4 hours at $250 (only eligible for catch and release).

–Guided Tram Tours: we typically enjoy doing our own tour and exploring on our own but this was one that we were glad we took. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of this preserved nature park and allowed us to stop and get off the tram on multiple occasions in order to explore our surroundings. You can see in the photos below the magnificent beauty of this park and how we were able to get up close and personal with bison, elk, and some truly amazing natural springs and water features.

Dogwood Canyon

Up close encounter with elk during our guided tram tour stop

It was a unique experience seeing so many bison up close.

Having spent many years visiting Big Cedar Lodge and the Branson/Ridgedale area we feel like we have much more we are forgetting about and will continue to update these posts as we continue to explore. If you have more questions about what activities to do please feel free to contact us! What are some of your favorite sights in this area?

Logan and Kallsy
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