Big Cedar Lodge named No. 1 Midwest Resort in Travel + Leisure’s 2018 World’s Best Awards for third consecutive year
RIDGEDALE, MO. Travel + Leisure announced today the winners of its 2018 World’s Best Awards, which recognizes Big Cedar Lodge as the No.1 Resort in the Midwest for the third consecutive year. Big Cedar Lodge is a renowned wilderness resort that sprawls across 4,600 acres in Missouri’s ruggedly serene Ozark Mountains. The World’s Best Awards is a respected hospitality awards program that honors top travel destinations and companies around the globe as rated by discerning Travel + Leisure readers. Winners will appear in the August 2018 issue of Travel + Leisure and are showcased online here: https://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best.
“Our mission is to offer a genuine Ozarks retreat where guests connect with each other in the great outdoors. We are honored that Big Cedar Lodge has resonated in such a tremendous way with the well-traveled readers of Travel + Leisure,” said Debbie Bennett, Vice President of Hospitality for Bass Pro Shops. “This World’s Best Award is a testament to our unwavering commitment to celebrating the beauty of the Missouri Ozarks and we are humbled to be named the best resort in the Midwest for the third consecutive year.”
Big Cedar Lodge is the vision of noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops Founder Johnny Morris who purchased the property in 1987. Today, Big Cedar is a world-class vacation destination where conservation and family traditions come together overlooking the 43,000-acre Table Rock Lake. The resort offers 687 inviting accommodations ranging from rustic log cabins and cozy cottages to grand lodges and well-appointed exclusive accommodations. World-class amenities include eight heartland-inspired dining venues; five swimming pools; the 18,000-square-foot Cedar Creek Spa; Fun Mountain adventure center; Bent Hook Marina & Market; and a lakefront beach experience. Endless land and lake activities range from hiking, horseback riding, championship golf, arts & crafts workshops and campfire s’mores to guided bass fishing, sunset lake cruises and more.
Big Cedar Golf is swinging big into the national spotlight with its growing, world-class golf portfolio that is bringing awe-inspiring courses from the biggest names in golf to the Ozarks region. The Mountain Top course from Gary Player opened in August 2017 and joins the Jack Nicklaus designed Top of the Rock course along with the Tom Fazio designed Buffalo Ridge Springs. The golf expansion continues with Ozarks National designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw set to open in fall 2018. In 2019, Big Cedar will debut Payne’s Valley which will be the first public-access course in the world designed by Tiger Woods and his TGR Design firm.
The Big Cedar Lodge experience continues at Top of the Rock; a clifftop nature preserve overlooking Table Rock Lake. Amenities and activities include dining with spectacular views; the celebrated Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum; a nature trail and cave tour with incredible rock formations and waterfalls; a golf course by Jack Nicklaus and an Arnold Palmer practice facility; and the Cathedral of Nature that will soon offer guests a new experience. The Cathedral originally revealed itself in 2015 when the site opened up due to a sinkhole. Since then, 72,800 dump truck loads of dirt have been removed unveiling one of the greatest wonders of the Ozarks. Adding to the grandeur of this Ozarks attraction, The Lodge at Top of the Rock will soon sit on the edge of this geographical anomaly inviting guests to marvel at the dramatic 200-foot canyons and from a number of mesmerizing vantage points. For information about Big Cedar Lodge, please visit www.bigcedar.com or call 1-800-225-6343.
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About Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure captures the joy of discovering the pleasures the world has to offer with a total global audience of more than 15 million. Learn more at TravelandLeisure.com.
About Big Cedar Lodge
Big Cedar Lodge is America’s premier wilderness resort. A passion of Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, the 4,600-acre lakeside retreat connects families to the outdoors. Visit www.bigcedar.com.
Media Contact:
Murphy O’Brien, Inc.
310.453.2539
bigcedarlodge@murphyobrien.com
