Everyone needs to visit Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock so the children can feed the giant carp outside the gift shop and the parents can ogle the big beautiful cabin cruisers and houseboats.  And it's all free except the fish food - unless you decide to rent one of those pretty boats.

If you want to get up close and personal with brand new boats take a family tour at the Ranger Boats factory at Flippin.  The round trip scenic drive to the factory and the tour only takes a little over two hours out of your day.        

Be sure to go up to the Top O' The Ozarks Tower in Bull Shoals and see the entire area from high above the dam.  The top of the tower is 180 feet off the ground.  You can walk up or use the elevator that goes almost all the way to the top. 

We would also recommend a visit to Bull Shoals Cavern and 1890's Village in Bull Shoals.  We really enjoyed our tour of the cave and the village is stuffed with antiques.  They even have a petting zoo for the kids and have added a 2 acre, lighted 19-hole miniature golf course for day or evening play.  Their gift shop is one of the biggest and nicest in the area.  For a caving day trip (or trips) we recommend  Hurricane River Cave , Blanchard Springs Caverns and Mystic Caverns.  There are at least six more caves within three hours of us.       

There were two new additions to our area in 2006.  The Oakridge Mountain Bike Trail is in Bull Shoals - White River State Park on the Lakeview side of the dam.  It's 4 miles long and considered semi-difficult.  Bring your own bicycle or rent one there.  Across the dam is the new Bull Shoals - White River State Park Visitors Center on a high point overlooking the river, dam and lake.  Besides the two observation decks, the Visitors Center also includes a gift shop, exhibit hall, aquariums and a theater showing a video introducing visitors to the area.

Maybe you just like rocks and climbing on them.  The Jasper area, south of Harrison, is the place to go.  There are actual canyons there.       

You might want to spend the day in the Branson area.  It's only about one and a half hours away.  There's so much going on there!  Another day trip of a completely different nature is the Ozark Folk Center at Mountain View.  For an evening of family excitement consider attending a race at the North Central Arkansas Speedway.  It's located just off highway 62 between Flippin and Yellville.  Mark Martin fans can also visit the Mark Martin Museum only a little over two hours away in Batesville.         

Other local attractions you might want to check out are one of the many riding ranches or The Zone.  Double S Oaks  rents horseback riding by the hour and is about a half mile north of highway 178 on highway 5.  The Zone is a family amusement center featuring a go-kart track, batting cages, miniature golf and amusements on highway 62 west of Mountain Home.  Other amusements are listed on the Ozarks Vacations website.  There are several bowling alleys and movie theaters nearby if that sounds like fun to you.

If you are a real history buff you can read all about the Bull Shoals Lake area and then read up on the history of Bull Shoals Dam.  The South Shore Foundation did a nice job putting these two sites together.  When you get here you'll definitely want to visit the Bull Shoals Historical Museum at 717 Central Blvd. (Hwy. 178) in Bull Shoals.  Open April into October, call Bob at 870-445-4750 or Betty at 870-445-4694 for museum hours. 

When you get tired of eating your own catch there are several good restaurants on or near highway 178 from Midway to Bull Shoals.  Sunday brunch is a big deal in our area.  The 178 Club in Bull Shoals serves fabulous food no matter what time of day.  For a little sightseeing during brunch, try Gaston's Resort on the White River.  They have a grass landing strip for people who want to fly in.  Children and adults love watching the small planes land and take off.  The restaurant has enormous windows so you can watch the river while you eat or check out the antiques hanging from the ceiling.

A fun idea for combining boating with lunch or dinner is to order a pizza or sandwiches from Bush's Pizza or Grazzini's Pizza & Subs.  Ask them to deliver your order to Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock or Lakeview Cove Marina.  Park your boat beside the gift shop and go in or wait out front for your meal to arrive.  Lakeview Cove Marina also has their own little pizza shop.  By the way, if you need a large room for a wedding reception or meeting, Bel'Arco Resort has the convention space you're looking for.   

If you want fast food Mountain Home is just a short trip away on highway 5.  To view a list of area restaurants see the Bull Shoals Lake - White River Chamber of Commerce website  and the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce website. 

There are three golf courses near us.  The closest is  Rivercliff Golf Course  just across the Dam.  This golf coarse runs along the White River with some wonderful views of the dam and abundant wildlife.  Twin Lakes Golf Course is in the nearby city of Mountain Home and Big Creek Golf & Country Club is southwest of Mountain Home.

Speaking of the White River, it's only three miles away.  There's catch and release fishing areas just below the dam on both sides.  All of the biggest Trout hang out in that area so have a camera ready to prove you caught one of those big guys.  A little farther down the river, away from the dam, you can keep all the fish you catch (up to the legal limit).  There are access areas on both sides of the river.  Man, fried Trout are good!

But we can't forget the fishing and swimming in the lake.  The fish out of Bull Shoals Lake are the cleanest we've ever eaten.  Deep fried Crappie, Walleye or Catfish are always delicious.  Smoked Trout and even Carp are pretty tasty too.  For lake fishing information Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock publishes fishing reports to the web.  There's also a river fishing report by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.  You may consider hiring a guide to help you locate and catch the type of fish you're looking for.  We've put together a list of Lake and River guides for comparison.

Our boat dock has a picnic area and plenty of room to spread out and fish off the deep end fishing dock.  Children love the shallow end where they can see the Bluegill swimming under them.  There is a paved boat launch between our dock and the swimming platform anchored out in the swimming area.  The lake is so clear you can actually see your feet while treading water!   

Under water visibility is said to be 35 feet.  Bull Shoals Boat Dock offers scuba equipment and rentals as well as P.A.D.I. instruction.   

Some visitors would rather keep their feet on dry land.  Hiking and bird watching are always enjoyable activities.  To see the list of hiking trails we have compiled click here.  Our area has indoor hiking too!  Check out the shops that carry antiques, collectibles, gifts, crafts and flea markets.

When you get a chance to meander around the lake on a pontoon or to go water skiing, you'll be amazed at how uncrowded Bull Shoals Lake is - except on the evening of July 4th when hundreds of boats converge near the dam to watch the fireworks.  It's quite a sight from the shore too.   

As you can tell we're very excited about the area!  Hope to hear from you soon.

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