Lake of the Ozarks vs Table Rock Lake (branson) (Springfield: condos, homes)

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

It's a good lake for fishing and boating but forget about swimming or water skiing. 20yrsinBranson

Not allowed There??
Water about Jetski's??
I'd like a fishing only lake, no lake lice yahooooooo...

[luzianne]

The two places, to me, have a totally different atmosphere. Lake of the Ozarks is much more crowded and more of a party lake, more going on. Table Rock is less crowded, the water much cleaner, and more relaxed and laid back. I guess it just depends what you're looking for.

[fancyyanc]

I'm 56 and have been to all the above mentioned areas many times...in fact, most of my siblings were conceived at the Lake of the Ozarks LOL....anyway, the dock on the lake is perfect on the 1100 miles of shoreline the Corp of Engineers built back in the '40's. Lake of the Ozarks...fishing, boating it's all there, property, your own dock. We lived on the "quiet" side of the lake in Sunrise Beach....lovely there. I miss it more than I can every say.

[la_missourienne]

Wow, that is a tough choice...both places are really nice and have a lot to offer. I can't think of many factors where they are all that different from one another. Both areas are SUPER touristy, though I think Lake of the Ozarks has a higher reputation for the "party" crowd (can't verify this, since I'm not part of that--just know people that are). Lake of the Ozarks would obviously give you a more centralized location to access big cities if you ever wanted such...but doubt that is a concern for you.
As far as the weather is concerned, the storms are hit and miss all across southern MO. Seems like these past few years, though, there have been more ice storms near Branson and through northern AR. And 'speaking' of that, knowing that you like being out on the water, northern AR has lots of great places for just that (are you in to river fishing, too, by chance?):
River fishing - Arkansas river rafting - Arkansas rivers
So, maybe you would prefer the access to AR after all. At any rate, I think you could easily be happy both places. Good luck!

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by Cali BassMan

Not allowed There??
Water about Jetski's??
I'd like a fishing only lake, no lake lice yahooooooo...

It's too cold. Lake Taneycomo comes out of the bottom of Tablerock Dam which is about 812 feet deep. I believe the water is around 52 degrees give or take. Kinda hard to swim in that. LOL

20yrsinBranson
sorry it took so long for me to get back to this thread!

[luzianne]

Well...I don't care for Lake of the Ozarks because it is so crowded, the boats are HUGE and if you are in a little boat you are tossed all over the place, and it seems to me like a party lake. I guess if you want to party that's the place to be. The water at Table Rock is much clearer, much less boat traffic, less people. Just depends what you are looking for. Lake of the Ozarks is closer to a big city (Kansas City) if that is important to you. Branson is more "Ozarks," more rural even than Lake of the Ozarks. Truthfully I wouldn't want to live at either place but that's me; the whole lake thing doesn't appeal to me and both are too rural for my tastes. But I have visited both. Party time/more crowded - Lake of the Ozarks. Laid back/relaxing/less crowded - Branson.

EDIT - Apparently I already responded to this and looks like I said pretty much the same thing again, just elaborated a little.

[Lake Junkie]

Originally Posted by LOnRainjer

Thanks for the input. I guess Im just looking for something that will make the choice easier whether to chose Table Rock Branson area versus Lake of the Ozarks Camdenton area.

Just ran across this...I have a good friend who lives right ON Lake of the Ozarks near Camdenton...and I live on Table Rock.
Have you visited both lakes? They are similar in size, but the ownership issue and proximity to cities gives them a very different feel. I agree with one of the above posters who said the storms seem to go around the lake, they do on this one also. But we're warmer down here most of the time in the winter. Closer to the Gulf, I guess.

Lake of the Ozarks is very much more of a "party" lake, due in part to proximity to KC & St. Louis. Big boats, lots of them. Even on the quiet side, many of the residents have gotten rid of their small runabouts & fishing boats in favor of pontoons because the lake is just too rough (in the season) and too many boats were getting swamped and ending up on the bottom! On the plus side, there's lots of cool little bars & restaurants right on the lake, so you can go bar-hopping by boat!

Table Rock is more of a family lake. Less crowded, not as much to do. (Although we do have lakefront restaurants, there are fewer of them.) Very seldom do we see a big cigarette boat go by...more likely a 'toon or runabout with a tube of laughing kids on the back. The boat slip thing is an issue, because it is a Corp lake, but you can absolutely find a house where you can just walk 100-200' out the back door and onto your boat. That's the dream for everyone...of course...so it may cost a tad more than if you had to get on a golf cart & ride 500 yards. I like that the Corp land gives the lake a more natural feel. LofO bristles like a toothbrush with docks in spots!



The fishing will, of course, remain a secret...

[Hillman]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

One other thought. You can have your dock and house right on the water on Lake Taneycomo. It's a good lake for fishing and boating but forget about swimming or water skiing. Honestly, given the choice I think I would prefer Taneycomo myself. I have a friend who has a house right on the water and loves it.

20yrsinBranson

I was thinking this too.Plus I hope you have a Very Big Boat for Lake of the Ozarks.Mine is 18 foot and lots of times there is no way I would take it out there.

Plus Job market is better in Branson.

hillman

[hooterville]

Tablerock!!!!!!!!!

[Hillman]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

One other thought. You can have your dock and house right on the water on Lake Taneycomo. It's a good lake for fishing and boating but forget about swimming or water skiing. Honestly, given the choice I think I would prefer Taneycomo myself. I have a friend who has a house right on the water and loves it.

20yrsinBranson

This is what I was thinking.Taney is a good fishing Lake.And to me if I wanted to go up on Table Rock so be it pull the Boat out go couple miles and put in there.

hillman