I grew up at the Lake of the Ozarks. For the most part, the lake is a very popular tourist destination. There's even a Hollywood-style sign to let you know you arrive. Despite all that, there are still locals who make the lake their permanent home. Anyone who has ever vacationed at the lake knows how pretty and fun it can be, but only a local truly understands just how unique and beautiful it is to grow up here.
1. You can’t think of anyone who doesn’t know how to swim.
Seriously – this is essentially a requirement. Everyone starts swimming lessons before they’re even in elementary school, and almost all the locals know how to swim. I literally can’t think of a single person I know personally who lives here and doesn’t know how to swim. It just doesn’t happen.
2. Summer is also known as “Tourist Season.”
Tourists. Tourists everywhere. The population at the lake explodes during the summer and the vacation homes fill up. There are probably just as many vacation homes (if not more) as there are homes people living in full-time. That doesn’t count the people who rent somewhere to stay for a day or two.
3. The “Shootout” is not about guns.
The Shootout is a boat race where we get to look forward to all kinds of crazy-fast boats coming into town. It happens at the end of summer every year and it always brings a huge amount of traffic – both on and off the water. The best part? There’s a Batman-themed boat.
4. The town is like a ghost town at night in the off-season.
It’s kind of creepy to drive around town after dark during the off-season months. No one wants to be on the lake when it’s cold, so the only people in town are locals. Most locals have kids and the off-season is the same as the normal school-year and all the kids are home on school nights. Very few people are out driving around after dark.
5. The whole town goes to home football games.
If it’s a Friday night in the fall and there is a home football game, there are two things you can count on: the streets will be practically empty and it will be a struggle to find parking near the football field. At home football games, the stands are totally packed. The football team is good, the band is good, and the town is incredibly supportive of both. Businesses in the city limits even put out flags with the school colors any time there is a home football game. There is always a huge turnout.
6. Fireworks happen all the time in the summer – not just 4th of July.
Most people only see fireworks at specific times of the year, but at the lake, they can happen at any time. I hear them sometimes on other holidays like New Year’s, but during the summer, I usually hear fireworks at least once a week.
7. You drove a boat before you drove a car.
We take boater safety in middle school. Everyone takes it, regardless of whether they have a boat or not. We literally grow up with a lake in our backyard; it makes sense.
8. You get the best of both worlds: a little bit country, a little bit city.
The lake area is a weird mix of city and country. There are kids who literally grow up raising livestock and others who would really not prefer to have anything to do with mud, let alone a cow. In school, there were kids who spoke with a bit of a country twang, while others couldn’t fathom saying “y’all.”
Sure, it has that city feel at times, but you never have to go far down these winding roads to find a beautiful landscape or sunset.
