Bridal Cave & Thunder Mountain Park

The emotions were high on Sunday, September 9th, 2018 inside Bridal Cave. We had the opportunity to be a part of a surprise 65th wedding anniversary. Frank and Peggy Brown's extremely thoughtful children reached out to us to help plan a romantic and intimate surprise inside our cave at the Lake of the Ozarks and we were happy to help! Find out all the details below!


65th Wedding Anniversary Surprise! On September 9th, 2018 Frank and Peggy Brown celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Their children wanted to do something special for them so they planned a romantic anniversary surprise in honor of their accomplishment. Mr. and Mrs. Brown celebrated their honeymoon in 1953 with a trip to Bridal Cave with longtime friends. What better way to celebrate their milestone 65th anniversary than revisiting their honeymoon destination! Their children gathered to surprise their parents with a heartfelt rendition of "Could I Have This Dance" in honor of their 65th anniversary. Wat…

It's that time of year for another Bikefest to roll through the Lake of the Ozarks. This year, the 12th Annual Bikefest will take place September 12-16, 2018. Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from all across the United States will spend a few days taking in some of the most scenic rides in the country. From concerts, extreme motocross, and much more you won't want to miss the chance to ride your bike to one of the biggest events of the year at the Lake of the Ozarks. Your favorite cave at the Lake of the Ozarks has all the details for Bikefest 2018!


Photo Credit: www.lakebikefest.com Bikefest Passport Program  Do you want your chance to WIN a 2017 Harley Davidson FXDL 103 Dyna Low Rider Motorcycle? Take the ultimate scenic cruise through the Lake of the Ozarks and hit up all of the Passport Locations during the course of Bikefest! Once you have a stamp for every location, turn your passport in for your chance to win. A $20 entry is a donation and you can fill out multiple pa…

It's theLast Blast of Summer...Labor Day Weekend! It's the perfect time to get the whole family together and explore nature at it's finest at our natural attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks. Tours will be leaving every few minutes and we hope to see you at our cave at the Lake of the Ozarks over this long holiday weekend. While Labor Day Weekend is the "unofficial end of summer" if you can't make it, don't sweat it because we will still be open even after the summer season is over. Check out what will be happening here at Bridal Cave over the holiday weekend.


LAST LANTERN TOUR!  While we will be open for our daily tours after Labor Day is over, but our Lantern Tours are only offered through Labor Day Weekend. This special 75 minute guided tour of Bridal Cave details the adventure of what cave exploring used to be before electric lights. Imagine the excitement of seeing this now famous cavern by hand held lanterns. Your guide will give an in-depth history…

Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end of Summer and lots of area attractions close down but Bridal Cave is open year round! As a matter of fact, Thunder Mountain Park comes alive for the Fall season with our Fall Festival in October. Last year was our first year for our Fall Festival and our staff and guests had so much fun that we decided to make the Fall Festival an annual event here at Thunder Mountain Park. Check out all the fun we had last year and why you need to make visiting our scenic attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks a priority this October.


Come for the Gorgeous Decorations Alone!    Of course, we will have some extra activities for the entire family to enjoy but you'll want to make a trip if not for the fall decorations alone. Once Labor Day Weekend is over, our staff will be gearing up to turn our family attraction at the Lake of the Ozarks into a Fall paradise. From pumpkins, hay bales, mums, tractors and more every inch outside will be adorned with beautiful Fa…

One of the most popular annual events at the Lake of the Ozarks is almost here! The Lake of the Ozarks 30th Annual Shootout and associated activities will take place August 18th-26th this year at Captain Ron's Bar and Grill located in Sunrise Beach, Mo at the 34.5 MM. Your favorite cave at the Lake of the Ozarks has all the details for the Shootout right here!

Photo Credit: www.FunLake.com Activities and Event Schedule  Of course, the main event will be the big two-day powerboat racing but the Shootout is so much more than just the race. Be sure to join in on the entire week's activities for the Shootout. Check out the event schedule below.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 2018 9:00 a.m..— 5:00 p.m. Ha Ha Tonka State Park Mini-Shootout
SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2018 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m. Ha Ha Tonka State Park Mini-Shootout with Awards following
MONDAY, AUGUST 20, 2018 Treasure Hunt for All Ages at Captain Ron's—Lots of prizes!

5:00 p.m.— 6:00 p.m. Social Hour
6:00 p.m. Treasure Hunt Rules
6:15 p…

As many of you have heard we recently acquired the old Der Essen Platz restaurant at the top of Thunder Mountain. The old building is currently being remodeled and we have plans to make this an intimate event center for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners, family reunions and business meetings. The new design will be a Cracker Barrel inspired décor featuring memorabilia from Lake of the Ozarks, Ha Ha Tonka and Bridal Cave, and of course the million dollar view of the Big Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks. Tentative plans are for a January 2019 grand opening.


Resturant History As part of this transition, we are collecting history on the area mentioned above. Here is a little bit of the approximate history of the restaurant:

Built in the 1950’s the building opened as Red’s Roost and was known for the Thunder Mountain burger, chili dogs, and handmade shakes.

In the late 70’s it became Thunder Mountain Café as Brian and Betty Woodruff purchased the restaurant. Many may remember the earl…