Tan-Tar-A Resort
Margaritaville Lake Resort Lake of the Ozarks, previously known as Tan-Tar-A Resort, is a resort located in Osage Township, Camden County, just outside Osage Beach, Missouri at the Lake of the Ozarks. The hotel was sold in 2017 for redevelopment as part of the Margaritaville resort chain. Adjoining the hotel property is a large development of private homes known as the Tan-Tar-A Estates.
History
Tan-Tar-A was developed by St. Louis homebuilder Burton Duenke. It opened in 1960 as the first major resort on Lake of the Ozarks, and was expanded over the years. In 1977, Duenke sold the resort to Marriott, which embarked on an extensive refurbishment.[1]
By 1985 it had more than 800 rooms and a wide variety of amenities and activities. Duenke retained his interest in the adjoining residential development, Tan-Tar-A Estates.[2]
In July 2017 the resort was sold to Driftwood Acquisitions and Development, a Miami-based management company, which commenced another large remodeling project, and announced that the resort would be rebranded in 2019 as part of the Margaritaville resort chain.[3]
Facilities
The Resort Complex consists of five interconnecting buildings plus several outlying buildings. Most of the resort activities and amenities are located on the Resort Complex. The Estates Complex buildings are designed to look like houses on the outside, but are individual units on the inside. Amenities include two golf courses, an indoor waterpark, and a full service marina.
References
- Paul Hendrickson, "Down Yonder, Where Mid-America Cool Off", The Washington Post, July 27, 1978.
- Jean Simmons, "In The Ozarks, No End Of Great Places To Stay", Dallas Morning News, reprinted in Chicago Tribune, August 18, 1985.
- Lisa Brown, "Lake of the Ozarks' Tan-Tar-A resort sold, rebranding as Margaritaville property", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 14, 2017.