Lake Of The Ozarks Is Named The Best Lake For Water Sports In The Country

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — The Lake of the Ozarks is a beloved summer hotspot for residents and visitors, and now it has been voted the best lake for water sports in the country in a recent USA Today readers poll.

The Lake was among 20 destinations across the U.S. selected by a panel of travel experts and journalists from USA Today, 10Best.com, and other media outlets. Online voting took place over four weeks, and although it was a tight race, Lake of the Ozarks received more readers' votes to ultimately come out on top.

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"This just means so much to us," said Lagina Fitzpatrick, executive director for the Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association, in a press release. "There are truly so many ways to enjoy the water. Whether it's wakeboarding, paddleboarding, skiing, tubing, kayaking, parasailing, fishing or just simply swimming. Add to that all of our on-the-water events and you can tell we know how to have fun on the water!"

The Lake covers 54,000 acres with 64 billion gallons of water, and features over 1,150 miles of shoreline - which is more than the coast of California. The central Missouri body of water beat other great spots across the country like Lake Havasu in Arizona and Lake Superior. 

"Best Lake for Water Sports" is the latest national recognition for the area over the past several years. Other USA Today's Readers' Choice Awards include being the "Best Recreational Lake in the Nation" (2015) and being home to one of the "Best State Parks in the Nation" for Ha Ha Tonka State Park (2015). 

"This is a testament to what a fun destination the Lake of the Ozarks is and why we have roughly 7 million visitors from around the country each year," Fitzpatrick said. "We're so very grateful and we would like to thank everyone that voted for [us]."