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TravelTips24 : North America : United States of America : Midwest : Missouri : Ozarks

Ozarks

The Ozarks [1] is in the USA and includes areas in southern Missouri, northern Arkansas, and eastern Oklahoma.

Regions

Cities

Major tourist cities

Major cities

Other destinations

  • Buffalo National River[2] In northern Arkansas is an unpolluted and free-flowing river in the heart of the Ozarks. It has both swift water and calm streaches.

Culture and History

The Ozarks is a plateau that covers 50,000 sq. miles. There is also an Ozark culture which embodies the people that live in this region. The area has rolling hills, mountains that have eroded over time along with many man-made lakes. All of this makes the area attractive for outdoor activities including fishing, hunting and hiking.

The area became a popular tourist attraction overnight with Harold Bell Wright's 1907 novel, "The Shepherd of the Hills". His novel told a story about the mountain country and hill people nearby Branson, Missouri.

Talk

The people of the Ozarks have their own way of talking and a set of terms that you might not hear outside the region. For example some of the common terms are; "Frog Strangler" or "Gully Warsher" both of which mean a heavy rain. You might hear some way say "You look mighty peakid, are you a-fixen to be sick?" Others are "Rosanears" is corn on the cob, "yourn" is yours "Is that yourn?", a "krick" is a creek, "pritnear" is almost like ""I'm pritnear done with this". The hill people of the Ozarks are affectionately called Hillbillies.

Travel to Ozarks & Visa Requirements

  • Interstate 44 runs across the Missouri Ozarks from St. Louis to Tulsa.
  • Interstate 40 runs East-West along the southern edge of the Ozarks
  • Interstate 70 runs East-West along the northern edge on the Ozarks.
  • Also historic Route 66 runs from St. Louis to Tulsa in the Ozarks.

Tours & Getting around Ozarks

The best way to get around is to drive. You will also get a good fill of the scenery driving the hills of the Ozarks.

Ozarks attractions and sightseeing

  • Roaring River State Park, [3] in southwest Missouri has a fresh water steam with trout fishing, camping and hiking.
  • Branson, Missouri with world class entertainment and access to Table Rock Lake for Bass fishing and Lake Taneycomo for lake trout fishing.
  • Eureka Springs, Arkansas sometimes called the little Switzerland of the Ozarks and on other occasions the San Francisco of the Ozarks. Local craft shops and art galleries, good food and shopping. Close to Beaver Lake with fishing, water skiing, swimming and other water sports. Don't forget to see the Passion Play.

Major lakes

Mountain ranges

Itineraries

Ozarks city tours

Visit the Lake of the Ozarks area

Canoe one of the clear, clean rivers of the Ozarks, to include: the National Scenic Jack's Fork or the Current rivers, Elk River, Meramec, Big Piney, Gasconade, or the Huzzah. For the fishers, all contain good populations of smallmouth bass.

Ozarks Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Ozarks nightlife, bars, clubs & pubs

Stay safe

Get out

This page was last edited at 05:00, on 4 August 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Tom Holland, Jim Kasper and Tom Carver, Wikitravel user(s) Jykcjy and Huttite and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.

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