“We’re the best-kept secret in the area,” Linda Ordway, owner of Cedar Creek Resort & RV Park in Columbia, Mo., says.
Cedar Creek may just be the most beautiful outdoor space in town that you’ve never heard of., according to COMO. Not to be confused with Cedar Creek Hotel & Event Center, a popular wedding venue, the Resort & RV Park lies on 167 acres just east of Columbia off of I-70 at 3251 Pine Tree Dr., not far from Artichoke Annie’s Antique Mall. The resort offers a conference center, an executive A-frame lodge, six small cabins, and sites for 75 RVs with utility hookups and paved aprons. It all overlooks Newman Lake, a great fishing spot.
Greg and Linda Ordway bought the property in 2010. Linda manages the day-to-day operations of the resort while Greg handles the administrative side. Previously, it had been a farm, a private retreat for three fraternity brothers who built three small homes around the lake to enjoy with their families, and even a home for a racehorse. Immediately before the Ordways, John and Clarice Peters owned the property as Cedar Creek Lodge; they’re the ones who developed the land as a corporate retreat for executives and built the six 800-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom cabins that remain overlooking the lake today.
A Pastoral Getaway
A great place to feel like you’re on vacation just miles from home, the small cabins are lined with wood paneling throughout. Each boasts a small kitchen, a master bedroom with a queen bed, a loft with two queen beds, a living room with a sleeper sofa, and a porch with a swing. Each cabin sleeps eight. The cabins are a stone’s throw from the lake and include access to a fire pit and picnic area.
The executive center, located in the A-frame lodge, is a great place for a corporate event, staff retreat, or family reunion. The 3,200-square-foot lodge has a commercial kitchen, dining space, living space with swinging sofas, an upstairs master suite with a brick fireplace, an amazing 3,000-square-foot deck that seats 200, and, of course, amazing lake views.
The conference center boasts 5,000 square feet, perfect for large events. There are breakout rooms, and the space comes with AV equipment. The Ordways plan to build a new conference center that hosts up to 400 in 2022.
Newman Lake, a 27-acre man-made lake, is stocked with a variety of fish for those who enjoy the sport. Linda says it is so overstocked that it’s like fishing in your bathtub. Guests who are looking to just come and fish will need a reservation. Visitors can also enjoy paddle boats on the lake or hike through the 167 acres on foot or by horse, as the resort offers stalls and pasture for guests’ horses.
