We took our second family adventure to Fillenwarth Beach Resort at West Lake Okoboji a few weeks ago and it was EVEN BETTER than it was when we went to visit in 2020! We got to see so much more of the area, visit Arnold's Park Amusement Park, AND visit the FREE museums at Arnold's Park. All of those attractions were closed when we visited in 2020, so it was like a whole new experience! If you have been following us a while, you'll know that it took us a looooong time to visit Okoboji the first time because one of the main concerns we had is that we don't have any type of watercraft (no boat, no jet skis, nothing) ... which apparently is deemed essential for trips to the lake, otherwise you're just sitting around on shore the whole time.
When I heard that there was a resort there that provides ALL of the water activities that you can imagine, I was all over it, and now we've been to Fillenwarth Beach Resort, TWICE!
This is us enjoying our history cruise, it was a little chilly that morning (then rained), but the kids didn't mind:
I booked a four night reservation for our family to visit Fillenwarth Beach Resort in Arnold's Park (because 3 nights just wasn't enough last time) and it was absolutely amazing. The staff and service were fantastic, there were plenty of activities for adults AND kids, and the location was beautiful. It is literally RIGHT NEXT to the public beach at Arnold's Park, amusement park, and museums. We walked everywhere. And the best part, no need to haul a watercraft up there or shell out hundreds on boat rentals. Seriously you guys, they provide nearly everything you can imagine doing on a trip to the lake COMPLIMENTARY to all guests. Yes, I'm serious, all of their water activities are FREE to everyone in your room/cabin and their rates are not any higher than other resorts in the area. They have also been family owned and operated for over 100 years now! Complimentary activities include: rides on two 49’ cruise boats (with complimentary soda pop, beer, wine, margaritas, mixed drinks, cheese & crackers and nuts), water skiing, sailing (when the wind allows), History cruise, Million Dollar Home cruise, paddleboats, canoes, rowboats, large docks with swimming areas, indoor pool, outdoor pool, arts & crafts and more. They also have a weekly Beach Party (live music and drinks), a fishing clinic, and water ski lessons FREE OF CHARGE. The kids did not want to try waterskiing this time, but we took advantage of EVERYTHING else we could and used the indoor pool when it was rainy or too windy for boat rides.
| Water Ski Lessons | Paddle Boats | Canoes |
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There are several different buildings with various sizes of units. We opted to stay in an apartment (sleeps 6) at the same South Beach location again, so that we were a literal "stone's throw" away from the public beach at Arnold's Park (it was less than 50 feet from the edge of our building to the beach). We also had a private dock with lounge chairs that we were able to enjoy.
| Arts and Crafts | Fishing Clinic | Waterskiing |
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They have a variety of units, cottages, and cabins that can accommodate up to 18 people! Most accommodate 4-8 people easily and have full kitchens. Check out their location, units, upcoming events and all the fun stuff on their website: https://www.fillenwarthbeach.com/
Last I heard, they still had availability for the 2022 season AND rates from August 14-21 are 25% off, then 50% off from August 21-September 18th, but the activities are much more limited.
You can start booking NOW for 2023 as well!
Amusement Park
I was so excited to hear that we could visit all of the attractions at Arnold's Park this year, since they were closed in 2020. There was a day during our visit that it was too windy for most of the boats at Fillenwarth to operate, so we decided it would be a PERFECT DAY for the amusement park. There are roller coasters, go-carts, funnel cakes, and anything else the kids (or kids at heart) could possibly want. I will say that the standard day pass ticket prices were pretty similar for other amusement parks we've been to in Iowa, HOWEVER parents don't HAVE to buy a ticket! That's right, they don't require tickets for entry into the park, you only need tickets or a wristband to ride the rides. They even offer a lower priced day pass for children under 42" since they can't ride all of the rides. I am loving this pricing model, as a parent who prefers to walk around and supervise instead of ride the roller coasters.
I did ride a few rides with the kids, think easy ones, like the Ferris wheel and log ride. Plus, I tried out the go-carts.
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Local Museums
In the mornings, it can be a little chilly on the lake, which brings the PERFECT opportunity for some indoor family fun and adventure. We went to check out the museums at Arnold's Park. All of the museums are FREE to visit, they do have containers out for free will donations as well. The kids had a great time and learned some interesting facts at each location. The Arnold's Park museum also has some activities they can do for a small fee (the giant slide pictured below was $1).
| Maritime Museum | Arnold's Park Museum | Iowa Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame Museum |
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Queen II
As famous as the Park itself, the Queen II is an Okoboji favorite. In the late 19th century, the lakes region became a resort area and the small steamboats and sailboats could not keep up with the flow of vacationers. The Queen, a large steamer, was constructed, along with other larger boats, to accommodate this new need. By the 1920s, the construction of roads around the lakes brought about the demise of most of the fleet. The Queen stayed in service for those people who wished to see the lake by water. In 1973 the Queen was finally retired, after 89 years of service. The Queen II was commissioned and built in 1986 and she was designated the “Flagship of the Iowa Navy.”
We waited for Friday night to take our historical cruise on the Queen II because they had an evening timeslot (7pm) and our days were pretty full. I also hoped to see the sunset, but we were a little too early. If you do it later in the summer, I bet you would get some beautiful sunset pictures. It's a really nice 90 minute cruise and prices are reasonable: youth under 48" are only $5.95 and adults (or anyone over 48") are $16.95. They run multiple times throughout the day and some cruises have live music as well.
*Money Saving Tips*
- Bring Groceries: Every room at Fillenwarth Beach Resort is equipped with at least a small refrigerator and cook top, most have full kitchens, full size refrigerators, and outdoor grills. The only money we spent on food was ordering pizza delivery one night (when we didn't feel like cooking), snacks/drinks at the amusement park, and ice cream. Not sure what to pack? Take fruit/cereal/granola bars for breakfast, pack a cooler of drinks/waters, another cooler with meat to grill, some sandwich supplies (lunchmeat, cheese, buns), and a shopping tote full of chips/crackers/snacks. We do this for almost every trip, it saves SOOOO much money...
- Take advantage of OFF-SEASON rates: At Fillenwarth Beach Resort, their regular rates are certainly affordable for families of all sizes (especially when they include so many amenities), but they do offer discounted rates at 25%-50% during the less busy/off season. For the rest of 2022, August 14-21 is 25% off and August 21-September 18th (closing day) is 50% off. If you are looking to plan for 2023, get a 50% discount for reservations before June 11th or after August 20, then 25% off from June 11-29th and August 13-20. So really, any time except July and the first week or so of August offers great reduced pricing.
- Use the FREE activities: You can do any or all of the complimentary activities at Fillenwarth on any given day. We tried to time the family sunrunner cruises with snacks during the afternoon to tide everyone over until dinner time. They also offer beer and chocolate tastings throughout the week and a mixer/beach party with drinks, snacks and live music once a week. You can utilize the public beach at Arnold's Park for swimming/lounging, go for a walk on the boardwalk, check out the FREE museums at Arnold's Park, and even visit some of the Iowa State Parks in the area, all at NO charge.
- Arnold's Park Amusement Park: If you aren't a fan of roller coasters, only get tickets for the kids! Like I said, there is no admission required to ENTER the amusement park, only to ride the rides. And it is so close to Fillenwarth that we went back to the resort for lunch (saving money on food!) then back to ride more rides until they closed.
I hope this was helpful! Just remember that no matter where you go and what you do, the best part of family vacations is the memories:
*I did receive complimentary tickets and accommodations in order to share this amazing experience with you guys, but all opinions are my own and I promise I wouldn't tell you how fantastic something is if it really isn't*
