Have you ever had one of those weeks when life gets so busy and overwhelming that nothing sounds better than escaping for a few nights in a quiet cabin in the woods? I’ve had so much going on lately that a day off relaxing near the lake sounded beyond amazing, so when Bar M Resort & Campground offered to host me for a night, I was super excited! With a variety of cabin sizes and gorgeous natural setting, this lake resort near Branson is the perfect escape!

Table Rock Lake Cabins

I stayed in one of the resort’s A-Frame cabins, which has two bedrooms and two fold-out sofas, sleeping up to 9 people total. With rates starting at $125 in low season, it’s a crazy good bargain, especially since it also has a kitchen with full-sized appliances, dishes, silverware, etc. I know how hard it can be just to find a hotel room for a family of 5, so this is basically the jackpot if you’re traveling with multiple kids or doing a friends getaway where you don’t want to splurge on multiple hotel rooms!

Want the tour? Let’s go!

When you first enter the cabin, the living room is to your left and the bathroom and ground floor bedroom are to you right. The living room is a super comfortable place to relax, with two cozy couches, a big HDTV flat screen tv, and doors that open onto a little balcony.

Apologies for the photo quality of some of my pictures. I used my wide-angle lens adapter to get some full room shots, but I clearly need to do some research on settings for shooting with it! Wanted to include this one anyway since it has the full living room in the shot. Love how spacious it is!

View from the other direction, because I’m thorough like that. From this vantage point you can see the stairs leading up to the second bedroom, and the…

KITCHEN!

If you’re traveling with a big family group or on an extended stay, having a kitchen is so convenient! Sure, you’re still going to want to check out some local restaurants, but even just doing breakfast in the cabin can save a ton of money. The cabinets are stocked with dishes, silverware, and all of the kitchen gadgets you might need like a potato peeler, spatula, and can opener.

Bar M Resort is really popular for family reunions and church groups since it can accommodate over 100 people in the cabins alone (not counting the campsites), and I don’t know about you guys, but my family reunions always involve huge potluck-style meals. We usually just have our reunion at a lakeside park that has barbecue grills, but hosting it here where people could heat food up in the oven or actually cook meals in the cabins would be so much better! Not to mention the convenience of having an air conditioned place to cool off and a fridge to keep cold drinks in, since our reunion is in June!

The bedroom on the main floor has one queen-sized bed and a dresser with a mirror. Simple but comfy!

It was pretty chilly on the night of my stay and I was a little concerned that the little heater built into the bedroom wouldn’t be enough, but I actually woke up in the middle of the night because I got *too* warm! Well done, little heater! 👍

Upstairs, you’ll find a second bedroom with another queen-sized bed, as well as a twin bed on the opposite side of the room.

The ledge on the left of the photo is stocked with extra pillows and blankets.

Looking down at the living room from atop the small bed.

Overall, I loved how spacious and cozy the cabin was. No, you’re not going to find $1,500 Frette linens on the beds, but instead you get the kind of comfortable home-like atmosphere where you can actually relax after a fishing trip or let kids play without being terrified they’re going to break something. I could definitely imagine making an annual thing out of spending a night or two in a lakeside cabin, just for the opportunity to relax and read or write.

The resort has WiFi, but since I stayed so early in the season (about two weeks after they opened in early March) they didn’t yet have the signal boosters hooked up, so I was able to pick up a connection on my laptop while in the cabin, but not my phone. That said, my cabin was one of the farthest from the office, so I’d imagine you’d have no problem in most cabins.

Other Table Rock Lake Cabins

As I mentioned, I stayed in an A-Frame cabin. The resort has three of those, but also offers other options including rustic one and two bedroom condos, a two story log house, and even little two person “outpost cabins” that start at just $40 a night.

The A-Frame cabins are a nice distance apart, so you don’t have the usual neighbor noise you get in hotels!

Front of the log house (above) and back (below.

The condo-style cabins have some awesome views from their balcony!

How awesome is that lake view? I bet it gets even better once the trees actually get leaves! It’s just a couple minute walk down the hill to Table Rock Lake, and the resort has its own boat dock and launch ramp. One very cool thing that Bar M Resort offers is that they have a partnership with a fishing guide who will come meet you at the resort and guide you to the best fishing spots. You can also rent a pontoon boat from the resort or fish right from the boat docks! I had a great time just walking along the shore and skipping a few stones across the lake surface.

Overcast, but still pretty!

Because I visited so early in the season when things are super quiet, some of the amenities like the pool, hot tub, and game room weren’t yet open. (It was in the low 50s, so definitely not pool weather yet!) That said, spring and fall are amazing times to visit in general. Weather in the Ozarks is usually pretty mild in those months, crowds are light (except during Veterans Week in Branson), and rates at the resort are lower. Bar M Resort is closed for the winter from November 2nd-March 1st, which works out well since most of the attractions in Branson are closed from January through March as well. Based on some TripAdvisor reviews I’ve seen, things can get pretty crowded during the peak summer months.

Bar M Resort is located about half an hour from Branson, and around 20 minutes from Silver Dollar City. While it’s obviously a perfect choice for visitors looking for cabins on Table Rock Lake, I feel like it’s also a great pick if you’re visiting Branson but would rather stay somewhere quiet and surrounded by natural beauty instead of right on the 76 Strip. If you live in Southwest Missouri like I do, it also makes a great “staycation” when you just want a couple of nights away from it all!

Learn More About the Resort

You can find more about Bar M Resort & Campground on their website, visit them on Facebook, or check out their reviews on TripAdvisor! You can also email the owner, Steve, with any questions you may have about renting a cabin, booking a group trip or family reunion, or camping there in a tent or RV. He was fantastic about answering all of my questions so that I could provide you guys with useful info!

You’re also welcome to hit me up with any questions about the resort or visiting the Branson area in the comments, as well, and I’ll do my best to answer!