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Enter Johnny Morris, Midas of the great outdoors, a Missouri-bred billionaire who turned a trailer full of fishing tackle into an empire of megastores known as Bass Pro Shops. The original Bass Pro--in nearby Springfield, Mo.--is a mecca for the hunting and fishing set (even more so with the recent opening of the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at the Springfield store). When his wife happened across a real estate listing offering the hollow for sale in the local newspaper, it occurred to Morris that he could turn the place into a satellite facility where Bass Pro customers could test their new boats and gear. He acquired the property in 1987, but as he was honing his plans, something remarkable happened about 10 miles north. Branson, Mo., became a major tourist magnet, a sort of Bible Belt Vegas, attracting millions of visitors each year. Morris was never a man to miss an opportunity, and his ambitions grew along with the crowds.
Big Cedar Lodge now offers 246 guest rooms in a collection of Adirondack-style lodges, cottages and cabins. There is a high-tech conference center for group meetings and a little white church for weddings. The original 1920s homes have been converted into restaurants. The Worman House serves an upscale menu with a locavore's touch. Devil's Pool Restaurant is more countrified--that's where I found the chicken livers. There's a quaint little coffee shop, a well-equipped fitness center, a saloon with live music, a sandy beach and a bustling marina outfitted with all manner of watercraft.
And, of course, there are fish to catch. I'm no fisherman, but like a lot of English majors, I've had half a mind to take up fly-fishing ever since I read A River Runs Through It. Big Cedar Lodge can set you up with lessons and guided expeditions at nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park, where the fly-fishing gurus of Orvis maintain a certified academy. Set on 10,000 acres that straddle the Missouri-Arkansas state line, Dogwood Canyon is another Johnny Morris brainchild, a slice of God's country but just a little bit better. The streams are engineered, the gin-clear pools are stocked with trophy trout by the thousands, and shaded paths are gently graded for pleasurable hiking and biking. It's what the world might look like if the good Lord had taken eight or nine days instead of just seven.
Where blue chip meets red America, the result has been more green for Morris, whose privately held company doesn't release earnings reports. Even in a lackluster economy, business has been strong enough at Big Cedar to sustain a three-night minimum stay for holidays and summer weekends. Glowing reviews attract more visitors, especially now that Branson has opened the nation's first privately developed, privately owned commercial airport. They arrive in the footsteps of such heartland celebrities as the late country-music legend Waylon Jennings, NASCAR driver Martin Truex Jr., actor Kevin Costner and former President George H.W. Bush--all of whom have cabins dedicated in their name.
Yes, preppy Yale man George Herbert Walker Bush of Kennebunkport, Maine. Red America is a state of mind, not a fixed address. Any President who owns a cigarette boat is going to fit right in.