Ozark Folk Center is Awesome Vacation/Weekend Trip Place to Visit! Lodging, Food, Entertainment!
Yolanda, Office Mgr., and John Morrow, Supt. of Ozark Folk Center
Ozark Folk Center is Awesome Vacation/Weekend Out Place to Visit! Lodging, Food, Entertainment!
This tourist-pleasing awesome state park opened their 2017 Season this past April 11th with a jump on the ultimate vacation of 2017! All of the shops and programs and concerts and The Skillet Restaurant with music, food and fun for all began with a huge ongoing crowd still visiting and making memories.
In February I saw a blog on a Weekend Trip to the Folk Center with a package deal for two for April 29-30 for an overnight stay in their cabins, two days free admittance to the Folk Center Craft Village, two dinners at the Skillet Restaurant, and two premium seats at the A.J. Croce Concert, quite a deal for $199! Luckily I made reservations soon after, and we were set to go. I found out later my home town Batesville had two big events scheduled that same night, a Danny Dozier Fund Raiser, and Randy and Stephanie Wade (my mentors/friends) playing live at Fox Creek. There are so many events in our 8-county Ozark Gateway Region, I have to just close my eyes and pick one! And so it was done!
April 29th we began our Weekend at the Ozark Folk center with excitement and anticipation of a night away, some good crafters and workshops to watch free in the Village, a wonderful dinner and a great musical show plus a cabin waiting on us to just check in. The check-in was quick and our reservation was handled smoothly by Yolanda and we were given our room keys, a map denoting our route to the cabin, and SURPRISE! Two free tickets to a Skillet Restaurant breakfast, which we thought we’d just have to wing it on breakfast. Then, another surprise, to our delight! It seems a shuttle comes to the Cabin Office and picks up guests and takes them to the front door of the Folk Center Entertainment Auditorium, and is waiting when the show is over to drive you home! How cozy and what a way to be pampered, did I mention it was a rainy, stormy weekend? We didn’t even have to worry about parking, waiting on shuttle even 3 minutes (they are quick), what a super way to end a day at the Folk Center.
At the Cabins office we met Mr. John Morrow, a really nice and helpful gentleman who happens to be the Superintendent of Ozark Folk Center!! He certainly runs a great place with lots of nice folks. A super nice bunch of people at the Folk Center, everyone working everywhere just wanted to make us feel welcome and took such good care of us, we really felt special. Thing is, they treat everyone that way! Be sure and visit them!
Love Holler entertaining in the Village
The cabins were as nice and pristine as any place I’ve stayed the last year, and I have traveled to several other states for various reasons. The wi-fi was really fast and the TV had my fav show, Investigative Discovery! There was a small fridge and a coffee pot with coffee and all the fixings for early morning. Each cabin duplex has a nice deck with comfortable seats for you to relax a while and watch the wildlife and feel the mountain breezes! Oh, the weather was stormy, but I will go back and spend the night just to sit out late evening and early morning with cappuccino. The floors were literally so clean you could dine off of them! The decor was so pretty and looked like a picture out of a magazine. If you want t o stay, you better hurry and call in a reservation. I promise you will feel like royalty with such pampering!! They got the whole package deal going on! What a wonderful experience I can’t wait to repeat!
The Skillet Restaurant always has outside visitors to entertain you!
Our reserved seats were on Row 2! We enjoyed the concert so much, A.J. Croce and his bass player and lead guitarist/vocals harmony. I had heard so much about the late Jim Croce, and I know you all remember, the song “Time in a Bottle” and “Bad Leroy Brown” (almost). I was not prepared for the sound quality and height of entertainment we enjoyed from 7-8:45pm. Let me show you. . .the bass player was awesome and put on a great show by himself, the lead guitarist flat tore up the guitar playing lead and harmony with A.J. A.J. himself, well, he is soft spoken and such a talented individual, who writes and sings and plays guitar and TEARS UP THE PIANO! The whole audience was attentive to the point of clapping loudly only after we knew he was not going to start another song. Wow! I know I was almost breathless with the musicality in that particular concert. The curtain call was extra special. They came back out and A.J. and his band stood quietly, as we sat quietly, and we heard the recorded “Time in a Bottle” by his late father, Jim Croce, and after two verses or so, A.J. and his band finished the song, almost a duet. It was a time-stopping performance to another standing ovation! Wow! What a concert!
The Ozark Folk Center has many special guest entertainers from everywhere, as well all the local talent shows you don’t want to miss. I saw Rhonda Vincent there, and Gene Watson, and Michael Martin Murphy. Guitar Thumbpickin’ is really soon, check out their web page for the days and times. Be sure and check out their Facebook page and watch their calendar, for every day at the Village is a special day! Tell them Ginger sent you, and I will see you there!
