If a lake earns a second trip from our crew, you know it's a good one. We've been to Grand Lake O' the Cherokees before and loved it enough to come back, but this time we did it differently: we stayed right on the resort at Shangri-La on Monkey Island, in the thick of a hot Oklahoma summer, with our own boat in tow.
Grand Lake sits in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, about an hour and a half from Tulsa and right around an hour from Joplin, Missouri. It's one of the biggest lakes in the state, with more than 46,000 surface acres and 1,300 miles of shoreline, and it's a true water sports lake. If your family lives for a boat day, trust me, this one deserves a spot on your radar.
Lay of the Land: Grand Lake and Monkey Island
Grand Lake was created back in 1940 when Pensacola Dam went in on the Grand (Neosho) River. The dam is worth a look on the drive in: a multi-arch structure that stretches almost a mile, and the first hydroelectric plant in Oklahoma. The lake behind it winds up through the Ozark foothills with coves and creek arms everywhere, and towns like Grove, Afton, Ketchum and Disney scattered along the shore. Monkey Island is the spot you want if you're looking for the resort side of Grand Lake. It's not actually an island (it's a 6 mile peninsula on the north shore), and the name supposedly came from a joke in a 1938 Tulsa World interview that just stuck. Highway 125 runs down the spine of it, past marinas, restaurants and lake houses, and dead ends at Shangri-La on the southern tip. Kansas City families can be here in under four hours, and Dallas is a long day's drive at around six.
Grand Lake is a boater's lake first and foremost. After that, it's for families who want a resort with a real pool, and for anyone who likes a lake with a little social scene (think dockside restaurants, live music and a lot of golf carts).
Where We Stayed: Shangri-La Resort
Shangri-La has been the name on Monkey Island since the original hotel opened in 1964, but the resort you'll stay at today is a completely different animal. The old hotel had fallen into ruin, and the current owner rebuilt it from the ground up. The new 119 room hotel opened in 2017, and they've been adding ever since: a huge lakefront pool complex, The Anchor activity park, 27 holes of championship golf plus a par-3 course called The Battlefield, and one of the biggest full-service marinas on the lake. For us, the family-friendly setup sold it. The pool was full of kids and parents, the arcade next door was our nightly hangout, and everything is walkable. We swam a lot.
What Makes It Special
The resort pool is enormous, sits right on the lake, and is restricted to hotel guests and members, so it never got out of hand even on a hot summer weekend.
The kids' splash pad and playground connect directly to the main pool, so you can keep eyes on a 6-year-old and a big kid at the same time.
The Anchor is steps away and gives you a built-in answer for "what do we do after dinner?"
The marina handles everything: slips, fuel, a ship store, boat and jet ski rentals, and even parasailing. Multiple restaurants and bars on property, including two right on the water, so nobody has to get back in the car.
Notes to Keep in Mind
Fair warning if you're a cocktail person: the bar service was the one miss for us. Even the simple drinks weren't made right the weekend we were there, and the bar staff clearly wasn't very experienced. Keep your order simple (a beer, a glass of wine, a frozen drink at the pool) or bring your own for the room. It didn't ruin the trip, but I'd rather you know going in.
Summer weekends here are hot. Plan outdoor time for mornings and evenings and let the pool carry the middle of the day.
The pool is only for guests and members, which is a plus when you're staying there, but if you're renting a house nearby, don't count on using it.
On the Water: Bring Your Boat (Everyone Else Does)
Water sports are the whole culture at Grand Lake. Tubing, wakeboarding, skiing, jet skis, big pontoons packed with families, and on a summer weekend the main channel is busy in the best way. We towed our own boat again this trip and spent a full day out on the water doing exactly what we came to do.
Shangri-La's marina has 240 slips, courtesy docks and a ramp, so ask about a slip when you book your room and call the marina ahead about launching and trailer parking. There are also public ramps at several of the state park areas around the lake, and marinas like Safe Harbor Harbors View on Duck Creek sell daily ramp passes and nightly slips when they have them. If you'd rather not tow, Shangri-La rents pontoons, tritoons, ski boats and jet skis right from the resort dock.
Our favorite stop on the water was Blind Swine on Duck Creek, the dockside restaurant at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina in Afton. You pull the boat up and eat right on the dock, and SO many huge catfish live underneath it. They swarm the second you drop anything through the boards, and they'll eat every last one of your food scraps. The boys will never forget it, and if you have kids, this is a must-stop.
The Resort Pool: Where We Spent Most of Our Time
The pool was the MVP of this trip. It's a 6,500 square foot lakefront pool with a tanning ledge, a hot tub, cabanas you can rent and a pool bar, and for 2026 they expanded it with more space, live music and poolside dining. Best of all for me, it's shallow enough that my 6-year-old could touch and swim pretty much everywhere, which is the difference between a mom relaxing and a mom on lifeguard duty.
Connected to the main pool is a kids' splash pad and playground with sprayers, little slides and a shaded jungle gym, so the younger set has their own zone without being separated from everybody else. Tons of kids and families were in and out all day, and since it's guests and members only, it never got crazy. There's an indoor heated pool too if you visit in the off-season.
Evenings at The Anchor
Right next to the resort is The Anchor, and it was our answer for both nights of the trip. It's an activity park that opened in 2021 and has quickly become the Monkey Island hangout, and I get it. Inside there's a big arcade (everything from Skee-Ball to VR games, all on a reloadable game card), golf and shooting simulators, and a sports bar with giant video walls. Outside you've got a mini Fenway Park for wiffle ball, a basketball court, sand volleyball, cornhole and lakeside tennis and pickleball courts.
The arcade is what pulled our kids in, and both nights we were surrounded by lots of other kids doing the same thing. There's casual food at The Galley inside The Anchor and pizza and wings from Anchor Crust Co. if you'd rather eat there than at the main restaurants.
Horseback Riding on Monkey Island
Before we headed home, we squeezed in one more thing: a trail ride at Monkey Island Trail Rides at Royal Horse Ranch, just up the peninsula from the resort. It's a guided, hour-long ride around their property, more than 100 acres of open pasture and shady woods, and our route wound down to the lake.
It was hot (it was hot everywhere that weekend), but the ride was so peaceful and beautiful. Reservations are required, so call ahead, and they also do hay rides for groups, which would be a fun option in the fall.
Where to Eat
- Shangri-La has enough restaurants that you could easily eat every meal on property.
- Eddy's Lakeside Bar is the dockside spot for burgers and brews, with live music and a front-row seat to the lake, and you can pull your boat right up to it.
- Doc's Bar & Grill does casual American hand-helds with views of both the lake and the pool, and it's the easiest place to feed kids straight from swimming.
- The Summit is the upscale chophouse at the top of the resort with panoramic views, and it's the date night spot.
- Buffalo Bar is an upscale sports bar built for post-golf hangs.
- Monkey Grind Coffee Shop serves Starbucks and pastries, which is all I need to hear before 8 a.m. on vacation.
- Anchor Crust Co. and The Galley at The Anchor cover pizza, wings and casual bites for arcade nights.
- Off property, Blind Swine on Duck Creek at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina is our pick, for the dock and those catfish. For another dock-and-dine option, The Quarterdeck at Tera Miranda Marina is a Monkey Island favorite that's reachable by boat.
Tips for Planning Your Family Trip to Grand Lake
- Book Shangri-La early for summer weekends. It's the resort on Monkey Island, and holiday weekends fill up fast.
- If you're towing a boat, ask about a marina slip when you book and confirm launch and trailer parking ahead of time. It'll save you a headache on arrival day.
- We skipped the golf cart this time because of the heat, but Monkey Island is a great place to drive one. There's a 5 mile paved cart path running from Tera Miranda Marina all the way to Shangri-La, and local companies like Monkey Around will deliver a 4 or 6 seater right to you (expect around $200 to $250 a day). You'd want one for a spring or fall weekend, a longer stay, or if you're renting a house and want an easy way to reach the restaurants.
- Pack for heat: rash guards for the kids, a big hat, more sunscreen than you think, and water shoes for the dock.
- Plan mornings for the water or the trail ride and afternoons for the pool. Save The Anchor for after dinner when it's cooled off.
- Keep the bar order simple (or pack a cooler for the room).
- Book the trail ride at Royal Horse Ranch in advance. An hour was just right for our crew.
Make Grand Lake Your Next Lake Escape
Two trips in, and Grand Lake still hits differently for our family. What won us over this time was a resort where the boys could swim all day, run to the arcade at night, and feed a dock full of catfish in between, and Shangri-La made all of that easy even on a hot summer weekend.
If your family wants real water sports and a resort pool built for kids (plus a peninsula full of golf carts and dockside dinners), put Monkey Island on your list.
If you're planning a lake trip and want help organizing where to stay, what to book, and how to maximize your time, I'd love to help! As a lake travel expert, I specialize in matching families with the perfect getaway that blends comfort, adventure, and ease. Reach out for help with planning!
