The places that don't make you apologize for the kids. Restaurants with crayons that aren't an afterthought, parks with shade and bathrooms, the ice-cream stop with the line on a hot Tuesday.
A pizza-and-grill restaurant inside Port of Kimberling, accessible by land or water — a seasonal operation, opening for the year in mid-May.
A Missouri state park on the lake's shore near the dam — no designated swimming beach, but shoreline swimming and a free concrete boat ramp near the picnic shelter.