Camdenton, Missouri travel guide: things to do, food & where to stay

Overview

Camdenton is in Central Missouri, near Lake of the Ozarks.

4 bars & cafés · 1 places to stay

Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage

Plan your trip

Getting there

From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
TBN Waynesville-St. Robert Regional Airport-Forney Field, Fort Leonard Wood — 38 mi away. Directions
COU Columbia Regional Airport, Columbia — 63 mi away. Directions
STL St. Louis Lambert International Airport, St Louis — 138 mi away (major hub). Directions

Camdenton is the county seat of Camden County.It is found on the intersection of US Highway 54 and Missouri Route 5/7. It is about 40 minutes Southwest of Jefferson City or an hour North of Springfield.

Full “Get in” guide ↓

Budget & where to stay

No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.

Food for you

Camdenton has the typical fast food places. They have several bars such as Marty's and Whiskers that also server typical midwest bar food.

Cuisine (tap to filter)

What to ask about, for your diet

Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder

Photos

Understand

Camdenton is the county seat of Camden County Missouri. It became the county seat in the 1930s after the original city of Linn Creek was flooded during the creation of Lake of the Ozarks. The original Linn Creek was located under modern day Linn Creek Cove, near the intersection of the Osage and Niangua rivers. Although there is not much to do within Camdenton, it's close location to Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach and other surrounding areas make it an ideal place to live for people who want the lake life but also want a great place to raise their children.

Get in

Get around

Your best bet to get around in Camdenton is by car. Public transit is near non-existent and the city is really not designed for easy or safe transit by bike or foot

See

Just west of Camdenton is Ha Ha Tonka State Park. It's castle ruins, many caves, spring and hiking trails make for a great place to hike, photograph nature or just relax. Camdenton is also just minutes from several access points to Lake of the Ozarks. Bridal Cave is just north of Camdenton down Thunder Mountain road. It is a very popular and very large cave near the Niangua arm of the lake. Many people have been married in the cave and that is how it became known as Bridal Cave

Do

On Friday nights in the fall Camdenton's high school football team is the best show in town. The Lakers are one of the most solid high school football programs in the state and have a long tradition of excellence that has led to the games being a great experience for anybody to see. Get there early, oftentimes seats can be hard to get at Bob Shore Stadium and parking can be a nightmare.

Buy

Ozark Land is the big red barn in the middle of town. They sell all manner of memorabilia and touristy stuff. Bear Market is also a well known consignment store in town. They have a massive selection of all kinds of stuff. You just might find a nice treasure in there.