TheLakeInsiderThe insider's guide to America's luxury lakes
← West Okoboji Lake
The local guide

Everything worth doing.Within 20 minutes.

Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.

The table

Restaurants

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Arnolds Park
Prime Boji

A steak- and seafood-focused fine-dining restaurant on Lakeshore Drive in Arnolds Park, with lake-facing seating.

Arnolds Park
Yesterdays

A seafood- and steak-focused dinner restaurant on W Broadway St in Arnolds Park, known locally for walleye.

Okoboji
Tweeter's Bar & Grill

A full-bar American bar-and-grill on Highway 71 S in Okoboji, known for wings.

Arnolds Park
Bob's in Arnolds Park

A casual hot dog and burger stand on the hill above the lake, best known for the "Bob Dog" — a loose-meat-topped hot dog.

Arnolds Park
Portside Pizza

Pizza, calzones, and sandwiches on W Broadway St, near the Arnolds Park Amusement Park entrance.

Arnolds Park
The Nutty Bar Stand

An ice cream stand inside Arnolds Park Amusement Park's Queens Court, operating since 1945, known for its namesake chocolate-and-peanut-dipped vanilla ice cream bar and house-brewed root beer.

The tap

Breweries

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Milford
West O Beer

A microbrewery and taproom on Terrace Park Blvd near West Okoboji's south shore, serving Neapolitan pizza and wings alongside its own beer.

The outdoors

Parks & trails

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Dickinson County
Iowa Great Lakes Trail

A paved, roughly 14-mile trail connecting Spirit Lake, Okoboji, West Okoboji, Arnolds Park, and Milford, part of a roughly 50-mile multi-use trail network through Dickinson County.

The harvest

Farms

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Milford
Little Sioux Orchard

A pick-your-own apple orchard on 160th Ave in Milford, with a corn maze, hayrides, and raspberries, open mid-August through October.

Saturday morning

Farmers markets

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Spirit Lake
Lakes Area Farmers Market

A regional farmers market at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds selling produce, honey, baked goods, and crafts, running late May through September.

The water

Boat launches

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Arnolds Park
Oak Hill Marina

A boat, jet ski, and UTV dealership and rental operation on Highway 71 S in Arnolds Park, operating since 1992.

Okoboji
Okoboji Boat Works

A full-service marina on Lake Shore Dr directly on West Okoboji Lake, with boat slips, pontoon and fishing-boat rentals, a 24-hour gas dock, and a ship store.

Iconic stops

Iconic stops

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Arnolds Park
Arnolds Park Amusement Park

A lakeshore amusement park established in 1889 and operated today by the nonprofit Historic Arnolds Park Inc. Its wooden Legend roller coaster dates to 1927 and is commonly described as among the oldest operating wooden coasters in the country.

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Arnolds Park
Roof Garden Ballroom

A historic dance hall on the amusement park grounds, opened in 1923 and hosting touring acts from the Glenn Miller Orchestra to Johnny Cash through 1988. Rebuilt and reopened as a roughly 1,200-capacity concert venue.

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