Vacation Idea: Houseboat On Broken Bow Lake

One of the most memorable vacations I had as a kid was a week on a huge pontoon houseboat on some crystal clear lake in central Arkansas. We went with some cousins and all of us kids had a blast swimming, snorkeling, fishing, making fires in the sandy beaches, play games of dare jumping off the top deck. It was awesome. Imagine my surprise when I learned a moment ago that these epic houseboat rentals are available on Broken Bow Lake - AKA - one of the prettiest and clearest lakes in the state.

Before I lose you to Google, here are the details. While the pricetag of $3600 may have you instantly swearing it off as an option, these boats sleep 12 people comfortably in beds. If you invited your own family along or some good family friends and their families, you can totally get that price-per-family down significantly. You just have to remember kids can bunk on the floor for a few days, especially if you bring air mattresses. (which make awesome lake floaties)

In turn, these enormous boats are like houses on the water... hence, they're called houseboats. Full kitchens, two and a half stories, usually a water slide and often a hot tub on the top deck. A couple of bathrooms, but you'd be amazed how nobody ever has to get out of the lake to go pee. Broken Bow is a big enough lake you can climb behind the comically large wheel and just go find your own private corner of the lake to spend a few days at. Just be sure to pack plenty of water and food as getting delivery that far out is literally impossible.