June 15, 2022

This paid piece is sponsored by The Ramkota Companies.

This time of year brings all kinds of reasons for a trip to the Missouri River, which leads to filling up guest rooms, the marina and campground at Arrowwood Cedar Shore Resort & Conference Center.

And soon, there will be even more reasons to visit.

The resort, part of Sioux Falls-based Ramkota Companies, is being extensively renovated, from the common spaces to the guest rooms.

“It’s a nice update, freshening it up and really changing the look in parts of the resort,” general manager Craig Gill said.

The changes are apparent from the moment guests arrive, with all new exterior paint, and they will continue throughout the resort.

“The common areas are getting all new carpet and wall vinyl, all new lounge furniture, all new pool and patio furniture, plus a new concrete slab for our tiki deck,” Gill said.

“And in the guest rooms, we’re adding luxury bedding, luxury towels, big-screen TVs, new window coverings and new decks in all the river-facing rooms. Those will be done in the next few weeks, and the plan is to finish the rest of the work throughout the summer.”

Next up: All guest bathrooms will be fully renovated with refreshed finishes. starting this winter. 

“The entire guest experience then really will feel as though it’s a like-new resort,” Gill said.

Arrowwood Cedar Shore is right on the Missouri River, off Interstate 90 in Oacoma, near Chamberlain. Visitors discover the famous Dignity statue, the South Dakota Hall of Fame and the Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center.

“A lot of people come on their way to or from the Black Hills, looking for a unique spot along the way,” Gill added.

The resort features a marina, which offers 120 boat slips along with large and small pontoon rentals and tubes.

“We can do overnight boat slips and offer year-round fishing,” Gill said. “Our best fishing typically goes until early July depending on the year, but last year we had great fishing up until almost August.”

Hunting season is huge here, too, with prime pheasant land just 20 miles away. Cedar Shore offers dog-friendly rooms, professional guides, a challenging sport clay course and even freezer space for your pheasants.

“We fill up, sometimes a year in advance, especially the first few weeks, but later season hunting can be better anyway,” Gill said. “We’re smack dab in the middle of pheasant hunting country.”

This summer, the resort still has availability. Its campground includes 44 campsites with modern restrooms and showers, a picnic shelter, convenience store, playground and sport court.

Campers also can access all the resort’s amenities, which include an indoor pool, sauna and hot tub, fitness center, game room, horseshoe court and business center.

“Weekends can be tougher than weekdays but do still have availability,” Gill said.

“And we’re beginning to see more event business. During the summer, we do a lot of weddings – people really like using our gazebo – and we have quite a bit of meeting space to fit a variety of group sizes.”

The on-site restaurant, Bridges, serves breakfast and dinner, with options for group lunches and outdoor seating. The dinner menu is filled with steaks, seafood, burgers, pastas, salads and appetizers.

And the Tiki Bar will be reopening as soon as the renovation is done, offering seasonal dining and live music.

For Gill, who has been the general manager here the past two years, Cedar Shore has been an ideal fit. He spent 11 years with Ramkota in other leadership roles, including previously in Oacoma and at Custer State Park. His wife is a teacher who enjoys the area schools in Chamberlain-Oacoma.

“When my predecessor retired, it was a great option to come back and run the resort, so I gladly took it,” he said. “It’s a nice, big resort but small enough that it feels close-knit, and our team is great. That makes it easy to go to work every day.”

To connect with Arrowwood Cedar Shore, click here.