Lake Tenkiller Family Friendly Estate on the Illinois River - Making Memories! Reviews, Deals & Photos 2025

Q: Is Lake Tenkiller Family Friendly Estate on the Illinois River - Making Memories! pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows dogs (limit 3 total). Some restrictions may apply, so please contact the property for more details.

Q: Where is Lake Tenkiller Family Friendly Estate on the Illinois River - Making Memories! located?

This family-friendly Tahlequah vacation home is located on the waterfront, 0.4 mi (0.7 km) from Tenkiller Ferry Lake, and within 6 mi (10 km) of John Ross Museum and George M. Murrell Home. Pettit Bay Public Use Area and Cherokee Springs Golf Club are also within 9 mi (15 km).

About the neighborhood

Located in Tahlequah, this vacation home is in a rural area and on the waterfront. George M. Murrell Home and Tsa La Gi Ancient Village - Cherokee Heritage Center are local landmarks, and the area's natural beauty can be seen at Gruber State Game Management Area and Cherokee Landing State Park. Be sure to check out the area's animals with activities such as game walks and birdwatching.

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10/10 Excellent

Natalie C.

May 13, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Graduation Stay

This house was gorgeous and the perfect place for our family to gather during my kids 3 graduation ceremonies from NSU! The hosts were wonderful, super supportive, and very accommodating after another property had cancelled on us last minute. We will definitely be staying again.

Stayed 3 nights in May 2025

10/10 Excellent

Kevin C.

Mar 12, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Bird watching paradise

Great space on a nice property

Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Laura K.

Mar 23, 2025

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful retreat

The peace we needed. Amazing views.

Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Nate P.

Jul 10, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice getaway

Beautiful views, very quiet, pet friendly.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Trina H.

Aug 9, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely home!

The property is beautiful and the deer come right up in the yard! The house is very spacious and cleverly built plenty of places to relax, will definitely be back!

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2024

8/10 Good

Genevieve F.

Sep 6, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Long weekend!

House is nice. The trail down to the water is steep, but views from the house are terrific!

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Eva T.

May 25, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great stay!!!

We stayed here for our daughter's graduation from NSU. We had a great stay! We hope to come back in the future to enjoy the river!

Stayed 3 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Barbara L.

May 17, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Graduation

Excellent property! Fit our needs perfectly and was a bird watchers dream!

Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Scott D.

Aug 15, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing River Views

Great home for our family stay! Enjoyed the views of the river, wildlife, and birds! We even caught a glimpse of a Bald Eagle soaring over the river!!!

Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Julie W.

May 22, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Summer vacay

We had a very relaxing time. The house was very comfy! Thanks

Stayed 6 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jerry M.

May 6, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, location, listing accuracy

Very nice views of the river and wild life

Im going to stay again when i go back to oklahoma too see family.

Stayed 3 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Angel W.

Sep 19, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful Place

We had a great time! Home was beautiful! Didn’t want to leave!

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Courtney S.

Jun 9, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Right on the River

The House ia very spacious and just a short hike to the river. Very secluded and wildlife everywhere including snakes and a Bald Eagle!! View is great! The manager Debbie is very helpful!

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Wendy S.

Sep 13, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nature lovers paradise

Very private and lots of wildlife! Hummingbirds everywhere, squirrels, deer, lizards, frogs, and we saw a few eagles too!

Stayed 7 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kim Q.

Jul 26, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful location

We loved our stay here. The river was a treat that we all enjoyed even though it's not the easiest to get down to. The home was large enough to accommodate our group of 11 very comfortably. It was well stocked and the owners/property manager were very attentive.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Nolan B.

Jun 13, 2023

River stay

House was as advertised. Very communicative owner and the property manager was very nice.

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jennifer M.

Sep 3, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Family stay for Powwow

Beautiful property. A little drive to anything but that made it better. It was very secluded, like walking into a nature wonderland..

Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Jul 5, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great Family Trip

We really enjoyed our stay here. It is a beautiful property - very quiet and comfortable. The owner and property manager were very responsive and helpful with any questions we had. A windstorm came through the first night, and the owner called the next morning to ensure everything was ok. There is a very nice area with easy access to the river just few minutes down the road for those that don't want to go down the steps at the house.

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Eileen K.

Nov 13, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing House w Amazing Views

Our host, Ken, was incredible. Very communicative and helpful. The house is beautiful and well stocked, The walk to the river from the house was difficult with all the leaves covering the steps so w drove to the river, less than 5 minutes. Packed a lunch and the dog. We have a wonderful time. We will come back again

Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2023

6/10 Okay

Carla B.

Jun 20, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location

Access to river

The house was nice but getting down to the river with small children was not easy at all. You are basically walking down a cliff. The water is very nice once you get to it. The kayaks were great and the accessibility of the boat ramp was convienent.

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Debbie A.

Jul 31, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Birthday Paradise

The stay at Bending Waters for a birthday celebration was wonderful. The views were amazing. Sitting on the back deck and seeing the river and watching the birds was a treat. The kitchen was a dream-literally everything was provided to prepare meals. The additional fridge in the garage was a blessing! The open spaces made it very comfortable for ten people. The drive to the lake was very easy and convenient. All we needed was another day or two...or more. It's a trip we will all with hold dear to our hearts.

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ward S.

Jul 3, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Overall a good experience

Met family there for a three night getaway right before the Fourth of July. That portion of the Illinois river at horseshoe bend has really low traffic compared to the northern portions of the river. House is well set up and comfortable sleeping many guests. Your own private gravel bar on the river awaits you below the house. Only disadvantage I can mention is that the walk to the river is pretty steep and hard to get the kids under 8 up and down safely carrying any gear. Overall quite satisfied and would recommend this location to anyone wanting a spot on the river that is not completely packed with partying floaters.

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Barbara K., Winter Park

Aug 7, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Respite at Lake Tenkiller

My sister, niece, and I stayed here for 4 nights. We had the best time. The set up of the home was perfect for our needs and had all the necessary amenities. I loved the setting of the house in the woods. It was beautiful and peaceful. We tried tubing one day on the Illinois River but the water was so low that it was not great tubing. One day we went to the Cherokee State Park and swam with tubes off the rocky beach. It was so much fun! Lunch at Nancy's Homemade Pies and Cafe provided us with delicious homemade pies for lunch. Ken was a super good host. The property manager was great, too, keeping up with our needs.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jeffrey C.

Sep 16, 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Nice Spot Near Tahlequah

Nice property. Lots of space and beds. Close to the access for the river (2 minute drive/15 minute walk). Communicative host. And great location. I think the only thing I'd say I wish was out of their control. The river was pretty low. Where you walk down to get to the river from the property was really just stagnant water followed by super high weeds/grass area so you couldn't really get to water whereas I thought I'd be able to sit and fish or something. I'm sure it's better when the river is higher but that was the only thing that bummed me out. It was still sweet because we just hopped over to the access area which has a ton of space to park and fish. Again, out of their control and still an extremely great place and I wouldn't drop any stars.

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Adelle B.

Jun 28, 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful place for a family vacation

Bending Waters was an immaculate home to stay in for our family vacation. The lower level was perfect for our adult children and their significant others. The main floor made me feel at home. With 6 adults and one child, I never felt cramped, and I didn't have to wait in line to use the bathroom. The little one wanted to spend all the time down at the river, and though the hike was a little tricky, we were able to get down & back up again pretty well. The location feels very secluded, & that is what we were looking for. We were able to tow our boat & jet ski onto the property using a little caution on the one switchback like turn. A boat larger than 20ft, may be more difficult if you're not experienced. There's a gas station & Dollar General right down the road, and Lake Tenkiller was a relatively quick drive away. I don't have anything negative to say about this property, managers, or communication. The managers were very proactive with letting us know they were available if we had any questions or problems.

Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

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Lake Tenkiller Family Friendly Estate on the Illinois River - Making Memories!

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