The Fugitive Beach

Located near the city of Rolla in Missouri, Fugitive Beach is an artificial inland beach with light brown sand and many large rocks.  This beach is a part of a privately-owned water park that is also named Fugitive Beach.  This beach has been listed as one of the best beaches in the state of Missouri by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Fugitive Beach is open between 10 am to 6 pm.

Fugitive Beach offers many amenities including lifeguards, picnic tables, restrooms, sitting areas, rides for kids, volleyball courts, changing rooms, barbecue areas, pavilions, a concession stand, rental facilities for beach chairs, beach equipment, and cabanas.   

Pets are not allowed here.

Fugitive Beach offers many fun activities including sunbathing, swimming, picnicking, and volleyball.  Fugitive Beach is ideal for slightly less-experienced swimmers because the water here is usually calm – you can check the Fugitive Beach photos to see the calm water here.  Expert swimmers also jump into the water here from nearby clifftops. 

If you are planning to swim here, we recommend being careful because the Fugitive Beach depth is steep and drowning-related accidents have also occurred here.  The water here can also sometimes have high levels of microbes and inorganic contaminants – in addition, the water here also has an artificial blue dye which can cause allergic reactions to visitors.  The submerged rocks here can also cause serious injuries.

If you like camping, the Fugitive Beach camping ground is also currently being planned for construction here and it will offer a fun camping experience once complete.

Fugitive Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Fugitive Beach is easy – this beach is located at 16875 County Road.  There is a free dirt parking lot near the beach. 

Please note that you need to pay an entrance fee for visiting Fugitive Beach – the entrance fee here is $15 per day for adults and kids aged 11 years and older, while it is $13 per day for kids aged 10 years and younger. 

Fugitive Beach is usually open between Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Fugitive Beach was earlier the site of a rock quarry and this water park was opened to the public in 2012.  This water park hosts many fun events including a wrestling tournament named the Takedown Beach Brawl and a series of games named the Fugitive Beach Games.

There are many attractions near Fugitive Beach.  Uranus is a popular attraction which is a 34-minute-drive away and offers many amazing things to explore including a fudge factory and store, fun rides, an escape room, a mini-golf area, a playground, and a museum displaying interesting novelties and artifacts.  Rolla Lions Club Park is a recreational park that offers many amenities including a mini-golf facility, biking paths, a playground, soccer field, volleyball court, and a basketball court.  Schuman Park is a public park that offers many amenities including ball fields, a playground, tennis court, and volleyball court – this park also has a lake named Schuman Park Lake and it also offers a fishing jetty.  This park also has vintage trains.  If you like theater, Ozark Actors Theater offers many interesting theatrical shows including plays and musicals and it also offers interesting educational programs.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Stonehenge is a local landmark that was created by researchers at the Missouri University of Science & Technology using a high pressure water jet lab – this landmark resembles the United Kingdom’s iconic Stonehenge and it was also awarded the prestigious National Society of Professional Engineers Award.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near Fugitive Beach.  Los Arcos is a Mexican restaurant that offers a variety of delicious Mexican dishes for lunch and dinner including burritos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, carne asada, and tacos.  Sybill’s Restaurant + Gift Shop is an upscale restaurant that is a 25-minute-drive away and offers many amazing dishes for lunch and dinner including steaks, seafood, pastas, chicken dishes, sandwiches, salads, and soup.  Tater Patch – also called Rob and Kricket’s Tater Patch – is a restaurant that offers amazing dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including catfish, baked potatoes, pork tenderloin sandwich, steaks, and pasta – this restaurant also offers live music performances and karaoke nights.  Alex’s Pizza Palace offers delicious Greek-inspired pizzas and it also offers gyros sandwiches and salads.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Mandarin Garden offers a variety of outstanding Asian dishes including fried rice, noodles, kung pao shrimp, and general Tso’s chicken. 

If you are looking for a hotel nearby, there are many great moderately and modestly-priced hotels near Fugitive Beach.  The 3-Star Days Inn by Wyndham Rolla offers many amenities including a seasonal pool and complimentary breakfast.  The 3-Star Hampton Inn Rolla offers many amenities including a pool with poolside chairs and complimentary breakfast.  A more affordable hotel is the Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Rolla that offers many amenities including a pool, a fitness center, a convenience store, and complimentary breakfast.  The 2.5-Star Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rolla – Univ of Missouri S&T, an IHG Hotel is another moderately priced hotel that offers many amenities including a pool, a whirlpool, a fitness center, and complimentary breakfast.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 2-Star Comfort Suites Rolla offers many amenities including a fitness center, pool, and complimentary breakfast.  Another great accommodation option is staying in one of the many nearby rental cabins – you can find and book one of the many nearby Fugitive Beach cabins online.