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 holiday 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 miles (15 km).

10/10 Excellent

Natalie C.

13 May 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

Laura K.

23 Mar 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.

10 Jul 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

Eva T.

25 May 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

Scott D.

15 Aug 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

Trina H.

9 Aug 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

10/10 Excellent

Jerry M.

6 May 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

8/10 Good

Genevieve F.

6 Sept 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

Angel W.

19 Sept 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

10/10 Excellent

Julie W.

22 May 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

Jennifer M.

3 Sept 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

6/10 Okay

Nolan B.

13 Jun 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

Kim Q.

26 Jul 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

10/10 Excellent

Erin B.

30 Sept 2020

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

Perfect relaxation escape

We were in need of a getaway and this place was just perfect peaceful fun for the kids. Right on the water. The home was huge we each could get away to be alone or come together and hang out. We loved this location.

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2020

10/10 Excellent

Justin R., Tomball, TX

8 Jul 2022

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

Awesome

Great!!

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

5 Jul 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.

13 Nov 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.

20 Jun 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

Claudia B.

16 Jul 2016

Perfect spot to get together with friends and family!

This luxurious home was perfect for our get together this summer. Plenty of space to relax and soak in the beauty, peace, and tranquility. We spent a lot of time out on the deck enjoying the view of the river while listening to the birds and other sounds of nature. It was great! Couldn't have asked for a better host. He met us there, gave us the grand tour, and explained how everything worked. No problems with anything. ?

Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2016

10/10 Excellent

Barbara K., Winter Park

7 Aug 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

Seana D.

11 Jan 2020

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

Beautiful country house!

Beautiful views from the house and the winding drive in! Great house with lots of space for our family to spread out! Well laid out kitchen with a nice cooktop and double ovens as well as a warming drawer. (And as with all rentals, if you are picky about your tools, bring them! There is decent stainless cookware and sufficient baking pans.) As mentioned before, the access to the river is a bit adventurous but a short climb down to the river. Tahlequah is a cute town nearby with a good grocery store as well as Walmart. Cute coffee shops and yummy food are available as well. Local merchants are welcoming and friendly - be sure to check out downtown! Hope to come back - we enjoyed our December trip so much!

Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Adelle B.

28 Jun 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

6/10 Okay

Andrea L.

15 Aug 2019

Liked: Cleanliness

Disliked: Communication, location

Beautiful house but not water accessible

This is a beautiful house and property. We saw wildlife and had plenty of room. However, I rented it to enjoy the water. I knew Oklahoma had received a lot of rain but I was led to believe it didn’t hamper access. The trail to the water is dangerous and not just anyone would be able to make it. So even if the water was okay, I’m not sure we could’ve made it to enjoy it. I sent multiple emails to Mr. Lightcap expressing how excited we were to enjoy the water. I even spoke with him on the phone asking if we could hang by the water a few minutes until the house was ready. He never told us that the water would not be accessible. We were not even able to fish because of the trail and things floating in the water. I know he can’t control rain but he should of told us. The house is 20 minutes from the main road. It took us 30 plus minutes to get to a marina. We rented this house to be by the water. I was extremely disappointed and felt misled and misinformed. I also expressed this in a text to Mr. Lightcap and didn’t get a response. I would not recommend this house if you are looking for water access. We spent most of our time away to enjoy the river and lake.

Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

Kevin C.

12 Mar 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

Jeffrey C.

16 Sept 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

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

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