The popular, historic cabins at Lake Murray State Park should be even more attractive to park visitors once a major remodeling project is completed.
The state Tourism Commission approved spending $996,800 to upgrade furnishings at the park’s 56 cabins during their Nov. 19 meeting. Some of the furniture in the cabins is almost 25 years old.
“We haven’t upgraded our cabins in years,” said Kim Moyer, director of communications and government affairs for the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Recreation Department. “We want our visitors to have a great experience.”
Moyer said the cabins are “wildly popular” despite their aging furnishings. During the summer months, the cabins are generally 100 percent occupied, and they are booked solid almost every weekend during the off-season, Lake Murray Lodge Manager Lou Logan said.
“We have several sizes,” he said. “We have cabins that sleep two and we have cabins that sleep 12. We have some with fireplaces and some without. We have some with kitchens and some without.”
Logan said most of the cabins have already received structural and exterior improvements, and several have new roofs. He said those renovations were funded through another source.
The new furnishings will include LCD televisions, energy efficient appliances, ceiling fans, bedding and wood furniture. Old carpeting will be removed and replaced with tile flooring and new carpeting in the bedrooms.
“This is the first upgrade we’ve had in a long, long time,” Logan said.
“This is really a positive for our guests. I foresee the cabins will be even more popular than they are right now.”
The Lake Murray State Park upgrade is the final phase of a larger state project to repair and renovate 180 cabins at seven state parks. Some of the cabins were built during the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. Many of the Lake Murray cabins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Moyer said the cabin rental fees will increase slightly once the renovations are completed. All the work is projected to be done by June 2010.
