Are you a college student looking for fun and spontaneous job opportunities but living in Iowa? As an Okoboji native, I am here to help you out. I have had the great opportunity to have grown up in the Iowa Great Lakes and graduate from Okoboji High. The Okoboji area is located in the heart of Northwest Iowa and is all the rage during the summer months. In the last 20 years of living here, I have been able to experience some of the best places to work in the summer. Here are a few:
Parks Marina
Parks Marina of Okoboji is essentially a boat dealership on East Lake, Okoboji. At the marina, one position available would be working as part of the yard/dock staff. The duties of this position would include cleaning and prepping customer boats, transporting boats to proper storage locations, assisting customers on docks with fuel and landing, and general cleaning. Parks Marina also offers a variety of summer internships from Marketing, Event Management, Social Media, and Marine Services. Okoboji Boat Works on West Lake, Okoboji, is also a marina owned by the Parks Family. Here, you would have the opportunity to be working on the gas dock out in the sun, the convenience store clerk, or apply to be a boat captain. All of these positions are actively hiring so get your application in now! For more information about these jobs or any questions, visit https://www.parksmarina.com/careers/.
Barefoot Bar
The Barefoot Bar, which is also owned and on the property of Parks Marina, is described as a lively hangout featuring drinks, snacks & live music in a tiki-themed setting. Jobs for opportunity at the BFB are servers, bartenders, and bar-backs. This is more of a bar scene rather than the restaurant scene so, the weekends are pretty packed as it sits right on the lake. For more information about the Barefoot Bar, visit https://www.parksmarina.com/careers/.
Fillenwarth Beach Resort
This lakeside resort on West Lake Okoboji in Arnolds Park, is one of the most popular establishments for college students to work in the summer. Fillenwarth Beach Resorts include fully-furnished cottages, studios, and apartments located on the lakefront or nearby with West Lake Okoboji access. At the resort, your duties could include housekeeping, dock crew, office staff, and being head of kid activities. For more information on anything that Fillenwarth offers, visit https://www.fillenwarthbeach.com/contact-us.php.
Okoboji Store
Sitting on East lake and right across the bridge from West Lake, the Okoboji Store is a modern waterfront bar and grill featuring great food, deck seating, marina views and live bands. Currently, the store is hiring in the positions of bartenders, servers, food runners, dishwashers, and cooks in the kitchen. I think that Okoboji Store is a fantastic place to work in the summer because you get to enjoy the great views, live music and make connections with your coworkers. To apply for these potions or learn more visit https://maucareers.com.
The Gardens, Okoboji
Being one of the only restaurants/bars that sits right on West Lake, The Gardens is one of the most entertaining and fun establishments. I have been employed at the Gardens since my sophomore year of high school, making this my fifth summer here. Combining the large indoor seating, the lovely deck that overlooks the lake, there are plenty of positions for servers here. The Gardens is currently employing positions for servers, bartenders, food runners, kitchen staff, and dishwashers. For most of these positions, prior experience is not needed as you would be trained in your position. For more information on these positions visit https://www.parksmarina.com/careers/.
The town of Okoboji and surrounding towns offer many places you can apply for housing and short-month leases as well. Visit https://www.exploreokoboji.com.