Mountain Creek Ranch: Phil Melugin's 1,200-Acre Southwest Missouri Retreat

Phil Melugin understands perseverance. While his day job as the owner of Phoenix Home Healthcare is fulfilling, he also had a secondary dream: creating a family-focused ranch that could serve as a gathering spot for generations to come.

The first iteration didn't quite fit. "I bought a ranch in Kansas in 2009, but it was a hunt club that wasn't family-centric," Melugin says. Following that detour, Melugin and his wife, Kimberly, chose to buy property in Shell Knob. The Melugins found a farm nearby, and Mountain Creek Ranch was born. With 1,200 acres to explore, guests can hike, hunt upland birds on the preserve, ride horseback or by wagon and experience life on a working ranch. The ranch has farm-to-table fine dining, and private lodges with amenities that offer relaxation at the end of long days.

"We ended up with three different lodges and 17 to 18 beds," Melugin says. "My wife's dream was to restore the original 1885 schoolhouse there, and it became a great event center."

The property employs a farm manager, a chef/hospitality manager and groundskeepers. Neighbors, including a mechanic and a taxidermist, pitch in to help when needed.

And word has spread. "We have groups now that are finding us from Texas, Colorado, Illinois, even France," Melugin says.

More importantly, Melugin's family is close by, including five grandchildren. "It's just beautiful," Melugin says.