Boating season!
Those are beautiful words around Lake Norman, NC where hundreds and thousands of families take to the water for a very broad variety of fun things to do. This mammoth man-made lake covers 38,000 acres and streatches from Huntersville to Catawba, which covers 33 miles.
There are so many different areas of the lake that it would be impossible to cover even a small percentage in one article. So, for brevity's sake, this article will focus on our favorite places to hang out on Lake Norman.
- Family Island - This small island just south of Governor's Island is a family delight. This island features wide sandy beaches and a gentle sloping entrance into the water that makes this island really good for families with small children. In some places you can walk out 40-50 feet and the water is only 3 feet deep. Kids absolutely love this island.
- Little Creek Cove - If you go just west of the Little Creek landing, there is a long cove that provides some of the best water skiing on the lake. Especially during the week, this cove provides a long, well-protected and wide cove that will test the endurance of even the best of skiers. This is where I taught all of my kids to ski / wakeboard, and still one of our favorite places to go.
- Lake Norman State Park - If you are looking for solitude, head north and keep going. After you go under the 150 bridge, keep heading north for another 5-7 miles, and you start to see Lake Norman State Park. You will know you are there because of the tranquility and lack of homes on the water. Explore some of these coves, I know of one that is over 5 miles long. Some really good places to park your boat and hang out on the lake.
- Midway Restaurant - If you are looking for fine dining, this is not the spot. But if you are looking for a great greasy-spoon home cooking restaurant, you've come to the right place. Breakfast at Midway is my favorite, but so are the daily specials. And don't forget to try their cheeseburgers "all-the-way". If you don't know what that means, you're not a local, but you should try one to see how good they are.
- The Hot Hole - Down near the Cowans Ford dam there is a place called the hot hole, presumably from discharge of the power plant. I've never been in it, but my family and many of my friends love the place. It's like jumping into a sauna, in the middle of the lake.
- The Landing - This is another Lake Norman tradition, and serves up great bar food. The chicken wings are famous, but all their food items are good. This place is very popular on the week-ends, and you might expect to wait over an hour for a boat-slip or table. The wait is definitely worth it.
This doesn't include the countless number of other great places to swim, jetski or simply hang out on the boat. One of our favorite past times (especially while the kids were younger) was to find a sandy stretch of beach, park the boat and spend the day. Those were great times - packing a picnic lunch, taking the dog and just having the best family time that you can imagine.
Lake Norman is a local treasure and provides a wonderful lifestyle. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to live here. If you have a chance, drop by and visit!
