When looking for a relaxing respite to whittle away a simmering Georgian summer weekend, nothing looks quite as appealing as your own personal lake house. Luckily for those not fortunate enough to own one, you can easily book the perfect getaway by renting your own lake house for your family to enjoy. For those looking for a luxurious lakeside retreat, consider booking a summer vacay at Lake Lanier Islands, so ya’ll may enjoy the beautiful charm of lakeside living, as well as savor all the new amenities and entertainment that’s fresh off the boat at the resort.Nestled in the towering trees, and within a stone’s throw of the water’s edge, the LakeHouses of Legacy enjoyed a fresh remodel just last year and offer a charming cottage your whole family will enjoy. With lake winds fanning through the leaves, the lapping water below, and the privacy of your own personal lake house, this one of our favorite respites in Lake Lanier Islands.
These 30 “semi-secluded,” 1,200-square-foot cabins are perfect for families and small groups, comfortably hosting up to 8 guests, and were recently renovated with brand new floors, paint and furniture, as well as full kitchen and bath remodels. The lake houses each include a King master en-suite bedroom, a second en suite bedroom with two double beds, three televisions, an open communal living space complete with full kitchen, dining area and seating area with fold out couch, gas fireplace and, of course, an outdoor patio with lake view complete with a new grill for summer cook outs. And an especially nice amenity for those enjoying a day out in the sun, water and sand is a washer and dryer to make an extended stay a breeze—which is great because you can save 30 percent if you book a stay for 7 days or more. (For our video tour of the newly renovated lake houses, please visit North Georgia Living’sYouTube channel).
Right outside your lake house door, you can lace up your running shoes and run a quick one-mile nature loop around the LakeHouse Power Path. The hiking here is great, but if you can, be sure to rent a golf cart (four or six-seater) as the lake houses are a little more off the beaten path. Plus, zooming around Lake Lanier Islands in a golf cart is just simply more fun for the family.
If you enjoy a lodge atmosphere with dining options at your fingertips, then you may prefer to book your stay at the Legacy Lodge, with well-appointed rooms starting at nearly 300 square feet. At the lodge, enjoy the large, heated saltwater pool, Sidney’s for fine dining or unwind at Bullfrog’s poolside for your favorite boat drinks. For a more intimate stay, consider the nearby Legacy Villas, which are within walking distance of the Lodge and its amenities. Each villa has 6 individually keyed, artfully designed rooms with a variety of floor plans, perfect for large families, groups of friends and wedding parties wanting to stay together but with their own private retreats to retire to each evening. And guests of both the villas and LakeHouses enjoy easy access to the Lodge’s unique amenities. For those who enjoy more rustic accommodations, Lake Lanier Islands offers the Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Shoal Creek Campground.And during your stay, do not miss the numerous impressive attractions at Lake Lanier Islands, starting with the water park. Fresh for this year is the newly renovated wave pool and the Parakeet Spring kid’s zone, return of the Fin Dunker Bucket (a fan favorite) and the New Parrot Mountain summer tubing slide. Other great summer activities include lake boat rentals, the award-winning 18-hole Legacy Golf Course, the Tranquility Spa (open daily by appointment) and five hiking and walking trails. Including the aforementioned LakeHouse Power Path, check out the Legacy Lite Path for an invigorating 1.4 walk around Legacy Lodge, Cardio First Walk, a scenic 1.2-mile paved walkway with slight elevations for cardio bursts, Legacy Limits, a 1.6-mile natural hike along the water’s edge, and finally the longest hike of the 2.9-mile paved Lanier Trail with stunning views and varying elevation.
And the latest attraction to Lake Lanier Islands family fun offerings is the Game Changer fun center, complete with your favorite arcade games, a Wild West Escape Room, miniature golf, axe throwing, and virtual sport suites perfect for older teens, couples and a guy’s night out. Here you can practically try nearly every sport from baseball and bocce, hockey to horseshoes and shooting to soccer. Always dreamed of golfing at Pebble Beach? You can do that at Lake Lanier, too— virtually of course. Game Changer also offers a bar and restaurant with tasty offerings from Chef Tom Brailey, such as Margarita Shrimp and delicious wings (I recommend the Coca-Cola glazed wings, while my husband devoured the Georgia Gold BBQ). There’s also southern fried chicken to a Nashville Hot chicken sandwich. It’s all delicious but definitely don’t forget to save room for dessert. The dessert menu may be small, but it packs a punch! The Georgia Peach Pie looks like scrumptious beignets hot out of the oven and the Kitchen Sink Sundae has to be seen (and tasted) to believed—eight scoops of ice cream flavors, eight ridiculous fun toppings (including Oreos, M&Ms, brownie bites, pretzels, marshmallows, cherries and gummy worms) as well as caramelized bananas, fresh baked brownie base and whipped cream served up in cast iron griddle. All I can say is wow. It serves four to four hundred, depending on how much room you have left.
The new Game Changer was a homerun with my girls, ages 12 and 7, with its great food, fun games and variety of entertainment for everyone in your party. This new locale should not be missed on your next visit to Lake Lanier Islands. As for additional dining, there are numerous more restaurants and eateries including LandShark Bar and Grill boasting “boats, burgers and beers,” Butler’s Pantry for “grab and go” fast eats, the L Bar for quick and convenient cocktails and the Chill Zone, with a variety of restaurants, open only during water park hours. Special Lake Lanier Islands events this summer include live music, beach parties, full moon lake cruises and fireworks. Yep, Lake Lanier Islands offers guests their own lake home this summer, with all those extra special Georgia fixin’s to make this a summer to remember.
To plan your upcoming stay, please visit lanierislands.com.
