Lake Lure: Summer Day Trips

It’s pretty obvious from past blog posts that I love where we now live. LOVE. The scenery alone is reason enough to do a happy dance about life in Asheville, but when you throw in the comfortable temps, the artsy downtown, the breweries, and on and on AND on, you’ve made one happy girl. (I could easily be a walking billboard for the chamber of commerce. Hmmmm…wonder if they pay???)

But yesterday, during yet another outing to entertain my boys on summer break, I was quickly reminded of a huge bonus to life in the North Carolina mountains – the endless opportunities for gorgeous day trips within an hour’s drive (or less) of Asheville.

I put on my SuperMom cape, invited a friend for each of my sons, packed enough food to feed the two pubescent teens in my care, gathered every bit of patience I could muster for the day, and drove the foursome right up the road, only 25 miles, to the beach at Lake Lure, North Carolina.

First off, Lake Lure is one of the most beautiful and charming small towns in the area. It’s nestled in the Hickory Nut Gorge formed by the Rocky Broad River that flows through town. The downtown features quaint shops and quirky restaurants that border the river. Many of the shops have paths leading down to a river walk – a fun, boulder-filled trail for exploring the small rapids of the waterway.

Look up and you’ll see Chimney Rock State Park with the flag post outcropping that offers 75-mile views. We visited the park right after we moved to Asheville so enough of that. On to the beach!

The beach at Lake Lure is just, well, adorable. It includes everything to keep four energetic boys busy and happy for an entire afternoon. We set up on the sandy beach just by the shoreline and near one of two lifeguard stands, another bonus. The boys quickly raced to the waterslides and I explored what all was available. The two slides aren’t huge like you’ll find at a coastal waterpark, but they’re fast, the line is short, and the ride is fun. For the ones too young to ride, there’s a splash zone with water spraying from giant poles. Canoes, paddleboards and pedal boats are available for rent near the slides.

But what I considered the best, most clever attraction was the water balloon war station. I love a good water balloon fight but Lake Lure took it to another level. They have six wooden, water balloon forts with built-in launchers. The kids fill their balloons, set up in one of the forts, and fire away. It was hilarious to watch. They ran, filled balloons, chucked them across the war zone, ran back for a refill, all while I thought…”yes, keeping running boys, use up that energy, make momma happy.”

And then you have the lake. There’s something so refreshing and peaceful about floating in cool mountain waters surrounded by breathtaking scenery. It also helped to know that part of Dirty Dancing was filmed in Lake Lure. While the boys slammed each other in the water in surprise headlocks and power splashes, I floated and imagined Patrick Swayze lifting me from the water in a perfect, graceful, “So You Think You Can Dance” worthy, move. And then I was smacked in the face by a squishy water ball and reality returned. But that’s okay Swayze… nobody puts Baby in a corner, including four rambunctious boys. I hurled the ball right back, repositioned myself for more daydreaming, and planned when we can return to Lake Lure to play some more.