Lake Hartwell, straddling the Georgia/South Carolina border, is one of the largest recreational bodies of water in the Southeast with 962 miles of shoreline, camping, hiking, birds galore and plenty of wildlife to spot. It’s not your best bet if you’re bent on swimming, however.
Mix indoor comfort and outdoor fun by staying at the Skelton House B&B ($120 and up), a Victorian house on 2 acres with English-style gardens. You can walk downtown but still are near the water.
Here you can have your lake and eat from it, too. Striped bass are plentiful and 20-pound catches are not unusual. The South Carolina portion of Lake Hartwell State Park even has a tackle loaner program.
High Falls Lake | About an hour away
This lake is almost hidden in a pine forest some 50 miles south of Atlanta. High Falls Lake, named for the tumbling cascades on the Towaliga River, has some of the best largemouth bass fishing in Georgia.
Get your glamping (glamour camping) fix in a yurt with a lake view ($80) at the 1,050-acre High Falls State Park. The park also has 107 tent, trailer and RV sites; a paddle-in primitive campsite for up to 25 people; two boat ramps; and a swimming pool.
Note that swimming is not allowed in the lake or falls.
Visit Whimsical Botanical Gardens, seven miles away, and take a free, self-guided tour to see one-of-a-kind statues and portrait-worthy backdrops for vacation photo ops.
Lake Lanier | 50 minutes away
Lake Sidney Lanier is Atlanta’s outdoor party place, having attracted all ages since the 1950s. Georgia’s largest lake, slightly northeast of Atlanta, has 700 miles of shoreline along 38,000 acres.
Lodging choices are plentiful, and many are pet-friendly. They range from nearby chain hotels to Lake Lanier Islands’ hotel rooms and villas. Vacation packages at the grand Legacy Lodge ($149-$320) can include farm-to-table dining, golfing, water-park passes, horseback riding and romantic getaways.
New this summer: Waste away (in the best way) in Margaritaville, a 1,500-acre attraction that includes a sandy beach, a wave pool, two booze-cruising party yachts and an RV resort.