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