Vacation or Staycation, Make the Most of Lake Oconee’s Charms

Whether you rent a house through Airbnb, park your RV at a waterfront campground, or check into a luxury resort like The Ritz- Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee, here’s a guide to making the most of your time in Georgia’s Lake Country.

And if you’re one of the locals lucky enough to live on the lake, use the guide as a reminder to take better advantage of waking up every day in a vacation destination.

Image Source: RitzCarlton.com

Commune with Nature

No matter where you go on the lake, swimming and fishing are easy ways to shed city tension and celebrate the great outdoors. With 30 square miles of surface area, Lake Oconee is one of the best bass-fishing lakes in the South. For supreme relaxation, book a professional guide. They will provide everything you need for successful fishing, from boat to bait to in-depth expertise.

Wakeboarding, tubing, waterskiing, and jet skiing are also big with lake lovers, and there are plenty of places here to rent equipment like tubes or jet skis if you don’t have your own. If you prefer a more laid-back vacation, rent a pontoon boat and captain your own leisurely cruise.

Birdwatchers will find plenty of species to spot around Lake Oconee. Woodpeckers, hummingbirds, kingfishers, ospreys, and even bald eagles can be found nesting all around the lake.

Get Active

The Lake Oconee area provides endless trails for running, hiking and biking, but is especially well-known for its phenomenal golf courses. Reynolds Lake Oconee offers 99 holes of championship golf on five different courses, although you have to be a Reynolds member to play, or a guest of The Ritz-Carlton. For a high-class public course, visit Harbor Club on Lake Oconee in Greensboro. Designed by award-winning architects Jay Morrish and Tom Weiskopf, the course was recognized as Georgia’s 3rd best by Golfweek in 2016.

Horseback riding is another great lake country activity. On 115 acres of rolling hills in Eatonton, Georgia, Diamond K Stables offers riding lessons and and trail rides. For the full ranch experience, you can stay at Southern Cross Guest Ranch in Madison, which was designated one of America’s Best Dude Ranches by Travel + Leisure. This ranch, horse farm and bed and breakfast is home to over 150 beautiful Paint and Quarter horses, and provides a personalized, hands-on horseback riding program.

Fuel Up

After all that activity, you’ll no doubt want to visit one of Lake Oconee’s fabulous restaurants.

Copperwood Pizza is only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 10, so plan ahead to work it into your schedule. The restaurant hand-makes gourmet, Neapolitan style pizza from locally-sourced, organic ingredients, then cooks it in a wood-fired copper oven. 

The Yesterday Cafe in downtown Greensboro has been featured in Southern Living and Lake Oconee Magazine. Start with great Southern cuisine like country fried steak, squash casserole, and collard greens, then finish with a to-die-for dessert like buttermilk pie.

For upscale dining in a relaxed atmosphere with a gorgeous Lake Oconee view, or drive over to Lake Oconee Bistro in Eatonton.

Luxuriate

For a luxurious escape, book a treatment at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Spa. The spa offers Southern-inspired, water-themed therapies that make use of native ingredients in a 27,600 square foot space overlooking Lake Oconee. Try a Detox Body Wrap or Facial to detoxify and fortify your skin from head to toe, or relax tight muscles with a warm, Golf Ball Massage. For men, there’s The Single Malt, which provides an “on the rocks” shave and haircut.

For a complete list of activities in the Lake Oconee area, visit Lake Oconee Life.