Lake Lanier

The state of Georgia has so many attractions that bring tourists year round. One of those major summer attractions would be Lake Lanier. Located in the foothills of the north Georgia mountains, Lake Lanier is a great stop to see!

From swimming to boating, to fishing to camping, this popular lake has it all for visitors of all walks of life. When you arrive at this tourist hotspot, be sure to stop in the Visitor's center. There the park's employees can give you the normal maps, direct you, and assist you with any concerns. I will say that if you are camping or staying at the resort on site you will need to make a reservation in advance. For more information on this, please refer to the site.

Now for this blog post I will be speaking of our experience from the camping side of things. When we visited, we wanted to camp out by the lake to which we reserved a spot in the Shoal Creek Campground area. So for information about the Resort side of things, I won't be further commenting on.

As per norm, when we arrived we checked in with the park ranger, received our camping tag, and set up our site for our stay. The campground has plenty of spots that overlook the lake which I would recommend you do! With the sun setting over the lake as your backdrop as you eat s'mores, I have to say it was a wonderful experience. The camp sites themselves were also very well managed and easy to find throughout the journey.

When we were visiting we were keeping it pretty chill. I had brought my dogs so we explored the lake, the woods, and the area in general before hanging by the campsite. We didn't get a chance to go fishing or rent a boat, however next time I would love to do so!

Now for my history buffs out there, I thought I would add in the complicated history that Lake Lanier "sits," on. To begin, the US Army Corps Engineers needed to build a dam within the state of Georgia during the 1950s. This was to create a system for power generation and flood control within the area. Which in this instance is pretty normal all things considering.

According to the research that I found, the construction of the lake wasn't that easy. The layout of the lake would be supposedly going through several towns. Oscarville was one of those towns. Oscarville was a thriving Black community established in the late 1800s. It remained so until community members were forced out by neighboring Forsyth residents. Once the towns were emptied, the towns were then flooded to create the lake itself.

Over the next six decades since the lake's creation, rumors began to spread about Lake Lanier. Reportedly the lake is "haunted," due to the high death count being in the hundreds. Although Lake Lanier has such a dark history, thousands flock to the shoreline each year. So whether you are visiting to discover more truths about Lake Lanier or going for a vacation, I’m sure you will enjoy what you find!

For more information on the historic side please refer to here.