Lake Lanier, GA Provides Fun for the Whole Family!

Lake Lanier and Gainesville, GA are only two hours from the Upstate, SC and provide some pretty amazing opportunities for family recreation, entertainment, and relaxation. We’ll tell you all about how you can enjoy this beautiful area with your family!

Thank you to Discover Lake Lanier for providing accommodations and media tickets to us so we could write this story. All opinions are our own.

After an easy, two-hour drive from the Upstate, SC straight down I-85, you’ll be at the beautiful Lanier Islands. Once you get there, you may not even want to leave due to the many activities and restaurants right on the islands. This is the ideal spot for family fun because they really do have something for every age to enjoy. 

I took my daughters, ages 9 and 13, to Lake Lanier for a couple days to experience this paradise and have all you need to know to bring your own family for a fun, summer getaway!

About Lake Lanier

Lake Lanier is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Georgia, only two hours from the Upstate. It was created in 1956 for flood control, power generation, and recreation. The lake is the primary source of water for millions in the Atlanta Metro area. 

Almost immediately after its creation, Lake Lanier became a popular recreational destination for residents of Georgia and beyond. Its 692 miles of shoreline offer opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming, camping, and picnicking. We can now add a water park to that list of fun things to do at Lake Lanier! 

Where to Play 

Fins Up Water Park 

Here’s our full Kidding Around Review of Fins Up Water Park!

If there’s anything that will have me packing up the car and kids and hitting the road during the summer, it’s a good water park, preferably one with some heart-pounding slides, a big wave pool, and places to hang out and relax. Fins Up Water Park at Lanier Islands, Georgia hits all those marks plus went beyond my expectations!

This place is a lot of fun and it’s really the perfect place to spend a weekend or summer trip with your family because it has something for everyone – little kids, teens, and parents. They have everything from heart-pounding waterslides to a floating obstacle course to a wave pool to an area just for little kids. 

Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (INK)

I was so impressed with this children’s museum in Gainesville, GA! It’s an entire town built for kids with tons of imaginative play items and areas. There is a dentist office, vet office, grocery store, bank, hair salon, farm, and an indoor playground. There’s a small airplane and baggage check along with a dance studio and hands-on construction items.

My daughters (ages 9 and 13) are at the tail end of the audience of INK, which is geared towards kids ages 2-12, but they still loved it. Your $9 admissions ticket includes two hours of play at a designated time. We were there for almost an hour and a half and if my kids were younger, I would have had to drag them out. I cannot say enough good things about this place. 

999 Chestnut Street NE, Gainesville, GA 
INK Website 

Gamechanger 

The Gamechanger is a new addition to Lanier Islands. It’s a huge arcade and restaurant that also has an indoor mini-golf course, axe throwing, and virtual reality rooms. My kids and I absolutely love arcades and we had such a great time playing in the arcade after dinner for about an hour. They have all kinds of games like Skeeball and racing cars and throwing balls at clowns (our favorite). The prizes they have are the best prizes I’ve ever seen at an arcade. From toys to treats to puzzles and games to an actual kayak, kids will find something they’ll love to get with their winnings. 

7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, GA
Gamechanger Website

Legacy Lodge Saltwater Pool 

The huge saltwater pool at Legacy Lodge is heated and feels divine. There are plenty of seating options, umbrellas, pool towels, and an overall relaxing atmosphere. A giant fire pit sits at the very end of the pool but it wasn’t going when we were there (probably because it was over 80 degrees). My daughters and I really enjoyed hanging out at the pool after spending the majority of the day exploring Gainesville. It was the perfect place to relax. 

Atlanta Botanical Gardens – Gainesville 

I love botanical gardens for their beauty. Flowers will always make me smile. At the Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Gainesville, the place that got my kids smiling the most was the Children’s Garden. They have a really cute playground and building area for kids to get creative at but also an awesome little place where kids can play in the water, which is much appreciated on hot, summer days. We walked around and enjoyed the other parts of the gardens and the stained glass insect exhibit as well but it was the Children’s Garden that made this place stand out. 

1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville, GA
Open Tuesday – Sunday 9 am – 6 pm

Downtown Gainesville, Georgia

Gainesville has a beautiful downtown area that centers around a town square. There are lots of great boutiques and restaurants to enjoy. We loved walking around and checking out the unique shops. If Kilwins was open, we would have indulged in some of their delicious ice cream. There’s a free public parking garage right off the main square.

Jaemor Farms

Jaemor Farms has u-pick strawberries, peaches, and sells a huge array of local produce and fruit plus jams, pancake mix, bread, and lots of other goodies that I dare you not to purchase. They also have homemade ice cream that is amazing. We got the strawberry peach mix and it was absolutely delicious. This was the perfect place to go on our way home since it’s literally on the way back from Lake Lanier to Greenville and well, the fruit makes really good snacks while driving home. The strawberries never even made it to my front door!

5340 Cornelia Highway, Alto, GA

Where to Eat

LandShark Bar & Grill 

The LandShark Bar & Grill overlooks a beach and marina and is the perfect place to catch a beautiful sunset. LandShark Landing and LandShark Bar & Grill are free to visit, except for holiday weekends and during special events. On these days, entry is $9.99. 

7541 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, GA
Landshark Website

Gamechanger 

After you wear yourself and the kids out playing games in the arcade or trying the escape room, you can grab dinner at the restaurant on-site. They have a full restaurant and bar. We got a Greek Salad, Garlic Parm fries, and a quesadilla. For my two daughters and I, this was plenty and we went home with leftovers! 

7000 Lanier Islands Parkway, Buford, GA
Website

Over the Top Burger Bar 

This place is absolutely delicious and about 15 minutes outside of the resort. They have some really cool burger options plus poutine with cheese curds and gravy. It was delicious. We decided to go all out and get one of their over the top shakes and went with the Cheeseburger in Paradise, which had vanilla ice cream, white chocolate chips, and an entire slice of Key Lime Cheesecake on top. Paradise, indeed.

2685 Buford Hwy NE #800, Buford, GA
Gamechanger Website 

Sidney’s at Legacy Lodge 

We had breakfast at Sidney’s, which is the main building at Legacy Lodge, and overlooks the pool. We went for breakfast and every single thing we had was delicious. They serve a breakfast buffet with scrambled eggs, Florentine eggs, bacon, grits, oatmeal, fresh fruit, an omelet station, and Belgium waffles. Kids are $11 and adults are $17.95. My kids ate so much that we didn’t eat lunch till around 2 pm that day. Sidney’s is open for breakfast daily and for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.

Caroline’s on Main 

Walking into Caroline’s was like stepping into another world. The walls are painted pastel pink with the booths to match. There are flowers on every table, which are set to perfection. The staff are incredibly kind and helpful. And the food – oh my gosh – the food. This was one of our favorite meals we had on this trip. We went for breakfast and got pancakes, a Bourbon Belgium waffle, and a breakfast plate with eggs, toast, homemade jam, and the best fried potatoes ever. I don’t even know what was on them but they were oh-so-good. 

5518 Main Street, Flowery Branch, GA

Collegiate Grill 

Collegiate Grill looks like it is straight out of the 1950s. It has the black and white checkered floors and red walls. The blue booths are in pristine condition and the shakes looked delicious! We got their burger and fries special and the food was like you’d expect typical diner food. It was the most inexpensive place we went to eat and right off the main square in downtown Gainesville so perfect for lunch after a shopping trip. 

220 Main Street SW, Gainesville, GA

Where to Stay

Discover Lake Lanier had us stay in a beautiful lake house, which was 1,200 square feet, had two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a full kitchen, deck with gas grill, and huge living space. We walked in and immediately fell in love with the spacious house. They offer pet-friendly options.

We really enjoyed relaxing here between all the fun adventures we had and while we didn’t cook, I would have absolutely used the kitchen if we had stayed for a longer period of time. When I travel with my family, we almost always choose hotels with kitchenettes or AirBnBs so I can cook and save money on eating out. There is a large table inside, a picnic table on the deck, and a gas grill – perfect for summer grilling out. One note: consider bringing a white noise maker. The lakehouses are lakeside and some boats hang out late into the night and play music, which may bother lighter sleepers.

There are also rooms in Legacy Lodge and villas that overlook the lake on the other side of the islands. At Margaritaville at Lanier Islands, you can stay in a glamping tent, lakeside cabin, or even rent an RV. So no matter your family size or lodging desire, there are options for you. 

You can also rent a golf cart for easy transport around Lanier Islands. It’s a big place so a golf cart comes in handy. If you prefer your car, you can certainly do that as well. Or bring bikes! That would be a great way to get around. 

Specials at Legacy Lodge

Be sure to sign up for emails from Legacy Lodge to get notified of specials. Right now, they are offering 30% off stays plus a free golf cart for rooms/lakehouses booked through September 2024. The sale ends May 28, 2024. Follow their Specials page on their website to snag some good deals.

Honest Mom Review 

Lake Lanier really surpassed all my expectations. I really had no idea there was so much to do there and within such a short distance from Greenville. My daughters and I loved Fins Up Water Park the best and I have no doubt they’ll be asking me to go back soon. The lakehouse was fantastic and so spacious plus just a beautiful spot to relax after having fun all day in the sun or exploring Gainesville. My kids love, love, love arcades so we spent some really enjoyable time there knocking down all the clowns in our favorite arcade game and then taking forever to pick out the prizes they wanted. 

I think the best part – and it always is the best part – is getting that time to have fun and spend quality moments with my kids. Making memories with them is really special and Lake Lanier made it so easy to do that and really without having to leave the islands much at all. When things are all in one spot like that, I like the ease of not having to travel after driving in the car and having things really close to each other. So, Lake Lanier, I hope to see you again soon!

Looking for more places to travel for family fun? See our big Travel page!