Thinking about a visit to Lake Lure? You’ll find a beach as well as a water park for one admission fee at this famous lake in North Carolina. A local mom visited Lake Lure with her family. They had a blast! Read about their trip and catch all the tips so you’ll know just what to expect when you visit.
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Getting to Lake Lure
After reading all about Lake Lure and its nostalgic filming of the movie “Dirty Dancing”, I was intrigued to make a day visit. From Greenville, Lake Lure is a little over an hour but well worth the beautiful scenic drive up into Chimney Rock State Park. From Greenville, you will use 25 North to I26 West to 2724 Memorial Hwy, Lake Lure, NC 28746 (I also recommend using Google Maps for directions).
Also, don’t forget to bring a packed lunch as well as buckets and shovels for the kids, as the sand beach is ideal for sandcastle building. Once you get close to the Chimney Rock area, you will drive through a quaint little town and see an array of restaurants, shops, and gem mine stores for the kids. It has an old Western-type feel with the picturesque backdrop of Chimney Rock in the background.
Having arrived at the lake around noon, we noticed that parking was filling up quickly but luckily there seemed to be several spots across the street in front of the historic Lake Lure Inn. Once we parked and gathered our beach gear, we headed through the main entrance where we were banded after paying the daily fee.
The admission for adults is $10 and kids 4 to 12 was $8, with under 4 free. You can find pricing and information on the Lake Lure website. The price of admission includes the water park and beach access.
Things to do at Lake Lure
The kids spotted the water slides right as we entered and sped off. I noticed a lifeguard at the bottom of the slides in the water as well as a lifeguard stand by the swimming area in the lake. In addition to the slides and swimming is a splash pad, as well as a water balloon zone. You can purchase water balloons for an additional cost at the ticket counter. There are also restroom facilities and showers.
The water is roped for designated swimming and there were many people with rafts, and water toys. You can easily spend all day at the beach with plenty to do for kids and adults. And of course, no trip to Lake Lure is complete without doing “the lift” from the movie Dirty Dancing, which was filmed here.
Boat Rentals
If you’d like to cruise around the lake in a kayak, paddleboard, or hydro bike, you can rent one on site. Stand up paddleboards, canoes, and two person kayaks are $20/hour or $85/all day while single kayaks are $18/hour or $70/all day. Hydro bikes are $12/hour. Rentals are available at the beach Memorial Day through Labor Day.
If you want to bring your own non-motorized watercraft, you will have to pay a daily fee of $25, a weekly fee of $50 or a yearly fee of $100.
The Flowering Bridge
Having swam, slid, and sunned our day away, it was time to head back, but not before uncovering an enchanting (and free) roadside attraction.
On the way out from the resort area, there was a nice little surprise awaiting us, called The Flowering Bridge. It is free to walk the bridge and is filled with gardens of all types of flowers, plants, and scenery. We all enjoyed reading the history of the bridge as well as learning about the various flowers. There were little cutouts of secret gardens and sitting areas. Each section of the garden has cute facts pertaining to plant life with a list of every type of plant and flower. You may even spot a few butterflies! It was the perfect ending to a perfect day trip from Greenville.
Have you ever been to Lake Lure?
