Living by the lake…the reality: 5 things that tend to happen when you live by the lake

To many people, lake life is what they see in movies or read in books. It might be that occasional fishing trip, or an annual camping trip, or maybe even a day trip with a group of friends. What people tend to forget is that these little lake towns don’t just shut down when they leave. The “lake communities” keep going into the fall, all the way through the winter, and back into the spring and summer. How do I know? Because I grew up in one.

1. After work spontaneous cruises

There’s no waiting for some time off of work or school in order to take a trip down to the lake. In fact, you don’t even have to wait for the weekend. I remember many days where my sister and I would jump on the family Jet Skis immediately after school and cruise around for a few hours. Sunset/Sunrise cruises became a norm. We went for spontaneous early morning/evening cruises any time we had an extra couple of hours to spare. Who needs an evening movie when you can have a sunset cruise before bed?

2. Lake time doesn’t end with the season.

You know that feeling where summer is over and you know you won’t get any more lake time until Spring is here? Yeah, no such thing. Winter cruises are a blast. You may have to wear a jacket and bring a blanket, but there’s really no better way to watch the sunset than when the lake is empty and the glassy water can reflect the entire show.

3. Your tan is always on point

Ok this one is kinda silly, but it’s relevant none-the-less. So much time in the sun gives you a KILLER tan; just make sure you’re using sunscreen because it’s called a “killer” tan for a reason.

4. Drive up restaurants aren’t only for cars

Ok yes, you can “boat up” to a lakeside restaurant even as a vacationer, but the question is did you know that? Because the locals do! Plus we know which restaurants have the cheap yet best tasting food, and which boat up places are over priced with subpar food and crazy crowds.

5. It’s no hard task getting the family in town

When you live on the lake, or even own a part time lake home, the family ALWAYS wants to be around! Suddenly those “hey we should get together for lunch some day!” or “Let’s do a family day out some day!” go from “some days” to “today”. There’s nothing like a home right on the lake to bring the family together for great lifelong memories.

It’s a pretty neat experience being a “full time lake rat”. It’s a childhood I wouldn’t trade for anything. I don’t live on the lake anymore, but I try to stay close so that I can get down there any chance I can. No matter how far away I get, there’s still a little bit of lake water running through my veins.