The Serene Lake Norman

By Nadine Deason

Welcome to Lake Norman, North Carolina…where living on the lake is a frame of mind. It's like being on vacation 365 days a year. Lake Norman is ideally located just 25 minutes north of Charlotte, North Carolina. With quick access to the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, you can easily live and play in the same place. Lake Norman is ideally located just an hour and a half east of the mountains and three hours west the ocean and fabulous Carolina beaches. Lake Norman has 520 miles of shoreline and is the 2nd largest manmade lake in NC. North Carolina winters are warm, with the average temperatures in the mid 40s. It is an event here at Lake Norman to build a snowman, as it does not snow every year. On a rare occasions, though, we do have a nice snowfall of 6 to 10 inches. North Carolina is known for its beautiful fall leaves and majestic mountains.

Just a short ride away, you will find the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Biltmore Estate, and all the fun that Asheville has to offer including wineries, skiing, shopping, artisans, entertainment, and fine dining. If your passion is for the great outdoors, our North Carolina Mountains are known for exceptional fly fishing, camping, whitewater rafting, zip-lining, and hiking. The fall leaves are generally down by Thanksgiving, and spring flowers in full bloom by the end of March. Lake Norman does not freeze over so its habitants can leave their boats in the water year-round.

If golfing is your passion, there are ten golf courses surrounding Lake Norman. There are two resort communities with 18-hole golf courses with homes that range from $500,000 to $7 million. Donald Trump has recently purchased one of these prestigious golf communities. The Point, a community in Mooresville, North Carolina, is now known as the Trump National Golf Club. Mooresville is also known as "Race City USA" and is so named for all the NASCAR enthusiasts and team headquarters located in Mooresville, and The Charlotte Motor Speedway is only about forty-five minutes away in city of Concord.

Lake Norman is also very well known for fishing competitions, as most weekends there are anglers competing for largemouth bass and stripers. The lake also offers about ten different restaurants and bars that the people of Lake Norman enjoy boating to on summer evenings. The Rusty Rudder in Cornelius even offers a drive-up takeout service by boat. What better way to enjoy a lovely dinner, glass of wine, and a stunning sunset than on the privacy of your boat?

Shopping in the Lake Norman area is not something to miss, as Lake Norman has the pleasure of being home to the fabulous Birkdale Village, located in Huntersville. This outdoor shopping mall has all the stores one would find in an indoor mall in a beautiful, spacious, outdoor environment with Nantucket flair, as well as unique boutiques. Birkdale village is the happening place every Friday and Saturday night for all ages. It boasts a dozen restaurants, summertime live music at night in the center square, a farmers market in the streets every weekend, and art shows in the spring and fall. If mall shopping is your passion, you won't want to miss the brand-new designer outlet mall located near the airport.
Lake Norman also appeals to the sporting enthusiast, as Charlotte offers NFL, NBA, baseball, and hockey teams. The educational opportunities in Charlotte are second to none, with excellent public schools, private academies, and top-notch colleges. Charlotte also offers cutting-edge medical healthcare. There are two hospitals located right in the Lake Norman region.

Looking for more outdoor adventure? Don't miss the nearby Carowinds Amusement Park, where there is fun to be had for people of all ages. Also, the nearby National Whitewater Center, which hosted the US Olympic team trials in 2012, offers even more outdoor fun and activities such as whitewater rafting, kayaking, zip lining, rock wall climbing, ropes challenge courses, and mountain bike trails, and is complete with a restaurant and bar. Every Thursday night of the summertime there's a festival with live bands performing by the rapids.

Here at Lake Norman, North Carolina, the fun never stops. So come check out the Lake Norman region of beautiful North Carolina where there really is something for everyone!

For more information:
ALakeHome.com