chetola resort

I also found this place:
http://www.chetola.com/index.html

It looks nice (4 br condos, kids' activities, nearby village, etc). The lake is dinky, but the accomadations, programs, grounds look good. Here's a map of the area: http://www.blowingrock.com/documents/BlowingRockMap01.pdf I haven't looked at it much...just surfing while Marlo plays. It also isn't a quick drive for you guys--probably over 5 hours. I'm not sure where we would fly into either. I'd have to check a map. It actually looks like there are a lot of resorts, rentals in this blowing rock town. The Hounds Ear Club (whatever that is!) has some really nice rental houses, but I can't tell much about the location. It also appears to be a resort community, but the waterfront stuff is limited. Some general rental info for that area (blowing rock) is here: http://www.blowingrockresortrentals.com/

Anyway, I just stumbled upon it. It appears there is rafting, canoeing, hiking etc all around the area, so all of that sounds fun, but I haven't had much luck figuring how close the rentals are to some of that stuff. Parts of the area sound charming.

that's all i can check now---squirmy baby.

lake lure

Ben and I looked at the site and I agree--it is a beautiful setting. For us (in lake country), however, it's a bit like Duluth, but hotter, and instead of 3 hours away, it's a plane trip. It's probably why I gravitate to the beach--I haven't been for an extended time to a beach in many years. We're a long ways away from the coasts! Still, if everyone else prefers lake, I'm not going to argue. For the lake lure resort in particular, I like how there are amenities on site, but it looks like you'd have to drive to get to most of them because of the mountain. That can be a challenge with 3 kids in car seats and 2 still napping (and there's a good chance Marlo will still be on 2 naps a day). With the nap thing in mind, I'll be stuck at the house for 3-4 hours each day while M naps, so my concern with the Treetops place is that there didn't seem to be a sunny place to sit outside with the monitor. Ben and I also wondered if there were nearby towns to go get ice cream, etc. Ruttgers (here in MN) had a similar setup as Lake Lure, but had a little town where we got coffee drinks and so on and the kids enjoyed that. That was one reason I liked the NE (cape cod, etc) because of the little towns all over. Oh, but I do like that Lake Lure is relatively easy to get to. Marlo will be challenging to travel with so that's always a consideration. Anyway, that's my feedback. Some positive, some negative I guess.

Near Lake Lure

I have been checking out rentals in Lake Lure Resort, and many are nice, but most of the larger houses seem to be mountain or golf course settings. However, within the Lake Lure Resort is another lake - Bald Mountain Lake - which has rental houses right on the lake. This lake is much smaller (about 30 acres) than Lake Lure (over 700 acres). I found this house (Treetops Cottage) on the lake that comes with a private dock, personal use of a fishing boat, a 2-person paddleboat, swimming off the dock, 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, etc. It has all privileges of Lake Lure Resort guests too, including indoor/outdoor swimming pools, beach, marina, golf, and tennis.

Check it out here:
http://www.rumblingbaldrentals.com/rentals/details.php?id=694&a=&d=

The house is booked all summer until August 16. There is a 7-night minimum rental, and the cost is only $2,100 for the week.



Let's discuss this one, but I think we would need to act quickly to get it.



Grandpa Doodle

Side note

I just wanted to mention that I don't have anything against the Cape area, I just would prefer to go to a lake instead of the ocean.  I like the NC idea because of the mountains in the area as well.

Anyone for North Carolina?

So, Mom and I came up with a great plan if we go to NC.  We can drive from here and bring lots of equipment for kids and fun (car seats, crib, kayaks, bikes, etc.).  Then the MN group can fly direct to Charlotte.  There is a great area called Lake Lure that I have looked at briefly.  Hopefully, I can do more this weekend.

Multiple Authors!

I invited John, Rachel, and Tiff (and myself) to be authors on this blog. That way we can log in as ourselves (although I think you have to use a gmail account to log in) and still post new blog entries.

Notice that it says "Posted by Ben" below. :)

Oops!

I wrote the following post, but forgot to put my name on it. -- John/Dad

More Discussion On Options

I checked out some of the Cape Cod options and also Ruttgers in Minnesota.

I like the idea of Cape Cod, even with the travel time from Boston. The travel time could be drastically reduced if we stayed somewhere like Plymouth, which is on Cape Cod Bay, but not on the Cape itself. Plymouth has beaches and is one of the 3 Cape area towns where whale watch boats depart (which would be a must-do attraction for us if we are in the area, I think). If we go anywhere in New England, I strongly prefer July or August because the temps are highest then.

The only Ruttgers lodging that would house us all in one place appears to be Black Bear House, which is a 4-bedroom, 2-bath secluded house. Otherwise we would need to be in separate cabins, and the cabins are only on the Modified American Plan, which includes breakfasts and dinners - which I don't think we would want. I can't seem to find a good view of exactly where Big Bear House is on the property, so I don't know if it is on the lake or away from it. Here are some photos and other details of Big Bear House: http://www.ruttgersresorts.com/baylakelodge/vacations/blackbearhouse.htm

Whatever we do, I think planning and reserving soon would be a good idea, both to get what we want and to reserve the times on our personal calendars. I am going on a Canadian fishing trip July 26 thru August 3, and I'm sure others will be making additional commitments too.