The Lakes Blog
Sign up for our Newsletter
5 Autumn lake-life experiences to check off your bucket list this year
Nick Marchese
11/08/2021
Every summer must come to an end but that doesn’t mean lake life ceases to exist. In fact, this is a wonderful time to rent a lake house or drive an RV to a lake and enjoy some of the beautiful scenery as the seasons change. Here's 5 things to get you started this Fall:
1: In the northern part of the US, leaves are starting to change color, water temps are cooling, and many fruits are prime for picking. In the Midwest, there’s a slew of you-pick apple orchards that are the start of wonderful annual traditions. Many commercialized orchards will have fun events for the kiddos, petting zoos, and local jams, baked goods, and apple cider donuts! Just north of Chicago you’ll find Apple Holler and to the west you’ll find a new-but-fantastic Woody’s Orchard. Apples are just one example, You-Pick fruit orchards are becoming a firm staple and tradition in the Midwest.
2: Just because the water is cooling in the north it doesn’t mean that you can’t go out on the water. It also doesn’t mean that folks in the south or west don’t have the ability to go boating too. If you don’t have a boat, fear not! BoatSetter.com has you covered. Here you can find and rent a boat for a few hours or days! They have selections from Pontoons and Deckboats to Yachts with dedicated drivers. The bottom line is that BoatSetter.com shares the same passions as BetterLakes.com - let’s help people have a better lake experience.
3: Relax, enjoy the scenery, and be calm. Some of the best sunsets and evenings are spent on the shoreline by the water. If you have a [SoloStove]https://(www.solostove.com) or travel sized firepit, pack it up, rent a [VRBO (https://www.vrbo.com) on the lake and settle in for some time to truly unwind and enjoy the changing seasons. This is a perfect time to check out some of the smaller lakes like Dewey Lake where you don’t need to spend your days cruising the lake but rather just get close to the energy that comes from being by the water!
4: Use alcohol to keep warm (if and only if you’re 21)! Nothing goes better with fall weather than a strong drink that helps numb the impending cold weather. Some of the best whisky can be sampled through services like Flaviar.com but that takes planning ahead and about $300 a year to get a few tasty samples. It’s always advisable to support the local economy and check out their liquor selection for your preferred autumn spirits. That all being said, wine tasting is a great way to enjoy the fresh air a bit while on your lake vacation! TripAdvisor.com is a great place to find some local wineries.
5: Take a nice stroll (or aggressive hike) along the waterfront and collect seashells. There’s a lot of fun crafts that you can do with a little creativity. Kids love the idea of shell collection but you can step it up by making something cute and wearable. Check out The Spruce Craft’s suggestions: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/seashell-activities-1253753 . If you’re more of the aggressive hike kind of person, https://AllTrails.com is a great resource but don’t forget to bring the right gear for your hike.
What To Consider When Buying a Lake House
12/17/2021
Investing in a waterfront property (lake house, river house, beach house, etc), can be one of the most rewarding things you can do and can be a dream come true. It can also be a solid short-term and long-term investment. As you start your search for the right lake, you’ll want to really think about what you plan to use the lake and lakefront property for. Is it an investment? Primary residence? Second or third home? Do you plan to use the lake for watersports or is it mostly for the views? Are you entering your golden years or are you preparing to start a young family? As you consider these, and many questions, BetterLakes will work to guide you down the right path and hopefully help you find your Better Lake.
All Sports Lakes
If you’re athletic and plan to use the lake for watersports, you’ll want to make sure it’s an all sports lake. If, when doing your search on betterlakes.com, you don’t see an indicator for “all-sports” that does not necessarily mean it’s not all-sports. It just means one of our reviewers hasn’t selected that as important to them yet ( you can be the first!). There are many ways to find out if a lake is all-sports though. The best place to start is our friend Google with a search for “is X lake all sports”. If the lake is not all-sports, it’s likely a very quiet and calm lake during the days and nights. It might be worthwhile investigating what, if any, kind of boats are allowed on the lake. You might find that only Human Powered Boats (HPB) are allowed.
Water Clarity
Some lakes are known for their clarity, like Crater Lake with a visibility of upto 100 feet, while others are more brown or green. If a lake isn’t as clear as you’d like, fear not. It does not necessarily mean that the lake is dirty or contaminated. Usually, lakes have that murky effect when they are on the shallow end and/or when water in the lake is supplied from a river or other actively moving body of water. Lakes can also be murky when there’s a decent amount of runoff from driveways, lawns, construction sites and agriculture, and when there is a lot of boat activity. Think of the murkiness as stirred up sediment. It’s also possible that there’s a fair amount of algae in the water. Again, this is not necessarily a cause for concern to your health but rather a cosmetic issue.
Location
Surely, you’re familiar with the adage “location, location, location” in real estate. This holds exceptionally true when investing in a lake front property. Zooming out, take a look at the area that the lake is in. Are there stores, shops, restaurants nearby? There will be days when you might not want to be on the water. It seems crazy, but it’s bound to happen. So, make sure you’ll have fun on the water and off the water.
It’s also important to consider, if this is a vacation house, how far away this is from your primary residence. Too far and you might be scrambling to get emergency maintenance. Too close and you might as well condense to one place. It’s usually recommended that a vacation lake house is 1-4 hours away.
Bringing the lens closer to your property, take a look at the lake and see if people have reviewed the lake. If other Better Lakes users have submitted and reviewed the lake, that’s worth paying attention to. The stats and measurements of the lake are all great, but what people actually have to say about the lake can be really important - especially if your property is in the busiest part of the lake or your spot is shallow and has a mucky bottom. Reviews are the best way to help your decision making process.
Lake Property Details
Of course, you want to make sure the actual structure is what you’re looking for but frankly, that can change. What is more permanent, however, are the details of your prospective property. Go down to the shoreline and see if it’s what you want. Watch for sandy bottoms, fast depth changes, thick seaweed, free flowing water (no one wants floating pond scum or mosquito hot beds). Can you see a way to gain easy access to the water? Is the size of the shoreline what you’re looking for? If you have a boat, will docking it be easy enough or will you be struggling to find pull into the slip? If you fish, is the shoreline going to give you quick and easy access to the type of fishing you're looking for?
Lake Amenities
Another really important part about the lake house buying decision is knowing what is on the lake. It’s nice to be able to drive it to a waterfront restaurant or bar. Some lakes don’t have marinas on the water - knowing that, alone, could tell you a little about the lake. If you have a boat, or ever plan to have a boat, you will want to know if there is a public boat launch. Private ones are fine too but often carry a fee. Check out the boat launch. If you’re buying a lake house, you’re buying into a part of that lake. You want to make sure that everything suits your needs.
As you can imagine, this is not a comprehensive list on what to look for when buying a lake house but hopefully it gets you started toward your better lake!