Before diving into our trip to Lake Norman and our stay at The Big Chill, I want to acknowledge the impact Hurricane Helene had on this region. I was glad to hear from the owner of this Airbnb who confirmed their property and their family are OK, thankfully. The hurricane caused tremendous widespread damage across Western North Carolina, and these communities are still without power, water, many lacking in basic supplies and food, and still many individuals unaccounted for with more rescues happening every day. Please find a few resources below if you feel inclined to donate to support the people of Western North Carolina as they grieve and try to recover what is left of their belongings.
- Samaritan’s Purse
- Hurricane Helene Airlift Relief (Amazon Wishlist that ships directly to the region impacted)
- American Red Cross
- If you are local to me (Moore County, NC) there are many donation drop off locations coordinating supply drop off’s to Western, NC – a couple of locations include the Moore County Regional Airport and Red’s Corner.
This blog post is intended to shine a light on a beautiful part of North Carolina, and one I recently had the pleasure of visiting and discovering it’s beauty myself. I hope that travel to Western, NC can resume soon, but the truth is it will likely be quite some time before places further west than Lake Norman are ready to welcome travelers. Please do your research to determine if and when it is safe and encouraged to travel to that part of the state. Lake Norman, (North of Charlotte), may be an easier location to travel to than many others West of that area, but please ensure it is safe and encouraged before doing so. Please enjoy this write up and keep the people of North Carolina in your thoughts.
Visiting Lake Norman
Located 20 miles North of Charlotte is North Carolina’s largest man-made lake (over 50 sq miles with 520 miles of shoreline)! The lake itself is beautiful, and given it’s size, there is ample opportunity to take part in outdoor activities like hiking, boating, kayaking, and fishing. There are also many great little towns to visit – including Denver, Cornelius, Davidson, Mooresville, and Huntersville (to name a few). It is also only 30 or so minutes into downtown Charlotte if a city day-trip is appealing.
The Big Chill
What an appropriate name for this Airbnb because let me tell you, there is almost nothing “chill” about vacationing with 1 and 3 year old boys, and somehow, we still managed to experience a great deal of chill on this trip. I give ALL of the credit to this home, it’s location, and the lake-front amenities it offered.
Located in Morresville, NC, The Big Chill is a 3 bedroom 2 bath lake-front home tucked in a quiet and calm part of the lake and in a beautiful cul-de-sac. The home is clearly designed to enjoy the lake as much as possible, with the master bedroom featuring two walls of windows that overlook the lake, and a large wrap-around porch with a grill and cozy seating to enjoy those cooler afternoons on the water.
I get a lot of questions when we travel with the boys about their sleeping arrangements, so for those interested, this is what we did.
We took the master (of course), then we put Maddox (our 1 year old) in his Baby Bjorn travel crib (LOVE THIS THING, passed down from Asher and still in mint condition, also it travels so light) in the first guest room that has the king-size bed. The 3rd bedroom has a bunk bed with a trundle, so we had Ash (our 3 year old) sleep on the trundle (he’s still getting used to sleeping elevated since his bed at home has bumpers). It was absolutely perfect and the boys slept great! We also always travel with their Hatch sound machines and Infant Optics baby monitors.
The home was incredibly well-supplied! Fully stocked kitchen, high-chair for the little one, laundry and detergent (all important things when traveling with littles), beach towels, life jackets of all sizes, and a cozy dog nook (I clearly haven’t mentioned it’s dog friendly yet, so let’s talk about that).
If you know us, you know how much we LOVE to travel with our dogs. They are family, so whenever we can take them, we do. This home was not only pet-friendly in that it allowed dogs, but it also included a cozy dog nook with a bed in the living room and a fully fenced in yard on the water for the dogs to run around. The yard was spacious and well-kept, and even Cooper (who prefers to be inside) was found lounging in the sun most hours of the day. They also spent time with us down on the dock as we watched the fish and turtles and got our kayaks and paddle boards in the water.
Oh yes – kayaks and paddle boards were also available on the property for us to use, and we took them out every single morning during our stay. The kids LOVED being out on the water, and the lake was so calm we could paddle around for an hour or more and still relax with the kids.
Safe to say we loved this place and hope to return, and while we never needed to leave the property, we made a few plans to explore nearby towns and do some activities with the kids (more below).
BOOK YOUR STAY AT THE BIG CHILL and let Scott and Keaton know I sent you!
Lake Norman Visit – What We Did / Where We Went
First up is our morning at Great Wolf Lodge – now I feel like my opinions here could be controversial but feel free to sound off in the comments if you disagree. We had originally thought about staying a whole weekend at the Lodge, but opted to get a day pass and spend the morning there instead. I am so glad we did that. The boys are just not really at the age to fully enjoy it yet – the water park was fun, but truly they spent the whole time in the wave pool, which we can do pretty much anywhere. The lodge offers a lot of a other fun activities like bowling, arcades, laser tag, etc. which I really think the boys will enjoy in a few years. All that to say, the day pass was perfect and I think we’ll wait a few more years until we go back again.
Visited Davidson and Cornelius – we wanted to take time to explore at least a couple of the other towns that surround Lake Norman, so we went South to visit the home of Davidson College (ahem… Steph Curry) and Cornelius (ahem … good food). Davidson was an adorable little college town and we enjoyed some ice cream and a walk around campus before heading to dinner at Hello, Sailor in Cornelius, which I need to rave about a little more. First, our food was DELICIOUS, including the kid’s food which came with fresh watermelon instead of … french fries. The atmosphere and lake-front views were so lovely, and the little touches they put to ensure it remained kid-friendly were so precious. 10/10 experience and would come back — kids or no kids.
Hiked around Lake Norman State Park – In an effort to get the kids and dogs out together we drove 20 or so minutes North to Lake Norman State Park. We barely covered any ground, but could tell there were many great hiking and biking trails, with opportunities to fish as well. We hiked the Alder Trail (you guys … a mile took us forever with our 3 year old so don’t judge). It was really cute and a great way to spend a morning.
Lake Norman State Park is currently closed due to Hurricane Helene – please visit their website to learn more.
Attended Oktoberfest (Mecktoberfest as they called it) at The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery LoSo location (Charlotte) – This was the extent of our brewery hopping on this trip but another 10/10 recommendation with or without kids. The brewery grounds are stunning, as is the interior. There is a great play area for kids and so much space to run around. Mecktoberfest was an extra special time to visit with live music, German food and beer, and an Italian Ice pop up. We met my brother and his girlfriend here for the afternoon who were visiting Charlotte from Boston, making it even more special (and also why I someone didn’t take a single photo).
The Bottom Line
There is so much to do and see in the Lake Norman area, and The Big Chill is a great spot to call home while you explore.
Please continue to keep North Carolina in your thoughts as this state recovers from the impact of Hurricane Helene, and when the time is right, please come back and enjoy everything it has to offer.
A Blonde Escapes 