ATTRACTIONS
AT TR AC TIO NS
Roughing it, boujee style Lake Louisa State Park caters to outdoor enthusiasts, even those partial to the little luxuries of home. STORY: ROXANNE BROWN
Arden Tilghman
≈ PHOTOS: NICOLE HAMEL ith the unbearable heat of summer behind us and cooler weather here to stay for a while, people are itching to enjoy the outdoors. Clermont’s Lake Louisa State Park may be just the place to visit, considering there are many activities to satisfy cravings for nature. Arden Tilghman, owner and founder of P3 Lake Louisa, a private for-profit company that provides services for the 4,500-acre state park, says there is something for everyone. “You can spend days exploring this park and not see all of it; and believe me, when I say that whatever your favorite outdoor activity is, you can do it here,” Arden says. There are 20 miles worth of connected trails for hiking, biking or horseback riding, plus kayaking, canoeing, fishing or swimming in a beach area on the north side of Lake Louisa near a picnic area complete with barbeque grills, playground and bathrooms. Arden says the park also offers hiking and kayak ecotours, geo-caching, bird-watching, and special events and weddings can be booked year-round. People can also camp, but if roughing it is not your thing, do not cross the experience off your list. You can still get the overall taste of it, but with the little luxuries of home or a hotel. Welcome to glamping. “Glamour plus camping equals glamping,” says Arden of glamorous, or care-free camping. There are three glamping sites available for rent at Lake Louisa, and 10 more sites are being built because the glamping trend has taken off. “We started about a year-and-a-half ago by putting up one site, and not really having any idea if there would be an interest in it and it was so popular, it booked solid for
