Michael on the Lake

from LAUREL of Northeast Georgia May 22

Bon Appétit

Michael on the Map presents Michael at theLake

In this series I will be traveling to the towns of northeastern Georgia and western North and South Carolina, sharing my adventures and discoveries as I meet the locals who make up the area. Hop in my Jeep and let’s hit the road! Take 5: Lake Rabun and Lakemont

Gearing up for this month’s lake escapades, Spring continued to provide its ever-exciting series of weather manifestations, larking us once again. On what was to be my day of travel, suddenly, we were set upon with big, fluffy snowflakes. The following day was to reach the 70s, so it didn’t require much of a thinking cap to decide to wait a sleep to take it to the lake. Oh, the dichotomy. It was already warm enough for a pleasantly brisk boat ride by the time I left the cabin that morning and set out for another day of adventure, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark in tow (more New Wave from my exceedingly 1980s catalogue of music). Also, I have basically stopped washing the Jeep at this point, living in the woods as I do. Cars are a bit shinier at the lake. Oh well. There are a total of six lakes that today follow the original course of the Tallulah River basin through northeast Georgia, all originally created by Georgia Power to generate hydroelectricity for Atlanta. Three of those are found here in Rabun County; Lake Burton reaching the furthest north, followed by Seed Lake in the middle, and Lake Rabun the most southern of the set. A serpentine 835-acre reservoir, Lake Rabun twists itself through the splendor of the north Georgia mountains, appearing from above like a snake at full slither. This lake has a lot to boast about,

and thanks to Yetty and Charlie Arp – who have had a house on the lake for 46 years – I got the inside story on the history of the lake, all from Arp’s 1938 Gar Wood Split Cabin Streamliner, “Garbeau”. And wow.

After a tour of the lake from this floating vintage jewel, I sat with Charlie in his Gar Wood and listened to the story of Lake Rabun and Hall’s Boat House. Gently rocking as the water lapped against the dock, I couldn’t help but feel transported back in time. I envisioned men in belted swim trunks, women donning Jantzens and

sporting swim caps (some flowered), and kids who would spend their weekends growing up on this lake, jumping off docks on the hottest days of summers gone by. I half-expected an Orange Dreamsicle to manifest itself before me. “Burton has the views, Seed has the fishing, Rabun has the community,” Charlie began as we shared the back seat of his double cockpit cruiser. “The dam was completed in 1915, the lake was filled in 1917. In 1919, the marina was established.” Burton showcases some dramatic mountain scenery, but do not count Rabun out. Hall’s Boat House, which Charlie has co-owned since 1982, began as a small operation with a dock, a gas pump, and a convenience store, but grew to become much more with the addition of a pavilion that once hosted bingo for the kids and country music bands for family buck dancing. “The marina was really the hub of the goings on and center of social activity on the lake,” Charlie said. The heartbeat. This is a tradition that has passed down and is hosted today by the Lake Rabun Association at The Pavilion at Lake Rabun, completed in 2006. Here, heritage runs as deep as the lake water. Many Lake Rabun locals add to legend and lore, bragging that they have the largest collection of wooden boats per capita in the country. “We have about 80,” Charlie shared, “And why? Because before we had fiberglass, if someone sold a house, the boat came with it. And we have the craftsmen here today to repair and maintain them.” What we know for sure is that Rabun County is the wooden boat capital of Georgia. Getting off the water itself, one can also not help but be enchanted by the old-fashioned allure of the quiet little hamlet of Lakemont Village, which along with the adjacent lake, creates a captivating, forested hideout that is happy, quirky, artsy, and truly one-of-a-kind.

Created in the early 1900s to service the influx of families building summer homes on Lake Rabun, Lakemont is unlike anything else I’ve seen in Georgia. Its buildings are fanciful but not themey. It doesn’t have the room to, nor need to be. Imagine a woodsy, off-the beaten-path, almost storybook village and you have the right idea. It’s shopkeepers, artisans, tradesmen, and other professionals and residents are proud, but do not boast. They simply know that they live in a very special place. Kelly Blount, owner of Ladybug Landing, has this to say about her gift shop, “It seeks to inspire you to fall more in love with the magic of Lakemont. Come visit our fairy garden. We believe life truly is about the little things and that looking back they will be the big things!” After all, Kelly came upon her current location in Lakemont like this, “I had just buried my golden retriever named Ladybug. When I went to see the building, a ladybug landed on my cheek on the porch going in. It came back and landed on the paperwork when I walked out.” Storybook. Upon visiting her store, she treated me to lunch just one building over at The Open Door at Alley’s. I don’t know the last time somewhere has smelled so good. Awesome things come from small places – specifically hidden forest enclaves – and I was introduced to two such items in the form of The Open Door’s meatloaf sandwich and tuna melt. Both were incredible. I met owner Carolyn Brown who, like everyone else in the area, gushes about it, “We love our community and our building. Lake Rabun/Lakemont is a cool place to work and live!” Her building dates back to 1925.

collection of dome houses in the country. Yes. Space-age futuristic-looking dome houses. (If this strikes your interest, Earthling, I’ve seen them on AirBnb.) Traveling back in time (or perhaps into the future), awaits in abundance at Lake Rabun and in Lakemont, Georgia. If you can manage to snag a ride on a vintage wooden cruiser, you’ll be all the cooler for doing so, though I don’t imagine I need to convince you of that. To really unwind, sometimes taking a step into the past is taking a step in the right direction. (I do this musically every day.) If you didn’t know about this bewitching little enclave, or if you needed a reminder, you’re welcome. Until next month’s travels to Lake Burton, my friends, signing off with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark… “I’ve got a secret and I can’t complain. All the time I’ve waited for this day.”

Alley’s is the headquarters of The Lake Rabun Association, of which Charlie Arp has been a longtime member and once served as President, helping orchestrate the saving and renovation of a then eyesore Hall’s Boat House. Lakemont is clustered with several other local businesses worth checking out including: Lakemont Cycle, Mind and Body Haven, The Studio on Tiger Creek, The Lake House, Harvest Moon Antiques and Garden, Lakemont Gallery, The Barn at Lake Rabun, and The Lake Rabun Hotel and Restaurant. There is something for everyone in this rustic-whimsical haven. Outside of having the largest collection of wooden boats (which famously create the Wooden Boat Parade held on the Fourth of July each summer before a spectacular fireworks show is displayed directly above the lake), the collection of century-old buildings that create the Art Village, Lakemont also lays claim to the largest