It isn’t all about the ocean. The US is home to more than 100,000 lakes, from bodies of water so vast they look like seas to small oxbow lakes formed by rivers. Many of these are within national parks and only home to birds and other wildlife. Others have shores lined with colourful clapboard homes, parks and beaches, forming the watery heart and soul of their communities. From arty enclaves to Victorian towns, here are some of the most charming lakeside locations across America.
Big Bear Lake is known for its ski resort but it’s equally lovely when the water is sparkling in the sunshine. Life centres around the lake itself, which is surrounded by slopes, forest and mountains. Big Bear Lake Village is the main hub, with cute boutiques, gift shops and restaurants, while roaming donkeys known as the “Big Bear burros” add to the quirky charm. No one’s really sure whether they’re the descendants of escapees from movie sets or farm animals, but they’re now protected as a beloved part of the area’s wildlife.
Once a playground for the wealthy and leisurely, Lake George – known as the “Queen of American Lakes” – is so gorgeous that the country’s third president Thomas Jefferson described it as “the most beautiful water I ever saw”. The town of the same name is still a magnet for those looking for a very different scene to New York City and other urban centres. Elegant homes share the waterfront – at the base of the Adirondack Mountains – with an 18th-century British fort and Million Dollar Beach, that provides beautiful views over the big blue.
This adorable town is known for its charming B&Bs and dreamy views across the reservoir it’s named after. It’s also that rare find: a popular place to visit that’s retained its independent spirit and sense of community. Life at Lake Granbury centres around the water, with its piers and parks, but also the pretty town square and surrounding streets that are home to a surprisingly large number of restaurants, an opera house, drive-in cinema and even a winery.
A twin town with Douglas, which lies just across the water, Saugatuck has bagged itself two lakes to spread out by. Its arty centre is clustered by Kalamazoo Lake, formed within the river of the same name, while its standout beaches stretch languidly along the shores of the mighty Lake Michigan. There are six sandy beaches in total, backed by dunes, forested trails and mountains.
On the eastern shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro bills itself as the oldest summer resort in the US. It certainly makes sense that people would gravitate here in warm weather, drawn by the promise of cool, clear water, beaches and wooden jetties (perfect for sunbathing). A lakeside bandstand makes the most of the views, while the town has an enviable number of great seafood restaurants, bakeries and craft beer spots.
Only the best things line the shore of Lake Chelan, home to this lovely little town. Wineries, for example, with vines striping their way down to the water. Cute and colourful cottages, too, fronted by wooden jetties that meander into the glacier-fed water. Then there are the sandy beaches, waterfront paths and parks with benches facing the lake. It’s just glorious, especially because it basks in sunshine for an average of 300 days a year. The town is enveloped by the Lake Chelan wine area, with around two-dozen wineries prettifying the shoreline.
Why have one lake on your doorstep when you can have more than 1,000? Ely is the gateway to one of the country’s most pristine and beautiful wilderness areas, and certainly the wettest. Boundary Waters, in the Superior National Forest, is an interlacing chain of lakes with rivers and streams in between, interrupted by cliffs, canyons, sandy coves and wooded islands. The town itself, which stretches along the shores of Shagawa Lake and encompasses the smaller Miners Lake, is a true charmer, with a run of locally owned galleries and shops that meanders towards the woods.
The best-known city on Vermont’s stretch of Lake Champlain shoreline, across the water from New York State, is Burlington, though there are numerous charming small towns that share the same incredible views. Shelburne is one of the loveliest. It’s truly tiny, with a small strip of cute cafés and shops, though it really crams in the attractions. The biggest of those is Shelburne Farms, a working farm right by the lakeshore with public-access trails and barns where people can pet the animals. The town even has an antique lighthouse, Colchester Reef Light, on display, moved from the lake.
Beaches, waterfalls, forest, mountains… Lake Lure is just an all-round beauty. Arranged around the shore of the body of water it’s named after, this small town – a short distance from Asheville – lies in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and even has views of famous Chimney Rock mountain. It’s equally lovely dusted in snow or basking in sunshine, when the broad sandy beach, marina and stone boardwalk, which weaves past bright blooms, really come into their own.
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Tucked between two lakes – Wasilla and Lucille – Wasilla was founded as a supply base for gold and coal mining in the area and became famous as the HQ of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, with a small museum dedicated to the long-distance mushing event. The scenery is equally worthy of attention, from homes on the forested shoreline, with enviable views of the sparkling water, to the Chugach and Talkeetna mountains that shelter the town.
Rows of 19th-century clapboard houses in soft shades of peaches and cream face the lakefront in this idyllic lakeside town in central Florida, which proves there’s plenty of loveliness outside the theme parks and coastlines. It combines fascinating culture, from the furniture displayed in the Modernism Museum to historical exhibits in an old fire station, with gorgeous outdoor scenery. The beaches – white as icing sugar and just as soft – equal those on the Gulf Coast, while waterfront parks, a candy-striped lighthouse and labyrinthine antiques stores add to the town’s charms.
This lakefront city is the gateway to the Apostle Islands, an archipelago of tiny islands scattered on Lake Superior. It’s also lovely in its own right. Bayfield is the state’s smallest city with a population of well below 1,000 people, and how lucky those people are. The harbour town is pretty at every turn, from boutiques and galleries to orchards and hiking trails that weave through woodland and along the lakeshore. Homes and inns are clustered by the water, with jetties ready to launch boats and kayaks for island-hopping adventures.
The shores of the 11 lakes that make up New York’s Finger Lakes region are interlaced with pretty towns and villages, and Canandaigua is one of the prettiest. On the northern shores of the lake it’s named for, the small city gravitates to the waterfront with a mix of colourful cottages and houseboats. Apparently Casablanca star Humphrey Bogart spent many childhood summers here, and it’s hard to imagine a more idyllic spot. Its downtown is dominated by Victorian buildings, surrounded by glorious green spaces and parks.
In the heart of beautiful Texas Hill Country, Marble Falls boasts not just one but five major lakes, including Lake LBJ, popular for swimming and messing about in boats. Most homes and the charming downtown are clustered around the largest lake, Lake Marble Falls, and there are views of the blue (plus lots of gorgeous greenery) at every turn. Marble Falls backs up its beauty with plenty of character, too. Like nearby Austin, the town has a fiercely independent spirit and most of the shops, cafés and restaurants reflect that.
Grand Lake only has a few hundred or so permanent residents but tends to attract many more with its proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park – and its general loveliness. The mountain town is considered the western gateway to the famous park so, of course, it has incredible views at every turn. It also has some lower-lying beauty, with the mirrored blue lake it’s named for and an Old West–style downtown with saloons, restaurants and galleries.
Breaux Bridge lies next to the shores of Lake Martin, the largest nesting area of wading birds in the US and one of the top birdwatching spots in the country. Just outside Lafayette, it shares much of the bigger city’s Louisiana charm. For a start, it calls itself the “Crawfish Capital of the World”, with a spring festival celebrating that status (and involving heaps of the juicy-sweet crustacean). The town, where many residents are of Cajun descent and speak French, overflows with charm – and antiques stores.
Guntersville isn’t just by the lake. It’s surrounded by it, with water in every direction as far as the eye can see. The North Alabama town, in the state’s Mountain-Lakes region, has close to 1,000 miles (1,609km) of shoreline of Guntersville Lake. Life, unsurprisingly, gravitates towards and revolves around the water, with homes, restaurants and jetties around the shore. One of many highlights is Lake Guntersville State Park, a green haven with trails and a beach by the Tennessee River, while bald eagles can often be spotted soaring overhead.
This tiny Victorian town occupies South Bass Island on Lake Erie, with views of the teal-and-sapphire water all around. Fewer than 200 people reside here, though the population swells most summers as people visit, drawn by the lake beaches, caves and coves. The town has a quaint feel, with wineries and a cluster of restaurants under The Boardwalk. It’s also a party hub, with bars, outdoor beer gardens and even the world’s longest swim-up bar, at the Grand Islander Hotel.
Disney’s Lake Buena Vista isn’t the only lake in town. Winter Park, a little outside Orlando, is a world away from the theme parks and beaches that Florida is usually associated with. The small, upscale city has a chichi stretch of boutiques and galleries including the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, which has gorgeous stained glass and jewellery by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The best addresses are on the waterfront, with Winter Park located by a chain of sapphire lakes linked by narrow, oak-flanked canals.
Right on the shores of the vast, bold blue of Lake Tahoe and backed by mountains, this small town basks in the most incredible natural beauty – and often a fair amount of sunshine, too, even when it’s carpeted in snow. It’s equally lovely away from the water, with streets brightened with floral displays and lined with restaurants, galleries and cafés. In winter, it’s as pretty as a just-shaken snow globe.
Big skies and an even bigger expanse of bold blue water surround the lovely resort of Bigfork on the shores of Flathead Lake. It’s a small place, though has been so perfectly curated that it has all the good things: independent galleries, great restaurants, boutiques filled with treasures, and a waterfront so generous that the views are never far away. The water is also, according to legend, home to the Flathead Lake Monster – though encounters with lake trout are far more common.
London Bridge is one of the most famous landmarks of this popular spring break destination. The 19th-century structure was relocated, brick by brick, from England’s capital (where a sturdier replacement now spans the River Thames) in the 1960s after being purchased by an American tycoon. It’s certainly not all this western Arizona city has going for it, though. The blend of sandy beaches, lake and mountain views, great restaurants and fun bars makes this a dreamy vacation spot.
Just 15 miles (24km) from the Canadian border, this resort – by the lake of the same name – is home to fewer than 1,000 lucky residents who get to gaze upon this 19-mile (31km) freshwater lake just outside their doors. It’s more an eclectic yet cohesive community than a town, with art galleries filled with paintings and blown glass, bakeries selling huckleberry scones and a one-stop general store selling pretty much everything. The beaches, with golden sand meandering to the limpid water, are particularly lovely, as are the surrounding mountain peaks.
With a population of fewer than 9,000 people, Mammoth Lakes is a picture-perfect example of a classic lake town. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, it’s famous for its ski areas, hiking trails and the wonderfully weird rock formations of Devils Postpile National Monument. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also home to the silky cascade of Rainbow Falls, has a lovely, walkable downtown with wide pedestrianised streets, and is a gateway to Yosemite.
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This small northwestern town must be a little greedy, because it hugs itself around some spectacular scenery from mountains to the lakeshore. In the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Seneca sprawls its way from historic downtown streets, through forested parks and to the shores of Lake Keowee, a man-made reservoir with a marina and secluded coves. South Cove County Park, with picnic areas and pickleball courts, wraps around a curve of the lakeshore, while the downtown has some lovely antiques stores, art galleries and boutiques in 19th-century buildings.
Arnolds Park is a lakeside city like no other, because its dominant feature is a vintage amusement park. This was once the hub of the Great Lakes region, famous for its colourful rides and surrounded by five lakes – West and East Lake Okoboji, Lake Minnewashta, and Upper and Lower Gar Lakes. It fell out of fashion for a while but is a hot spot once again as people have rediscovered the charm of its wooden rollercoasters, brightly coloured Ferris wheels and stands selling lemonade, candy floss and popcorn. The downtown is equally charming, with longstanding restaurants and cafés and water views at every turn.
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Grand Marais, nestled happily between Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains, is a wonderful mix of natural beauty and quirky community spirit. Its art colony, founded as a summer refuge for artists in 1947, is the oldest in the state and the town is still a creative hub. There’s plenty to be inspired by, from the forested shoreline and the Sawtooth Mountains to the lighthouse at Artist’s Point, perched on a peninsula.
From its elegant and colourful downtown streets to its generous share of watery views, Auburn has charms that belie its small size. Clustered at the northern end of Owasco Lake in New York’s lovely Finger Lakes region, it also has some rich history, with grand buildings including Seward House, where Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of state, William H. Seward, lived. It’s also home to Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, which includes the former home of the abolitionist and Underground Railroad hero.
Yep, that’s Holland in Michigan – not the country. Yet people could be forgiven for mistaking them (and thinking they’d got seriously lost). This cute and colourful lakeside town has a strong Dutch heritage and it certainly doesn’t hide it. Holland has an enviable location on two lakes, Michigan and Macatawa, and looks especially lovely in spring when its six million tulips burst into bright, beautiful blooms. Oh, and there's a few windmills, too.
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Best known for hosting the Winter Olympics twice, in 1932 and 1980, Lake Placid is the quintessential mountain town. The village is right by the shores of the appropriately named Mirror Lake in New York’s vast Adirondacks region. It’s still a hub for winter sports from bob-sleighing to cross-country skiing and is home to a museum with artefacts from both Olympics. Its lovely lakefront location is a draw all year round, though, with trails, picnic areas and beaches making the most of the views.