2019 Summer family vacation ideas

[cedarcreek216]

We live in the Dallas area and the past few summers have taken the boat and made our family vacation around stopping at different lakes and sites along the way. Several years ago we went to Tablerock and did the Branson thing and last year we went to Center Hill Lake in SE TN and did the Memphis and Nashville thing along the way. These have been huge successes so we are starting to plan our 2019 adventure. The original idea is to head west to Lake Powell. Obviously I don't mind driving and towing the boat any distance, but my dealer mentioned something to me this weekend that has me a bit concerned. He said towing to Powell in the summer when the temps are high and the roads are hot can be a rough go of it. Said he has heard of people going through multiple tires if the drive is made during the day in the high temp hours. Still not opposed to a week on a houseboat on Powell, but was curious if anyone could provide some alternative suggestions that might allow us to make multiple stops along the way and get to see different lakes and different things along the way. Let's be honest, the only thing of interest in the 16 hour drive from DFW to Paige is Route 66.

Thanks for any and all suggestions and I look forward to seeing some great ideas.

[GMLIII]

I have a bias opinion, because Smith Mountain Lake Va is my home lake which I have been going to for over 50 years,, but nonetheless if you have traveled all the way to SE TN from Dallas, SML is not that much further East. It is a large lake consisting of 550 miles of shoreline within 3 counties surrounded by mountains; Bedford County having the best views of the mountains. Here is a short video my son put together for an organization to give you a favor of the lake and the surroundings.

https://youtu.be/ipE7agCd5Xg

[cedarcreek216]

That looks very cool. Decent VRBO places on the water? We talked about going to the Charlotte area to hit the lakes around there, so definitely no afraid to drive east. Honestly, the drive east is a lot more appealing than the drive west from a scenery perspective.

[GMLIII]

Yes plenty to rent. Should you get serious would be glad to help you out. I have a 3 bedroom townhouse in Bedford County within a 27 unit development. One of my neighbors rents his theee bedroom unit out. You may need a unit bigger but I know it is available. I’m there most weekends in the summer then I have another buddy with a G who I surf with within the same development

[cedarcreek216]

I will certainly let you know. It will just be our family of four, so won’t need a large place.


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[beamons]

Just a different bit of scenery. If you haven’t been to Powell it is a must. I have never heard of the tire thing but I know a lot of people pulling with old tires and that is obviously a risk that is avoidable.


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[Baltic]

I like your idea for the trip, sounds fun for sure. I did similar trip but about 5 years ago and as we had small kids we had to rent property in USA https://tranio.com/rent/usa/ in different locations along the way. But it was worth it ))) Check some videos and other forums about places you are planning to go and I am sure you will be able to create a perfect route.

[Nautiquehunter]

North Georgia has lake Allatoona , Lanier , Hartwell ,Oconee and Sinclair all within a couple hours from each other. I am on Lanier weekend afternoons are a little rough but weekdays and mornings are butter all day. Plenty of campgrounds , hotels and cabins to rent and Lake Lanier Island resort with tons of activities. Summer water temp in the upper 80s its the best I have ever had.

[cedarcreek216]

Just a different bit of scenery. If you haven’t been to Powell it is a must. I have never heard of the tire thing but I know a lot of people pulling with old tires and that is obviously a risk that is avoidable.


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I have been to Powell right after college with my Dad and his friends, but my wife and kids have never been, and yes, it is a must. My biggest reservation is having the kids on the houseboat and a notorious Powell storm rolls through and scares the dog out of everyone. The struggle with the trip as a whole is the drive, and lack of interest between point A and Point B. We won't have enough time to do the Grand Canyon and all of that so would have to make a second trip for that which means I would probably just fly the rest of the family out and drive by myself to cut down on days on the road. The perfect part about the TN trip last summer was our longest drive as a family was 5 hours, most days only 2-2.5 hours. And we were able to spend a few days in Three different stops so it never felt like we were on the road, other than me driving by myself straight through on the way home, they flew home from Nashville.

[cedarcreek216]

North Georgia has lake Allatoona , Lanier , Hartwell ,Oconee and Sinclair all within a couple hours from each other. I am on Lanier weekend afternoons are a little rough but weekdays and mornings are butter all day. Plenty of campgrounds , hotels and cabins to rent and Lake Lanier Island resort with tons of activities. Summer water temp in the upper 80s its the best I have ever had.

Is Lanier big enough to have houseboats for rent? Would not mind doing a houseboat for a few days if we find a lake worth it to do it on.

[brit_hunsicker]

I saw you said you’ve been to Table Rock...have you been to Beaver Lake or thought about going? It would be closer to your home and IMO way better than Table Rock. It is less populated and therefore much easier to find good riding water. It does lack night life attractions if you guys are into that sort of thing but we usually make 2 trips that way each summer. Once to Table Rock, usually for a bachelor party or just more of a party weekend with friends and once to Beaver for a full week of hardcore riding. I’d take Beaver any day.


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[cedarcreek216]

I saw you said you’ve been to Table Rock...have you been to Beaver Lake or thought about going? It would be closer to your home and IMO way better than Table Rock. It is less populated and therefore much easier to find good riding water. It does lack night life attractions if you guys are into that sort of thing but we usually make 2 trips that way each summer. Once to Table Rock, usually for a bachelor party or just more of a party weekend with friends and once to Beaver for a full week of hardcore riding. I’d take Beaver any day.


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We have never been to Beaver and have heard great things about it. We will have our kids so night life is not a huge factor. We do Ouchita once a summer and have a place in Broken Bow, OK so we are very familiar with the quality of water and lake type in that chain. Something to consider for sure, thanks for the suggestion.

[Phil8uga]

Lake Lanier is plenty big for a house boat. There is even a company that has rentals. Plus if you feel like exploring lakes there is, Lake Oconee, lake Sinclair, lake Allatoona , Lake Burton which is a top 10 lake in the country, lake Rabun, hiawassee Lake and Lake Hartwell which are all within 2 hours or shorter of Lake Lanier. Lake Oconee has a Ritz Carrollton on the water and it is nice. There is also a hotel and water park on Lanier. PM if you want some more information on some of these lakes.


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[SoCal G-Man]

We live in the Dallas area and the past few summers have taken the boat and made our family vacation around stopping at different lakes and sites along the way. Several years ago we went to Tablerock and did the Branson thing and last year we went to Center Hill Lake in SE TN and did the Memphis and Nashville thing along the way. These have been huge successes so we are starting to plan our 2019 adventure. The original idea is to head west to Lake Powell. Obviously I don't mind driving and towing the boat any distance, but my dealer mentioned something to me this weekend that has me a bit concerned. He said towing to Powell in the summer when the temps are high and the roads are hot can be a rough go of it. Said he has heard of people going through multiple tires if the drive is made during the day in the high temp hours. Still not opposed to a week on a houseboat on Powell, but was curious if anyone could provide some alternative suggestions that might allow us to make multiple stops along the way and get to see different lakes and different things along the way. Let's be honest, the only thing of interest in the 16 hour drive from DFW to Paige is Route 66.

Thanks for any and all suggestions and I look forward to seeing some great ideas.

Powell is a must; you will not be disappointed. As for tire issues, obviously running over a sharp object or a large enough pothole can cause flats and/or blowouts. However, if your tires are in good condition and you have them properly inflated, you should be fine. Under-inflated tires are most often the culprit that people do not consider. Under load, low tires carry far more heat, and weaken the sidewalls, which causes blowouts. If you haven't already, I suggest buying a TPS system for your trailer. I use the Yokaro Bluetooth kit and it works great.

[cedarcreek216]

Powell is a must; you will not be disappointed. As for tire issues, obviously running over a sharp object or a large enough pothole can cause flats and/or blowouts. However, if your tires are in good condition and you have them properly inflated, you should be fine. Under-inflated tires are most often the culprit that people do not consider. Under load, low tires carry far more heat, and weaken the sidewalls, which causes blowouts. If you haven't already, I suggest buying a TPS system for your trailer. I use the Yokaro Bluetooth kit and it works great.

I put, conservatively guessing, 4000 miles on our trailer tire last summer so I am not adverse to towing at all, he just spooked me about the heat in the summer time driving through Arizona. I check pressure at every stop and do what I can to keep them all maintained. I imagine we will do Powell unless someone throws something out there that I just can’t turn down.


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