What To Do With Kids At Lake Oconee: The Best Weekend Ever

Kids Itinerary for Visiting Lake Oconee

When it comes to kids, it’s best to both plan and play it by ear. You might be able to spend the whole weekend in and around the water, having a great time with very little effort, or you might find that after a few hours, you have some seriously restless children in need of structured activities, ASAP!

Read on for a sample itinerary for keeping the kids entertained all weekend at Lake Oconee.

Friday

4:00pm Gourmet Food Board by Chef Deborah

As soon as the kids set eyes on Lake Oconee, they are going to want to jump in the water—but they’re also going to be hungry. Let Chef Deborah feed the family with one of her delicious food boards. No need to get dressed up, everyone can eat in their bathing suits. Make sure to order in advance.

Saturday

9:00am Let the watersports begin!

Maybe you already have a pontoon boat on hand, but would love to rent some jet skis, kayaks, or towable water toys. Or maybe the only watersports “equipment” you have is an inflatable swan. Either way, Young Harris Watersports, Oconee Wild Watersports or H2O Adventures can set you up with everything you need. Best of all, they can actually deliver the equipment right to you. Call for reservations to make sure you can get what you want—like a double-decker boat with a water slide from Young Harris Watersports!

Watersport Central can also provide lessons on wakeboarding, lake surfing, and water skiing, or plan a fishing trip or paddleboard excursion for the group. You can captain your rental boat yourself, or request a professional captain. All you have to do is ask them for what you need! Well, and pay. That’s a good idea, too.

7:00pm to 10:00pm Outdoor Concert at the Plaza Arts Center

After a day on the water, everyone will be ready to dry off and get dressed. Once everyone is ready to go, head over to one of the many kid-friendly outdoor concerts and events that go on all summer around Lake Oconee, such as the ones hosted by the Plaza Arts Center in Eatonton. Tickets are reasonably priced, but kids 12 and younger are free. Bring blankets, chairs, coolers, and picnic baskets to set yourself up on the Plaza Lawn. Although the show starts at 7, the Lawn opens at 6, so you may want to get there early to claim a good spot. If you’d rather not pack your own food and drinks, they often have a local food vendor on-site as well as a bar for those 21 and over.

Sunday

9:00am Rock Hawk

Although they open at 7:00 am, there’s no rush to get to Rock Hawk, since it will be open until 9:00 pm. Rock Hawk is a park and outdoor classroom with 25 miles of trails that lead you by educational displays, wetlands, fields, forests, a major river, and the lake. It offers camping, hiking, and biking trails, fishing, a Lake Oconee beach, boating, archery, and nature watching both on the ground or up in viewing towers. Indoor and outdoor interpretive educational centers teach visitors about local plants and wildlife, as well as the area’s 12,000-year history.

Rock Hawk is located about a mile off from the Okfuskee Trail (also called the Upper Creek Trading Path), which was a major Native American trading route, and is centered around the ancient effigy that gives the park its name. Milky quartz rocks are piled into the shape of a hawk, some of which are so large that experts theorize they were dragged on deerskins. These rocks were placed so long ago that no one is sure exactly when Rock Hawk was made. The kids will love getting up in a viewing tower and wondering about it from above.  

4:00pm Parkside Main 8

*Reduced hours of operation due to COVID-19

If you’ve had enough sun and ready to relax in the A/C then dry off and dress for a family-friendly movie at Lake Oconee’s Parkside Main 8. This comfortable, big-screen theater offers VIP balcony seating for an upcharge and has a full-service bar and kitchen.

Check the showtimes here

Now it's your turn...so what do you think?  Will this plan keep your kids or grandkids busy this weekend?  Let us know down below in the comments.

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Best Wishes,

Lake Oconee Life Team