Last May, we spent a week at the Mansion with extended family and rented a pontoon during our stay. Such a must-do! We loved putting around through the coves looking at the beautiful homes on the lake. Our eight-month-old daughter looked like an orange marshmallow in her life vest, but the hum of the engine and the buoyancy on the water put her to sleep within the first few minutes of the ride.
Here’s another cool thing: everyone you pass waves! Being from California, this was a new experience for us! We absolutely love how friendly the lake community is.
We stopped off at the Pointe restaurant, which has direct boat access, and enjoyed some casual dining there. The kids loved seeing all the fish swimming near the docks!
Across the way is another fabulous restaurant with drive-up access as well, Waterview restaurant. A tad more formal than the Pointe. The food was great! (My husband and I enjoyed the calamari and ahi tuna.) There are also tiered balconies for outside dining with, of course, phenomenal views of Lake Gaston all around.
People come to Lake Gaston for the water recreation, not for touristy attractions (although there are some neat places to explore off the lake as well). So do it. Boat, ski, fish—even take a dive off the boat dock if you feel the urge. But be sure to enjoy lake life up close!