Living Here Guide 2009
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Sunday, Sep. 25, 2011

Lake Norman: Soak up life on the shore

By Joe Marusak
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    Races aren't always meant to be held on dry land. Sometimes water works, too. DAVID T. FOSTER III - dtfoster@charlotteobserver.com

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    The view from the home of Bruce Cassidy in Mooresville is all one needs to see to understand the appeal of living around Lake Norman, the largest man-made lake in the Carolinas. JEFF SINER - jsiner@charlotteobserver.com

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    Marusak

  • Attractions

    Lake Norman State Park: The park - in Troutman - boasts fishing, boating, hiking and biking trails, picnic areas, interpretive programs and campgrounds. 159 Inland Sea Drive, Troutman.

    Davidson Community Players: Performance venues vary, from the 600-seat Duke Family Performance Hall on Davidson College's campus to the intimate 120-seat Armour Theatre, a converted church that the troupe calls home. 107 N. Main St., Davidson. 704-892-7953. www.davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

    Food

    Rusty Rudder: Sit on the waterfront deck and watch boats come in at sunset. Live music, an outdoor tiki bar and a rowdy lake party crowd keep this place buzzing deep into the night. 20210 Henderson Road, Cornelius. 704-892-9195. www.therustyrudder.net.

    History

    Groundbreaking on the dam that created Lake Norman was on Sept. 28, 1959. The dam took four years to build. Two more years were needed to fill the lake.

    Landmarks

    The old N.C. 150 bridge: Some might recall the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt raced across the bridge a time or two, when the lake had far fewer people.

    It's near the Iredell-Catawba line, and is better-known as a favorite fishing spot.

    Lake Norman Motel: The brick building cuts a retro profile with its low-slung look that harkens back to the 1950s. 4491 Slanting Bridge Road, Sherrills Ford. 828-478-2817. www.lakenormanmotel.net.

The heavy equipment rumbles well into the night outside our home in Mooresville, as crews press to finish the four-laning of Brawley School Road.

I woke up one morning this summer to an expansive new bridge deck just up the hill, where a state contractor is working on a new Interstate 77 interchange.

I pen a column for the Observer called Red Dirt Alert, so this is good stuff. I love watching the gargantuan cranes and other equipment at work.

But I also can walk out to the other end of our property to a trail that meanders along undisturbed wetlands.

Sticking close to nature at Lake Norman is one of my favorite pursuits, too, whether boating with friends to an island or walking or canoeing at Lake Norman State Park in Troutman.

So is lakeside dining at favorite haunts such as the longtime Rusty Rudder in Cornelius and North Harbor Club in Davidson.

Off the lake, who can beat the new restaurants and other businesses in downtown Mooresville and downtown Davidson, the concerts and lectures at Davidson College, and all of the stores at Birkdale Village and Northcross shopping center off I-77 Exit 25 in Huntersville?

A lifelong fan of racing, I also enjoy driving each day past the NASCAR shops and the N.C. Auto Racing Hall of Fame in Lakeside Business Park. I take visiting family members who also claim allegiance to the sport to Penske Racing in Mooresville, driver Michael Waltrip's Race World USA in Cornelius and to Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville.

And best of all are the people of the lake, who like me know it's our cherished home.

Joe covers the Lake Norman area for the Observer.

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