Lake Lure, NC – A Magical Place in North Carolina

Dream, Believe, Discover, Lake Lure, NC awaits you! Nestled among the Blue Ridge Mountains is a sparkling jewel, Lake Lure, NC. Visit the place that National Geographic called, “One of the most beautiful man made lakes in the world!” Lake Lure offers a pristine lake, bold and beautiful mountains, hiking, boating, and a southern delight at it’s own!

Lake Lure is surrounded by many things to do and see including, a visit to the Biltmore House in Asheville, NC, a stroll through downtown Hendersonville, a wine tasting in Black Mountain or a challenging hike to Chimney Rock. If it’s sports you’re interested in, Lake Lure offers two Championship golf courses, an annual summer Olympiad event, featuring an 8K run through the mountains and a triathlon, among many other sporting events. Lake Lure offers an abundance of beauty, peace and serenity. Once you visit you’ll be compelled to return.

My friends well know that I often call Lake Lure, NC a magical place.  As I drive from Charlotte, NC to Lake Lure, NC, I find an instant relaxation and peace knowing I am going to spend a few days in what I would consider one of the most beautiful places on earth.

My husband and I started visiting Lake Lure, NC in the mid to late 90’s and fell in love with the place as we were falling head over heels in love with each other! 🙂  In March 2002, we knew there was not a better place to tie the knot than in this special place.  We got married in the Lake Lure Inn (and stayed in the Patrick Swayze suite) and from that point forward Lake Lure became our home away from home.  Many of our best friends are in Lake Lure, NC and if you visit, please take time to meet the locals! They are some of the best!

Notables for Lake Lure, NC

• In 2010 the census survey showed approximately 1100 year round residents
• Dirty Dancing was filmed in Lake Lure (that property is now called Fire Fly Cove)
• Last of the Mohicans was filmed in Lake Lure, NC
• Every year Lake Lure, NC hosts many college rowing teams for their off season practice. These teams include Ohio State (first team to pick Lake Lure as their practice location in 2005), John Carroll University, many teams in North Carolina, and Vermont’s Middlebury College (most recent team to join the previous collegiate teams in 2017)
• Every year in August, Lake Lure sponsors an extreme athlete event called Olympiad. This event supports many events including kids activities, and adult activities ranging from competitive volley ball to a hike at Chimney Rock. The event starts on Friday night with the finish of the 10K (which runs along the lake from Ingles Market) on the beach at Rumbling Bald Resort as well as the lighting of the torch!  The first year I ran this event in 2004, there were only 14 people registered for the event! It’s an athletes paradise and lots of fun for all ages!
• In 2010 Lake Lure opened a Charter school called Lake Lure classical Academy and is tuition free and providing education for K-12 grades.

Fun things to do in Lake Lure, NC

• Must do: Get on the Lake (if you don’t have a boat, take the dinner cruise from the Rumbling Bald Resort OR visit the Town of Lake Lure and join a Pontoon boat tour)
• Chimney Rock State Park and shopping in the town of Chimney Rock (fun for all ages)
• Golf (Rumbling Bald Resort course or Apply Valley)
• Hike Buffalo Creek State Park (and many other local hiking trails in the area)
• Visit Legends on the Lake at Rumbling Bald Resort (watch sports, play pool, enjoy the back deck and a beautiful view of the lake)
• White Water rafting
• Zip Line
• Visit the spa at either Lake Lure Inn or Rumbling Bald Resort

Fun things to do and see near Lake Lure, NC:

• Asheville, NC and the Biltmore House
• Hendersonville, NC
• Black Mountain, NC
• Tryon International Equestrian Center (open to the public and many fun things to do and restaurants on site)
• Sierra Nevada brewing company
• Landrum, NC (shop antique and consignment shops in downtown Landrum)

Lake Lure Yesterday & Today (content below provided by the “Town of Lake Lure” site)

The vision of a resort community in Western North Carolina was the vision of Dr. Lucius B. Morse. Poor health brought Dr. Morse to the Gorge and it was from Chimney Rock in the early nineteen hundreds that the vision of a lake and a resort development was spawned. The resort was to be developed by Chimney Rock Mountains, Inc. The centerpiece of this resort was to be a lake created by impounding the Rocky Broad River at Tumbling Shoals. This lake was to become Lake Lure. The lake was named Lake Lure by Dr. Morse’s wife, Elizabeth Parkenson.

Soliciting the financial backing of his brothers, Hiram and Asahel, Dr. Morse proceeded to purchase Chimney Rock (400 acres) from Jerome Freeman in 1902 for $5,000 in the name of Chimney Rock Mountains, Inc. Subsequently the company acquired enough acreage in what is now the Lake Lure area to bring the total to 8,000 acres or 12.5 square miles, including the valley in which Lake Lure lies and the hills and mountains above.

Dr. Morse and his wife Betty occupied the Cliff Dwellers Inn at Chimney Rock and continued to formulate his plans for the property. He conceived the idea of building a dam on the Rocky Broad River to create a lake and the possibility of a year-round resort.

HISTORY OF THE DAM AT LAKE LURE:

Carolina Mountain Power Company, all of whose common stock was owned by Chimney Rock Mountains Inc., was formed and the construction of the dam began by it in 1925 under the guidance of Mees & Mees, a Hydraulic Engineering firm from Charlotte, North Carolina. In return for this stock, Chimney Rock Mountains, Inc. deeded to the power company the land and easements for the site of the dam and powerhouse, all of the inundated area of Lake Lure and ground for transmission lines to Turner’s Dam.

The remainder of the 8,000 acres continued in the ownership of Chimney Rock Mountains, Inc. Development of the resort was funded by a $1,000,000 first mortgage with the Bird Mortgage Company of Asheville, North Carolina. The United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company of Baltimore, Maryland acquired this mortgage, which was secured by the remaining property.

The Carolina Mountain Power Company financed construction of the dam that impounded Lake Lure through a $550,000 first mortgage with Stroud & Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This mortgage was secured by the property owned by the Carolina Mountain Power Company including the land on which the dam was constructed as well as the land inundated by Lake Lure.

The dam was completed in September 1926 and the creation of the lake began. The full impoundment of Lake Lure was completed in 1927. At ordinary water levels, Lake Lure covers approximately 720 acres and has a shoreline of approximately 27 miles.

The power plant began operations in 1928 with the sale of electricity under a 10-year contract to Blue Ridge Power Co., the predecessor of Duke Power Co. The town continues even today to contract with Duke Power for the sale of electricity.

The Town of Lake Lure was incorporated in 1927. As incorporated, the boundaries of the town included the entirety of the body of water known as Lake Lure. The North Carolina General Assembly has authorized the Town of Lake Lure to acquire and hold real property. The Town has express authority to regulate activities occurring on Lake Lure.   The town also has significant discretion in the exercise of its authority to protect or promote the health, morals, order, safety and general welfare of the Town of Lake Lure.

The plans for a resort development came to a halt in 1929 with the failure of the economy. On October 24, 1929 both the Standard Mortgage Company and Stroud & Company foreclosed their mortgages. Following the foreclosures, the Standard Mortgage Company established the Lureland Realty Company to dispose of the property that had been secured by the property owned by Chimney Rock Mountains, Inc. One of the first acts of the Lureland Realty Company was an unsuccessful attempt to purchase the bed of Lake Lure. By January of 1942, the Lureland Realty Company had disposed of all of the property that had been owned by Chimney Rock Mountains, Inc.

Stroud & Company continued to operate the Carolina Mountain Power Company. On August 12 1931, the assets of the Carolina Mountain Power Company were transferred to the Carolina Mountain Corporation. William C. Rommell,president of Stroud & Company, operated the Carolina Mountain Corporation from 1931 until Lake Lure was acquired by the Town of Lake Lure in 1965.

The Town of Lake Lure had been operating the recreational facilities located at the lake for almost

thirty years before Lake Lure was acquired from the Carolina Mountain Corporation. Their operations were based on a year-to-year lease arrangement between the Town of Lake Lure and the Carolina Mountain Corporations. The acquisition by the town was facilitated by legislation enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1963 that authorized the Town of Lake Lure to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of acquiring Lake Lure. The acquisition was completed on July 26, 1965.

Property that once belonged to the Carolina Mountain Corporation was now the property of the Town of Lake Lure. This included all of the property which has been, or at any time hereafter may be, submerged by the dam erected across the Broad River at the site known as Tumbling Shoals, Chimney Rock Township, Rutherford County, North Carolina, lying below 995 feet above sea level, as based upon the official bench marks of the United States Geological Survey. This property, which comprises the bed of Lake Lure, lies within the limits of the Town of Lake Lure.

As both commercial and noncommercial use of the lake by residents and visitors has increased over the years, the issues surrounding how the lake  – as a limited resource – is managed has become increasingly important.