Great place for celebrating summer! The park has 2 fenced dog parks multiple playgrounds one open…read moreto the sun and one that has canopy sun protection. In the back tree line there are some hammock swings with an amazing view of the lake. With its various shaded picnic tables and the few pavilions with grills available this park is perfect for one of many summer picnic and gatherings.

We had an amazing time here at Laurel park. We celebrated our distress 5 birthday here this passing…read moreSunday. The weather was amazing, we had plenty of space, and the view was beautiful. I highly recommend.

Very clean and quite peaceful. Great place for a family picnic. Nice playground for the kids as…read morewell.

This park is such a sweet little find and can be enjoyed by children, adolescents, and grown folks…read morealike. There's a small playground area that is fairly standard. Clean, accessible restrooms and places to sit and eat. What sets the park apart from others, however, is the stunning view of an old mill and the waterfall / creek that surround it. It's a little bit of an adventure to hike down to if you're doing it with younger kinds, but very doable and totally worth it. This would be a wonderful place to go to take some nature-esq photos, or just quietly exist and meditate for a while. During our visit on a weekday evening we were the only ones there and it was incredibly peaceful and quiet. Definitely worth the little drive out from the highways to get out to it.

A hidden staycation opportunity that flies under the radar. Known for their boating and lake…read moreactivities but the other side offers a relaxed environment. Lodge/hotel lodging with spacious rooms with the treat of a Keurig in each room. A truly heated pool with poolside service or indoor or patio eating. Onsite restaurant with outdoor lake views offering buffet breakfast and menu dinners. A coffee nook offering fresh coffee/lattes along with patries. The topper is an onsite spa. Plenty of options on the property with golf, pickle ball, game room and water park.

I'm very surprised Lake Lanier has so few reviews. After all, it was one of the water sport venues…read moreof the 1996 Olympics, one of the most popular summertime destinations in the state. Most any warm season holiday is celebrated at Lake Lanier making it a popular place for vacation rental homes. Here you can go boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, golfing, as well as experience a fabulous fireworks show in the summer or Christmas lights and snow sleds in the winter. There is a spa, a beach, a waterpark, a luxury resort and good times @ Margaritaville. You can rent jet skis, go horseback riding, charter a fishing boat, rent a house boat, go camping or take a hot air balloon ride nearby. It was created by the completion of Buford Dam on the Chattahoochee River in 1956, and named for Confederate Army poet Sidney Lanier. Its primary purpose was for flood control and water supplies and has a water volume of about 1,049,400 acre-ft. The narrative will tell you its construction destroyed more than 50,000 acres of farmland and displaced more than 250 families, 15 businesses, and relocated 20 cemeteries along with their corpses in the process. But I want to pause here and dive a little deeper under the surface of its waters and introduce you to: [ OSCARVILLE, GEORGIA ] "The truth is rarely pure and never simple." ― Oscar Wilde Lake Lanier is partially located in Forsyth county. It is a county that prided itself on not having black residence so much that Oprah came to film an episode of her Emmy Award-winning talk show here in 1987 (trigger warning): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WErjPmFulQ0 The show makes mention that "no black person had lived in the county for 75 years", which was a direct reference to a predominantly African-American community known as Oscarville. It was home to 1,100 black people prior to a racial conflict in 1912 which was so brutally violent that it caused blacks to flee the county... even those who were landowners. "According to Elliot Jaspin, a historian and journalist quoted by the Digital Library of Georgia and the New Georgia Encyclopedia, only about 24 of the nearly 40 Black landowners in Forsyth County at the time were able to sell their land. The other properties have no record of sale, and some believe the abandoned land was simply taken by White residents." - The Times Oscarville began as a small farming town around 1870, but after so many fled the county in 1912, it was practically a ghost town. Those still claiming ownership of their land either had it seized or were "asked" to to forfeit their land to build the Buford Dam by Newport Dam Development according to an article published on April 6, 2021 by The Signal. Prior to the violence, Oscarville was actually known for its agricultural prowess in fighting off the boll weevil infestation that hindered many farm crops and enriching the soil with chicken feces. A technique that has been duplicated to this day to revive poor farming/gardening soil. "Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." ― Aldous Huxley [ MUST WATCH ] Link to Oscarville | The Town Submerged by Lake Lanier (Intrigued Mind): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifMKfBO_R6s [ FINAL THOUGHTS ] Lake Lanier is a beautiful lake and a rich resource for Atlanta. It provides approx. 70% of the drinking water for Metro Atlanta as well as power, recreation and businesses. But there is more than what meets the eye as you look across its glistening surface. An entire town is buried by its waters and has been nearly forgotten, and the hard truth is this is not an isolated story. There are several other towns across the country who suffered the same fate. They include: Kowaliga (Benson), Alabama Seneca Village In New York City Susannah, Alabama and Vanport, Oregon The story of Lake Lanier and Oscarville will be featured in an upcoming TV series called Oscarville - Below the Surface. Here is the link to the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVux8Y96cok Thanks for reading. 2022 / 59 #BlackHistorySeries

We always stop here when we visit family. This place has everything from great views of the lake,…read moresunsets, if you are lucky enough you can see rainbows, trails, swimming to boats! Honestly, you can spend an entire day here and will be asking to return the next day.

Nice little park near Lake Lanier dam. Lots of pavilions, park benches and grilling stations. You…read morecan spend an entire day here. Plenty of parking, but you have to pay a small fee at the entrance.....I think it's $4.00 for cars. During summer time, this park gets really busy and crowded....obviously very noisy too, as kids are running around and having fun in the water. This place is not too far from my place, so early mornings, especially on weekends, I come over here, with my comfy chair, a nice cup of coffee and something to read. Nice, very clean and beautiful place. There are several boat rental companies, with small and large boats, ski jets and all other kind of fun stuff. Highly recommended!

5/5 trail this is my…read moreabsolute favorite place to go run or walk with friends! there's so much to see and it's not just one long straight dirt road! theres endless loops you can go on. it's a pretty shaded trail and you'll see all types of people there, it's so peaceful! there's also frisbee nets put around all the greenway so there's a good chance you'll run into someone playing a game. love love love this trail!

Great location to find peace. Beautiful green space with amazing wildlife and endless trails.read more

There were not enough signs to direct people to the trails. Once you left the packing lot and main…read moresign area, it felt like a game of guess. It has perhaps the biggest dog park I have seen in Fulton and Gwinnett county

What a great park. Come here with my parents in the mornings to go for a nice walk in nature and…read moreenjoy the scenery and scenic views. It's a great place to enjoy peace and quiet and help calibrate or recalibrate yourself and senses. I love how you can see the green and colors of nature while I'm doing the smells sights and emotion of being one with God here. I enjoy spending time with my parents while I can and look forward to making many more wonderful memories together here and elsewhere. Thank you for reading my review and I wish you all the best. Have a positive day

I love this park. Very hugeeee. So many activities for kids. There are Tennis courts, Baseball and…read morewaking trails. Dog friendly Park. So many slides and there are benches around the play area for elders to sit while their kids are playing. Restrooms are very clean. So much of Parking space.

Love the walking trails at this park. Long enough and peaceful to get your steps in but not…read moreoverwhelming

The nature center is a nice addition to see and learn a little about animals. My 6 and 11 y.o…read more Enjoyed it. We just walked through before our hike. Lots of trails to enjoy at various levels.

Beautiful place I can only imagine how it would look in the spring Can't wait A nice incline. Wear…read moregood hiking shoes. So glad I made the choice to wear my Hokas. Dirt Trail so be careful when walking a lot of tree roots. Make sure not to go alone. There are people around but still a little bit isolated. I also love that the trees were marked with the colors of the trail this made it easy to follow and not get lost. I'm hoping to go back to do the lake loop.