Lake Anna

[Anonymous]

What do people know about Lake Anna? I grew up where there are a lot of lakes, and would like my kids to experience more lake culture, water skiing, etc. Any advice or ideas of other close by places appreciated! Thanks

[Anonymous]

It is the closest large lake to the DC metropolitan area. We have a house there and love it. It takes about 90 minutes to get there. There are lots of nice homes, but not many little "cottages" like you get in upstate NY or the Great Lakes states. Entry level pricing for a waterfront house is probably about $500,000. There is a large state park with cabins you can rent, plus a fairly active rental market. It isn't really developed a lot insofar as restaurants and other lake amenities, although there are 5 or 6 you can get to by boat. There are a few rental companies, so you should just rent a house for a long weekend or a week and see if you like it. Dockside Realty has a lot of rental houses, as does VRBO.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP!

[Anonymous]

My aunt just bought a very tiny little cottage at Lake of the Woods, not much farther away.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget the nuclear power plant that dumps water into the lake making it abnormally warm and was damaged by the earthquake we had a few years ago.

Like all but two lakes in Virginia it is man made.

It is a pleasant and the State Park is lovely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My aunt just bought a very tiny little cottage at Lake of the Woods, not much farther away.

That lake is so incredibly small...kinda like a pond.

[Anonymous]

Is it a swimming lake with a beach?

[Anonymous]

I'm from Minnesota, so I understand OP's hankering for some lake action.

Lake Anna will deliver, but it gets REALLY crowded on summer weekends, especially on the public side. Like PP said, there are plenty of little houses you can rent for a week or a long weekend. You can have campfires, fish off the dock, rent boats, etc.

[Anonymous]

Lake Gaston and Kerr Lake are a little farther away (though once you get off 95 the drive is a piece of cake!), but less expensive and less developed. Pretty beautiful too.

[Anonymous]

My mother lives full-time at Lale Land'or which is about 10 minutes south of Lake Anna. There's not much out there and while the community she lives in is pretty large, it seems like a sleepy lake community most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mother lives full-time at Lale Land'or which is about 10 minutes south of Lake Anna. There's not much out there and while the community she lives in is pretty large, it seems like a sleepy lake community most of the time.

This is my problem with Lake Anna....NOTHING going on, except a bunch of obnoxious drunk boaters.

At least Deep Creek is year round with some skiing.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why anyone would want to buy a house next to a nuclear power plant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm from Minnesota, so I understand OP's hankering for some lake action.

Lake Anna will deliver, but it gets REALLY crowded on summer weekends, especially on the public side. Like PP said, there are plenty of little houses you can rent for a week or a long weekend. You can have campfires, fish off the dock, rent boats, etc.

Not OP, but Minnesota PP, as I am from WI/MI, appreciate your comments. Will I be disappointed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why anyone would want to buy a house next to a nuclear power plant.

Because the risk is quite low, especially compared to things like driving a car. And prices can be lower because many people don't understand risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why anyone would want to buy a house next to a nuclear power plant.

Because the risk is quite low, especially compared to things like driving a car. And prices can be lower because many people don't understand risk.

Don't forget about the (non-active) fault line that runs almost under the plant. Earthquakes in NOVA? Not a chance.

I'd be worried about the brain eating amoeba.