Lake Lure 101

Spake's Drive In

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Restaurant

Nothing fancy inside Photo - Lake Lure, North Carolina

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After exploring the lovely Green River Plantation, my mom suggested we stop in at Spake’s Drive In for lunch since it was on the way back home. Since I was hungry I was not about to argue with her. There is nothing fancy about this place and it is the kind of place often overlooked by tourists, but the locals certainly know about this gem. It is in an ordinary white building that gives you no clue as to what kind of business is inside. When you walk in the front there is a window for TOGO orders or you can go on inside the restaurant and sit down. Decor is not a top priority here, nor does it need be. There is limited room inside with maybe a dozen booths and tables. They do ha...Read More

After exploring the lovely Green River Plantation, my mom suggested we stop in at Spake’s Drive In for lunch since it was on the way back home. Since I was hungry I was not about to argue with her.

There is nothing fancy about this place and it is the kind of place often overlooked by tourists, but the locals certainly know about this gem. It is in an ordinary white building that gives you no clue as to what kind of business is inside. When you walk in the front there is a window for TOGO orders or you can go on inside the restaurant and sit down.

Decor is not a top priority here, nor does it need be. There is limited room inside with maybe a dozen booths and tables. They do have some of those Best of Awards just in case you doubt your decision to dine here. We sit down at a booth and our waitress quickly comes over to take our drink orders. There is a round of diet Coke for everyone and just regular Coke for me. The menu here isn’t vast either. You have burgers, hotdogs, fish, and corndogs. Their plates include Hamburger steak, ham, shrimp, BBQ, chicken, and fish. They have ice-cream sundaes, shakes, and cones as well as several varieties of pies and turnovers. They are best known for their foot long hotdogs.

My mom and sister-in-law both order their hotdogs. My nephew got a child’s hotdog (your standard hotdog) and mac and cheese. Elaine and I both order onion rings and have enough to split with my mom and she also gets fries. I order my hamburger all the way minus slaw. All the way in these parts means mustard, chili, onions, and slaw.

Within just a few minutes out comes our food and I barely have time to snap a picture before everyone starts digging in. Their onion rings are light and not greasy and there is plenty of onion here. I hate onion rings where there is plenty of batter and only a sliver of onion. My burger is so yummy and the chili is to die for. I take a bite of Elaine’s hotdog and I know why there are known for their foot long hotdogs.

When we were done we were all too full to think about dessert. Our meal for 3 adults and my nephew was $22! Great food and great prices as well. Our waitress was great and kept us happy and refilled on drinks.

The restaurant is located on Highway 221A in Forest City and about 30 minutes from Lake Lure. So if you are passing by on the way to Lake Lure make sure you stop in for lunch or dinner. Come by and check out for yourself what the locals have known for a long time…this place is great!

Hours:
10:30am to 9pm daily Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on September 6, 2007

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Hitching Post Campground

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Sunset on the mountain Photo - Hitching Post Campground, Mill Spring, North Carolina

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John and I wanted to stay in the nearby Four Paws Kingdom campground which is for doggies and their pet parents, but this holiday weekend required a 3-day stay. We only wanted 2 days so we had to search elsewhere. Trying to find a pet-friendly place within a reasonable budget gave us a limited selection. So we went with the Hitching Post since they accepted pets and it was within our budget. Since we were here only two days we went with a camping cabin rather that a tent site. The campground is set up for both tents and RVs. They also have 2 camping cabins and apartments for those not bringing their home away from home with them. The campground is located only a few minutes from Lake Lure ...Read More

Hitching Post Campground
620 Girls Scout Camp Road
Mill Spring, North Carolina 28756
(828) 625-1138

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La Strada

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Beautiful! Photo - La Strada, Lake Lure, North Carolina

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Given my luck with first dining choices, as we drove through Lake Lure on the way to my intended stop I make a mental note of the restaurants we are passing by. We pulled into my first choice which offered river side dining and sat down at a table. After 10 minutes of being ignored, John asked me if I noticed what restaurants were back in Lake Lure. I mentioned La Strada and off we went. We pulled into their parking lot and the first level was packed so we drove up to the next parking level. Even if the lower level has space come up on this level as the views of the mountains are incredible. With the parking lot so full, we were afraid this will mean a wait. We walk on down and when he get...Read More

La Strada
2693 Memorial Hwy.
Lake Lure, North Carolina 28746
(828) 625-1118

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Laura's House

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Step up for great food. Photo - Lake Lure, North Carolina

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I had originally planned BBQ for this evening, but when John and I were walking past the restaurant, he stopped and looked at the menu posted in the window and asked what I thought of the place. I gave it a quick glance and noticed their special for $8.95 which included a choice of meat, 2 veggies, and a roll. Since I didn’t have to have BBQ I said OK and we went on inside. Inside we checked with the host and he informed us it would be just a few minutes. In less than 5 minutes we were taken upstairs and given a seat by the huge picture window. Like most other places in town, there is a view here. In this case you can look up and see Chimney Rock. You can also walk out on their porch and get fantastic...Read More

I had originally planned BBQ for this evening, but when John and I were walking past the restaurant, he stopped and looked at the menu posted in the window and asked what I thought of the place. I gave it a quick glance and noticed their special for $8.95 which included a choice of meat, 2 veggies, and a roll. Since I didn’t have to have BBQ I said OK and we went on inside. Inside we checked with the host and he informed us it would be just a few minutes. In less than 5 minutes we were taken upstairs and given a seat by the huge picture window. Like most other places in town, there is a view here. In this case you can look up and see Chimney Rock. You can also walk out on their porch and get fantastic views of the mountains and the town itself.

The menu here draws on homestyle Southern country cooking. Everything is hand made and fresh. Their entrées include chicken, pot roast, meatloaf, and pork chops. They also have sandwiches, salads, soup, and burgers. Our waitress comes over and takes our tea order as we try to decide what to have. We know we are already going for the dinner special since that is what brought us here in the first place. When our waitress takes our order John asks what is the best thing on the menu and she replies the chicken telling us it is not greasy or dry. We both decide on their fried chicken. John gets the slaw and mashed potatoes and gravy while I get mac and cheese as well as glazed carrots. We both go with biscuits over cornbread.

It doesn’t take long before our meal comes out. I take a bite of my chicken and it is piping hot but oh so good. The chicken is not greasy and not overloaded with a coating as can sometimes happen. My mac and cheese is made from a white cheese and is some of the best mac and cheese I have ever had and my carrots are wonderful. John’s potatoes were fluffy, creamy, and yummy (yes I snuck a bite) and I took his word that the slaw as good. Our waitress comes back with tea refills and to make sure we are fine.

As hungry as we are I save some room for dessert and that chicken I didn’t eat gave Jazzy a treat for being stuck in the room while we dined out. Their dessert menu is a sweet tooth’s delight and includes cobbler, pudding, short cake, pie, and 9 different cakes including lemon, chocolate, red velvet, and carrot cake. Their signature dessert is the Hickory Nut Gorge which is a decadent looking brownie sundae. When we order our cobbler we are given a choice of apple or peach. I said apple and John said peach. We were both too full to have our own, so I conceded and we went with peach. When it came out it was pure heaven for your taste buds.

There has been a restaurant on this property for more than 130 years. But the current owners have been here since 2001. The restaurant is housed in a very attractive 3-story A-framed building. It has a lovely stair case leading to the dining room and high vaulted ceilings with walls of a pretty moss green and yellow. It offers large floor to ceiling glass windows allowing incredible views of the surrounding area. It is nestled with the mountains behind it as even more of an attraction. They do offer private dining for events and large groups. The property is located within the Chimney Rock village beside of Bubba’s General Store and across the street from the Riverwalk entranceway. You can find parking in the village. They are open for lunch and dinner and breakfast on weekends and some holidays.

Hours:
Monday to Friday - 11am to 8pm
Saturday and Sunday Breakfast 8:30 am to noon. Lunch noon to 8pm.

Hours may change by season and demand so always call ahead in off season.

With fantastic views, great service, and exceptional food, I must say I am sure glad John looked at the menu and suggested this place. While I am sure the BBQ would have been excellent, I certainly was happy with our final choice.

They are in the $10-$20 pp range.

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Genny’s Family Restaurant

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Story/Tip

Inviting on the outside Photo - Lake Lure, North Carolina

Quote:

Since we didn’t have a lot of room in our cabin for cooking, we decided to eat breakfast out on our last morning. We headed back into Chimney Rock Village and parked in the parking lot. We headed left and went in search of someplace open that we had not been to. As we passed by several closed restaurants I wondered if we would be dining at Laura’s again when I saw the open sign at Genny’s. We checked in with the hostess and were quickly escorted out on the back deck for riverside dining. They serve guest on either the back deck or inside. On this beautiful holiday morning everyone was enjoying the lovely weather and great views instead of being inside. Almost as soon as we sat down our wa...Read More

Since we didn’t have a lot of room in our cabin for cooking, we decided to eat breakfast out on our last morning. We headed back into Chimney Rock Village and parked in the parking lot. We headed left and went in search of someplace open that we had not been to. As we passed by several closed restaurants I wondered if we would be dining at Laura’s again when I saw the open sign at Genny’s.

We checked in with the hostess and were quickly escorted out on the back deck for riverside dining. They serve guest on either the back deck or inside. On this beautiful holiday morning everyone was enjoying the lovely weather and great views instead of being inside. Almost as soon as we sat down our waitress comes over to get our drink order. I have OJ while John has tea. The breakfast menu includes egg combos, pancakes, French toast, omelets, and breakfast sandwiches. Our waitress quickly returns and I order the 2 pancakes and John orders an egg combo of 2 scrambled eggs, grits, sausage, and a biscuit.

We sat enjoying the view. The building sits right on the bank of the French Broad River that runs through the charming town. If you are at the end of the deck you can also get a view of Chimney Rock. We were on the wrong end for that.

After our waitress takes our order we don’t see anyone but the bus boy for 40 minutes! I guess they were too afraid of coming out since after a while the guests were getting upset. You could hear people complaining and wondering where a waitress was. No one came out for refills on drinks or to assure anyone they had not been forgotten. I see two couples get up and leave the empty table beside of us after getting tired of waiting for a waitress. Finally after 40 minutes one waitress peaks her head out as if she is being turned over to the inquisition and tries to walk though without looking at the customers. John grabs her and inquires about our order. We are told we are waiting on the pancakes. 40 minutes on pancakes? You can make them in an easy bake oven quicker! The whole porch sounds like an uprising as customers are complaining loudly looking for food.

Finally 5 minutes later our food arrives. The waitress plops it in front of us and that is the last we see of her. They seemed to just deliver the food and then leave. John’s tea glass was empty and she never asked if we needed anything else. I finally go inside and ask for a picture of tea. John refills his and then we pass it on to the next table since the waitresses don’t seem to be doing their job. After all this and the wait our food wasn’t that good. My pancakes were flat tasting. John said they apparently don’t believe in seasoning since nothing had flavor to it, his sausage patty was burned, as was half his biscuit.

The place was busy but not over flowing. There are about a dozen and a half booths outside and several of those stayed empty since no one would ever come and wait on those people. And there was no one inside. So why 45 minutes on pancakes and eggs? I haven’t a clue.

The restaurant also has a gift shop and bakery. The gift shop is primarily homemade jellies, jams, and sauces. The bakery has cookies and fudge. Given the uniform size and roundness of the cookies, I imagine they are not handmade and I would bet the fudge isn’t either.

They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are not open on Sundays. There is parking right out front and parking in the village. They are mere steps away from the entrance of Chimney Rock Park. Since I am not recommending the place I didn’t bother to get the hours.

Having been in business since 1976, I would think by now they would have figured out how to run a business. The only redeeming feature here is the view. But it is the same view you can get on the Riverwalk.

While they aren’t many places in town for breakfast, they are not the only ones open. Laura’s House and Fibber McGees are both open and as we left we saw another Read Less

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