Lakepoint Resort State Park-
Eufaula, AL-
We took a little detour from our Tennessee and Georgia State Parks to visit one in Alabama. I'll review the lodge and park below, but first I want to talk about this town. Eufaula is a typical small Alabama town. It had so much Southern charm, with some of the most breathtaking historical houses. It is a typical small town though in the sense that you pretty much have a bowling alley, a movie theater and a park for things to do. If you love touring beautiful houses, there is an entire Historical District with lots of houses to go look at, as well as two that you can tour-Fendall Hall and Shorter Mansion. We toured both of them, and they were phenomenal. The architecture, decor and furnishings of both houses were so ornate and detailed and there was so much to see in both houses.
Aside from your typical chain fast food places, there are a small handful of individually-owned restaurants. Sadly, we did not have the best of luck getting good food. Most of the places we hit were really just so-so. There were a lot of abandoned buildings through out the town, which are an eyesore to most, but I find intriguing. You can also visit Manny, the 12 foot tall fish. The main street that you can just walk around, dine or shop, is just so spectacular. Pictures really could not capture how beautiful walking these streets were. However, it is Alabama, and I think anywhere you go at this time of year in AL or South GA is going to be blazing hot. Living in the mountains, we get a little shade, but here, I felt like a piece of broccoli sitting in the steamer. And just like GA, there would be several intense thunderstorms that would come and just wreak hell for an hour, and then the sun would come out. And then 2 hours later, another storm would come through.
This state park was a lot different from any park we've been to. We have not been to any other parks in Alabama, so I don't know what is normal here. We were very surprised at how little there was of a park. There were no playgrounds, grills and picnic tables, a visitor center and gift shop, etc. There was a large hotel, a marina, cabins, a campground, and a boat dock. The hotel did have a pool, which was such a huge plus for us. The hotel itself was a bit dated. The first room we were given had not been cleaned, so we were given another room. Then the locks on the door are so old, using the card was a pain in the butt the whole time. The rooms did have a private balcony, so we had a nice little view, but there was no balcony light for sitting out there in the evenings.
We obviously used the pool a lot. It was so insanely hot, and that pool felt amazing. It was only open from 10-8 though, which sucked cause sometimes we like to have a quick swim before bed. With all of the storms, they would close the pool, but then not reopen it after the storm passed. We would have to drive up the road to Old Town Creek park to play on the playground. Other than the pool and playground, there just wasn't much in the area for kids, When it would storm, we would just be stuck inside. The park did have a boat dock and marina, and on weekends, there are two restaurants. We were not there any days that those were open, so I can't speak to whether they were good or not. There are a lot of opportunities and areas to walk along the lake's edge, and you get to see so much wildlife. We saw a few gators, lots of different birds, an armadillo, and a turtle.
Overall, this is a great park if you want to just have a weekend of fishing, and maybe the wife and kids could chill at the pool. But if you're looking for a park that has more to do, I wouldn't recommend it.
Fendall Hall
Shorter Mansion Museum
