Savannah Lakes Marina Review

Last updated: 26.01.2021

A day on the water leaves you refreshed and ready to go back to the office on Monday morning. Perhaps you’ve looked at the Savannah Lakes Marina and wondered if you should rent a kayak or go fishing here. Asking that question, the answer comes back with a resounding, “Yes!” Think of the Savannah Lakes Marina as your gateway to the fun times on the lake. Lake Thurmond, the third-largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi, rides the border between South Carolina and Georgia. Your adventure begins here!

Amenities

The Savannah Lakes Marina offers attractive amenities. You can access the amenities of the Savannah Lakes Village when you rent a slip from the marina. The awesome amenities include:

• Golf
• Dining
• Recreation center
• Camping
• Entertainment
• Fishing
• Shooting sports
• Biking and hiking trails

In terms of entertainment, the Savannah Lakes Village hosts variety shows, dance concerts and live stage plays. The live stage plays include comedies, dramas and farces. If you want excitement, you might attend the dance concerts where you can see dancing of every type including acrobatic, salsa, clogging, ballroom, belly dancing and flamenco.

Someone who wants to go biking after a long day on the lake might choose the Savannah Valley Railroad Trail. First opened as a hiking and biking trail in 2011, this historic trail originally stretches back in time to the 1800s. This sits among the many available hiking and biking trails.

As far as fishing goes on Lake Thurmond, the 71,100-acre reservoir has an attractive number of fish species such as bass, hybrid bass, crappie, catfish, largemouth bass and bream. They renamed it Lake J. Strom Thurmond in 1987, but they called it Clarks Hill before that.

What does Savannah Lakes Village have for dining? Two clubhouse restaurants serve the guests and enrich the experience for lunch and special dinners. You can choose either the Tara Clubhouse or the Monticello Clubhouse. The Tara Clubhouse has more comprehensive choices with appetizers, entrees and desserts. The Monticello Clubhouse offers informal dining where you can eat fresh pizzas, soups and a rich selection of sandwiches.

Water Recreation

I first visited the Savannah Lakes Marina having heard good things about it. Coming here didn’t disappoint. The manager of the marina spoke to me in a way that I will never forget. He’ll be going places soon for sure! Let’s have a look at the kayaking end of the lake. You might start your adventure at Lake Thurmond Dam, dropping your kayak below the dam. The dam is 1,100 feet in width and 200 feet tall. Being below the dam puts you near the Savannah River, too, which has some spectacular views of nature. Beware of the headgates, however, and do not slip past this point or you risk going over some fast rapids and a waterfall.

The Savannah River has alligators in it, and while rare, if you encounter them, leave them alone. What I loved about Lake Thurmond was how it even offers kayak trails. They marked it on the Little River Blueway map.

Head to the Savannah Lakes Marina in June, and you will arrive in time for the Western S.C. Blueway Festival, which celebrates watersports. You will see several things during this time, such as kayak and paddleboard demonstrations. They even sell fishing kayaks.

We’ve talked about kayaking as a literal playground, but what about fishing here? Fishing ranks as one of the most popular activities on Lake Thurmond for a reason. If you don’t know anything about fishing, you can hire a guide here. Crappie fishing is especially popular here. Traditionally, your best fishing in the midsummer comes from the upper portion of the lake. Night fishing does well too in the late summer season.

Conclusion

The Savannah Lakes Marina won’t disappoint. After you have rented a boat, you have access to everything else at the Savannah Lakes Village, which I found spectacular. My wife and I saw a live stage play, and we were left speechless by it. Overall, if you want to have a good memory overall and go kayaking at the same time, you can’t go wrong with the Savannah Lakes Marina. You have a great picnic and beach, and while the prices may be inflated, they weren’t unbearable. The manager made everything great with his unreal welcome. He’s the type of character you won’t forget. As many people have said, this is a nice little resort worth the time to check out.