Long before Lake Oconee became our permanent sanctuary, our search for a weekend getaway began where so many Atlanta stories do: looking south toward the Florida Panhandle. We craved coastal air, but the reality of a five-plus-hour drive quickly dashed our dreams of spontaneous Friday afternoon escapes. Realizing we needed somewhere accessible enough for a true weekend reset, we shifted our focus to regional waters, exploring Lake Martin, Lake Wedowee, and Lake Hartwell before fate eventually steered us toward Lake Oconee.
As it turned out, the universe provided a rather unique nudge. Around that same time, my husband was earning his pilot’s license and needed to log a specific number of cross-country flight hours. Greene County’s airport happened to be just far enough from Atlanta to qualify. Soon, our weekend routine took flight: we would land in Greene County, borrow the airport’s trusty "crew car," and drive down to the water for lunch. Pilots affectionately call this the "$100 hamburger," a quick meal elevated by the cost of aviation fuel.
Our destination of choice was almost always Gaby’s by the Lake at The Ritz-Carlton. Sitting right by the water with sweeping lake views, we instantly felt as though we had been transported miles away on vacation.
On one of those trips, with extra time to spare before flying back, we decided to do a little exploring. That detour landed us straight at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Properties sales office, where we met Riezl Baker, who, in a wonderful twist of full-circle fate, is now my colleague at Luxury Lake Oconee Real Estate Group. Riezl gave us a tour of the community's world-class amenities and walked us through several spectacular properties that afternoon.
We were completely hooked. Within a week, we put an offer on a waterfront home in Marina Cove, inside Reynolds Lake Oconee. Buying that home back in 2015 was a decision we haven't regretted for a single second. For several years, it served as our cherished weekend haven. But as our connection to the water grew, we knew we wanted to make lake life permanent. In 2019, we sold our Marina Cove property and upgraded to a beautiful standalone waterfront home just around the corner.
It turns out a simple flight for lunch can completely change your life's trajectory.
Stay tuned as I continue sharing our Lake Oconee story in the coming weeks!
