A few weeks ago we took a short trip out to Lake Lure in western North Carolina: west of Charlotte and east of Asheville. While this is definitely not your New England kind of lake…it will do! The water is heavenly and oh so swimmable.

Among other things the town of Lake Lure has this unique, beautiful  bridge that has been made into a flower garden!!

Town of Lake Lure Flowering Bridge

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The flowers are spectacular: The gardens are divided into areas (succulents, grasses, perennials etc.) and each one is better than the last!

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The bridge spans the Rocky Broad River which empties into Lake Lure. Some of these views from the bridge have a real European feel, don’t they?

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The original bridge was built in 1925 but was then closed to all traffic in 2011 when a new bridge was built. The town, and state, was ready to tear down the old bridge..but with wonderful forethought a non-profit community based group,
Friends of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge,
the bridge was saved and the gardens were established.

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I strongly urge you to visit if you’re in the area: well worth the trip!

We stayed at The Lodge on Lake Lure, one of the oldest inns on the Lake and right on the water. They have a nice variety of rooms, most with direct views of the lake; breakfast is included and is very good; they have kayaks and canoes. We went canoeing, and swimming, before breakfast each day. Here we are, headed out:

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One last view from the terraced deck:

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Final Signature