Lake house working vacation

June 17, 2024 8:04 AM

My family and I would like to get out of the heat in Texas for a week in mid July. I will need to work but all of that can be done on a laptop. I would really like to rent a quiet lake house that is somewhat close to a town that my wife and two teenagers can find some things to do. Keeping logistics really easy and laid back is my only hard requirement. I'll pay a premium for a nice place that's not overrun with noise and tourism. What location in the U.S. do you recommend?
posted by jasondigitized to Travel & Transportation (9 answers total)

I don't say this to be mean, but the good places have probably been booked up forever. Still I'll be watching the thread myself. :)
posted by slidell at 8:40 AM on June 17 [4 favorites]

I don't know about bookings, but this pretty much what Minnesota was made for.
posted by randomquestion at 9:01 AM on June 17 [14 favorites]

Especially if you have flexibility about the house actually being on vs accessible to lakes, my family has has great luck with towns in the northeast that are primarily known as skiing/winter destinations.
posted by heyforfour at 9:27 AM on June 17 [3 favorites]

Since you're in Texas, look for VRBO in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, or near there. Quiet and peaceful in the Village, twenty miles to Hot Springs for some things to do; a little trip up the interstate to Little Rock for some other things
posted by TimHare at 9:28 AM on June 17 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Estes Park, Colorado is only a little over an hour drive from Denver, so getting there should be easy. There's a big lake and all kinds of touristy things to do like fudge shops and mini golf.
posted by MadMadam at 11:12 AM on June 17

Best answer: Ithaca, NY, and around there are lovely. Fingerlakes (clean!) forests and waterfalls.
posted by waving at 11:21 AM on June 17 [1 favorite]

For Colorado towns in the summer (some with lakes, some without), see this question I posted a few years ago.
posted by Mid at 12:26 PM on June 17

Door County Wisconsin would also meet your criteria. There are peaceful, isolated vrbo rentals both on the big lake (Lake Michigan) and on the many small lakes in the county. The various towns in the county have lots of things to see and do. These are generally pretty touristy, but there's a lot of quiet between the towns.
posted by DrGail at 1:18 PM on June 17 [4 favorites]

Grand Lake is a quieter town than Estes Park, CO, it’s in the other side of RMNP, but getting RMNP passes is like getting Taylor Swift tickets unless you’re fine with shorter hikes in the late afternoon/evening.
posted by childofTethys at 4:22 AM on June 18