Lake Hartwell is a man-made reservoir bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Tugaloo, and Seneca Rivers. Lake Hartwell is one of the southeast's largest and most popular recreation lakes. In addition to fishing, Lake Hartwell offers a variety of recreational activities, including camping, biking, swimming, boating, water sports, and bird watching. Residents living along the lake or nearby may access the water at the many beaches, boat ramps, marinas and parks dotting the lake’s 962 miles of shoreline. Lake Hartwell attracts more than 14,000,000 visitors each year. Lake Hartwell State Park, Sadlers Creek State Park, and Paynes Creek Campground are popular destinations for fishing, boating, camping, and other activities. Visitors and residents of Lake Hartwell may easily access any of the many golf courses dotting the landscape, including Stone Creek Cove Golf Course, Chickasaw Point Golf Club, Boscobel Golf & Country Club, Pine Lake Golf Club, and more. Lake Hartwell is within reasonable driving distance of Atlanta, Charlotte, and Greenville, among other larger cities. The lake is surrounded by Hartwell, Reed Creek, Lavonia and Gum Log, all of which are in Georgia, in addition to the South Carolina towns of Fair Play, Townville, Keowee, Clemson, Denver, Ashley Downs, Northlake, Anderson, and West Gate.
Schools
There are a variety of public school options for students in the Lake Hartwell area. The town of Anderson is served by District 5 of Anderson County School District, which has nine elementary schools, three middle schools and three high schools. There are a variety of other school districts surrounding the lake, including those across the state line in Georgia. There are a variety of private school options in the Lake Hartwell area. Lake Hartwell residents enjoy access to several colleges and universities, including Clemson University, Anderson University, Southern Wesleyan University, and more.