Gainesville, GA · Hall County
Hall County gatherings, cookedin a Gainesville backyard
Gainesville has a little bit of everything: lake families, college students, military-school parents and people whose roots in Hall County go back generations. When they want everyone fed at once, a hibachi chef in the backyard does the job without anyone stuck at the stove.
What a hibachi night looks like in Gainesville
Locals have plenty of places to fill a Saturday. Laurel Park, on the lake, has ball fields, picnic shelters and lake access. The Atlanta Botanical Garden runs a Gainesville location with display gardens and a children's garden, and Elachee Nature Science Center keeps miles of trails in the Chicopee Woods. The Midtown Greenway connects downtown neighborhoods on foot. Every October the Mule Camp Market festival brings crafts, music and food to town, along with a wave of visitors.
Families here also gather for reasons tied to local institutions. Riverside Military Academy brings parents in for weekends, homecomings and commencement. The University of North Georgia's Gainesville campus has its own graduation crowd each spring. Then there are the lake people: houses on Lanier's north end often host extended families for a week or more in summer, and a hibachi night tends to land on the evening before everyone heads home. For other options on this side of the state, our Georgia page covers the rest.
From the grill
Setting up in Gainesville
North Lanier lake lots can be steep, with long stairways down to the dock; the chef cooks up near the house on level pavement, never on the dock. Wooded lots around Chicopee and the north side are shady and cooler, which helps in July, but check for low limbs above the grill spot. If you are hosting a Riverside family weekend at a rental, clear the propane grill with the owner first.
Gainesville questions
Can you do a dinner for a Riverside Military Academy family weekend?
Yes. Book early, since parent weekends and commencement fill the area's calendar, and remember the date is only confirmed once the deposit is paid.
We are a big family staying a week on north Lanier. Which night should we book?
Many families pick the second-to-last night, when everyone has arrived and nobody has left yet. Choose any open evening on the booking page.