The Fourth at Fairfield Bay

A couple of years ago we decided to take a last minute vacation for the Fourth of July holiday. My husband’s work decided that they were going to take the week off with only a week notice. Most of the resorts were booked up for the holidays, but we were able to get a couple of nights at Fairfield Bay, AR before the holiday but they were sold out for the actual holiday.

We really enjoyed ourselves the few days we were there. The kids went swimming and we ate at a couple of really good restaurants. We just liked the laid back, easygoing atmosphere of the area. We heard that they had a good fireworks show on the lake but we had already made plans to watch the fireworks in Branson, MO.

Since we had liked our short stay at Fairfield Bay, decided that we wanted to spend the entire holiday there last year so we could see if their fireworks display was as good as everyone claimed. The boys both had to work so it was just me, my husband and daughter. This was our first vacation with just the three of us. Fairfield Bay is a small resort town on the Greers Ferry Lake. The closest town is Shirley, AR but you have to drive to Clinton for the closest Walmart or any chain restaurant.

There is a grocery store and gas station at Fairfield Bay. We arrived about an hour before check in time, so we stopped at the gas station to fill up. It also has a small restaurant on one side, so we ordered burgers and fries and enjoyed a tasty early supper. After we checked in we made a run to the grocery store to pick up supplies for the week.

The next day we just kind of took it easy, we hung around the resort and took Shaylee swimming. We decided to make a trip to Clinton to go to the movies and do some sightseeing. The roads are very curvy and steep on the way to Clinton, so our brakes got hot and were smoking by the time we arrived at the theater. It is a small movie theater but had a special matinee and was pretty busy. We watched Wonder Woman and my daughter absolutely loved it.

The brakes were cooled down after the movie and everything seemed ok so we decided to continue with our plans to visit the Natural Bridge. It is a naturally occurring rock formation that once was used as a bridge. There is a small gift store, a one room cabin full of antiques, viewing area and hiking trails.

The cabin had a numbered list of the items contained so that we were able to match the numbers if we didn’t know what it was.

The bridge is not as stable as it once was so no one is allowed to hike up on it anymore. When we were ready to leave we discovered that there was antifreeze under the van so we went directly back to the resort. Since it was a Sunday afternoon, there was nothing to be done until the next day.

On Monday morning, my husband was able to find a wonderful local mechanic that said he would work us in. He had to get a part so he brought my husband back to the resort while he worked on the van. When he finished, he brought the van back to us. We could not have asked for any better service, but it did take most of the day.

He returned the van just in time for us to grab supper at our favorite Mexican restaurant and make our way to the marina for the fireworks show. We were early but still had to park on the side of the road a long way from the marina. We gathered our chairs and made the hike to the marina where we sat up our chairs on the boat dock where they were allowing the kids to swim.

They used the fire boat to spray water over the marina so that if any stray fireworks or sparks got close there would not be a problem.

There were a lot of boats and party barges that loaded and moved out into the lake to watch the fireworks.

We were not in the best position to watch the fireworks because they were shot from our right and there was a stand of trees blocking some of the lower ones. Shaylee was able to watch them from the water while she floated and played.  The best watching location would have been on a boat out in the lake or on the opposite of the lake from the marina. It was a very good fireworks show and we had a nice relaxing evening.

We allowed Shaylee to play in the water a little longer after the fireworks show while we waited for the people to clear out some. Finally, we thought we had waited long enough, so we made her get out, gathered our chairs and made the hike back to our vehicle. We still had to sit in line for awhile before we could get out to the main road. There is a campsite there at the marina, so that would be a great location for camping during the holiday.

It is a beautiful area and a beautiful lake. While the lake is the main attraction at Fairfield Bay, it is not the only one. There are 2 Championship golf courses, hiking and biking trails, fishing, and all sorts of water activities to take advantage of during your visit. There are 8 tennis courts, bowling, pool tables, karaoke and even an amphitheater that often features live shows. The BayView Pool sometimes shows movies and features the poolside Cool Pool Cafe. There are beautiful gardens to stroll through, waterfalls, wildlife, and natural rock formations to explore.

The Fairfield Bay area is a thriving tourist area with a slow relaxed feeling that we really enjoyed. Have you ever visited? Leave a comment and let me know what you thought.

Other travel posts you may enjoy are Spring Break without the Crowds and Creative Family Vacations.

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