Welcome to Lake Murray: 5 ways to get out and play

With Columbia’s “Famously Hot” temperatures here to stay, at least for the next several months, there’s only one thing to do: Head to the water.

In this case, we’re talking about Lake Murray, where you can swim, boat, fish, ski, paddleboard and sun to your heart’s content along the 47,500-acre lake.

We’ve pulled together a few favorite activities in and around Lake Murray in spring and summer seasons.

Now, you just need to get out and enjoy them.

Hit the beach

When you’re in the mood to feel the sand between your toes, you don’t need to get in a car and drive three hours to do it.

At Lake Murray, the beach on the south side of the dam offers swimming, picnicking – and a sandy beach. It’s open through Sept. 9.

Before Monday, May 2, park hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday and holidays. After Monday, the parks stay open an extra hour during the week.

Admission is $3 per car.

www.sceg.com/about-us/lakes-and-recreation

Guided tours

Get Your Gear On offers guided paddleboard, kayak or canoe tours of Lake Murray.

“They’re scenic tours with some history of Lake Murray,” said Logan Ross, manager of guided services. It’s $50 a person, which includes the guide and equipment. The tour lasts two to three hours.

At Lake Murray Cruises, you can take a cruise on the Spirit of Lake Murray or charter the yacht for a private dinner cruise or other special event. Look for special themed cruises as well.

Of course, if you don’t want to be on a boat, you can watch them. Lake Murray is often the setting for annual regatta races.

Get Your Gear On, www.getyourgearon.com

Lake Murray Cruises, www.lakemurraycruises.com

Back to nature

Nature is all around at Lake Murray, particularly of the feathered variety.

Related: See a video of purple martins at the lake

One of the most anticipated events of the year is viewing the thousands of purple martins, which, in most years, roost at Lake Murray’s Bomb Island.

They were gone for a year, in 2014 – off to South Carolina’s Lake Monticello, about 50 miles to the northeast – but returned last year. S.C. Department of Natural Resources officials and other experts never had any firm answers why they left that year.

Still, everyone is hopeful the purple martins – migratory birds that winter in South America – will be back this summer. They typically come in July and early August.

“If you haven’t seen it before, it’s still cool to see,” Andrew Colton, whose family operates the Spirit of Lake Murray tour boat, said last summer after their return.

Exercise with a view

The Lake Murray dam – its official name is the Dreher Shoals Dam – is an engineering marvel. And one of the best ways to see it up close is by walking, biking or running along the Lake Murray Dam Walkway. The distance is 1.7 miles each way, for a total walk of 3.4 miles.

The walkway offers spectacular views of Lake Murray – especially at sunset – and even the downtown Columbia skyline, 11 miles away.

2101 Northlake Drive; www.lakemurraycountry.com

A festive Fourth

Few throw a Fourth of July party like Lake Murray and Lexington County.

At the lake, the annual Fourth of July celebration includes a daytime boat parade, with boats of every shape and size streaming along the waters in a festive show. Fireworks are on tap in the evening, a favorite time for folks to head back out on their boats to watch dazzling fireworks soar into the night sky, reflecting off the water. Of course, if you don’t have a boat you can always head for another vantage point to catch the fireworks, including the parks at the dam. This year’s Fourth celebration is Saturday, July 2.

Another Fourth favorite in Lexington County is the annual Peach Festival, set for Monday, July 4. This family-friendly event kicks off with a morning parade and includes throughout the day live entertainment, arts and crafts vendors, children’s rides, and food vendors, many of whom will feature “peachy” menu items. Fireworks cap off the event.

Lake Murray’s Fourth of July celebration, www.lakemurraycountry.com

Lexington County Peach Festival, www.lexingtoncountypeachfestival.com

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 11:15 AM with the headline "Welcome to Lake Murray: 5 ways to get out and play."