Lake Arrowhead Part 2
Hello friend. Welcome back. Thank you for being here! I was not able to post last weekend due to being away at San Diego Comic-Con! My laid-off post went up on Monday and then I left on Tuesday and didn’t return home until Sunday. So I missed my normal posting time. Whoops.
Some housekeeping first. I have signed up with Ko-Fi. If you read my last post you’ll know that I was laid off from my job because of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. If you want to help keep the lights on for Travel Empath, please click the widget at the bottom left corner of your screen or visit Travel Empath Ko-Fi to help donate to the domain fee. It would mean so much to me and would also let me know that you support this blog and my thoughts about travel and emotional knowledge.
Now to the topic at hand! Lake Arrowhead part 2! Last time I covered the wonderful accommodations, this time I wanted to tell you about a quaint area called “Lake Arrowhead Village.” It is the local shopping area. The village is divided up into 3 different sections, the upper village, the lower village, and the peninsula.
courtesy of lakearrowheadvillage.com
The upper village seemed like it mostly contained daily necessities type of stores such as “Stater Bros” the local grocery store, CVS, the post office, and additional smaller shops that did not seem to cater much to a tourist and therefore didn’t catch my eye. The one exception to this is a large pizzeria and deli with a large patio that overlooks the lower village and lake. It’s a wonderful spot for an afternoon slice while watching the boats go by on the lake.
Photo from the Upper Village location
The peninsula is the most walkable area in Lake Arrowhead Village. It is lined with a variety of stores such as Coach, Jockey, and Pendleton, and has grassy areas with benches and trees in the center for people to relax. I also spotted a toy store and toward the end of the peninsula, there was an ice cream shop with a selection of additional sweets and unusual toppings. At the very end, past all of the stores, you can see a lovely wide view of the lake. My partner and I had a good time looking at the mansions on the opposite shoreline and pointing out features of the homes that we appreciated.
Me creepin’ on cool looking homes
The most attractive area of Lake Arrowhead Village is the lower village area that faces the lake. You can enjoy a casual walk on the shoreline, grab a bag of duck feed from Arrowhead Sporting Goods and pass 20 minutes (or less if you’re generous with your feed like me) feeding the ducks and the assorted fish on the edge of the lake. Some of the shops I enjoyed walking through included a home decoration store that had a whole room dedicated to Christmas-themed items (you will soon learn that I love decorations and that I have an extra weak spot for Christmas decorations), an art gallery with an assortment of featured artists, and our favorite store, the Jurassic Fossil Store. So inside photos of the store were allowed but I took some photos from the outside before learned about the photo rule. This place was really cool. There was a section dedicated to fossils and sections dedicated to assorted rocks and gemstones. There was also a cabinet of death. Apparently, there are several minerals that are deadly to humans and other living creatures. (I think the owner said something along the lines of 13 different kinds in the store alone.) This store was a favorite spot but also just out of my price range. If you go to the Jurassic Fossil store, please be sure to be very careful and keep your hands and children’s hands to yourselves. There’s a ton of signage around the store asking people to be mindful and not to touch things unless they’re going to buy them. It may come across as aggressive but usually, signs go up when there has been an incident.
Also dotting the lower village is a selection of restaurants. Our favorite ended up being “Belgian Waffle Works.” It’s a bustling breakfast restaurant that specializes in plates that incorporate a delicious Belgian Waffle into nearly every dish on the menu. There are both sweet and savory selections on the menu, so you don’t feel like you need to miss out on a waffle just because you prefer a more savory breakfast. (I am also in that camp.) we ended up going twice because the waffles were just so good and both times sat outside on their dog-friendly patio. Most places are dog-friendly in Lake Arrowhead and you will see lots of dogs walking around all parts of the village. But good manners are expected of pups that get patio privileges. It is how the restaurant is able to allow dogs at all and maintain their health code standard.
Eggs Benedict. I ended up scraping off the olives.
Our favorite activity at Lake Arrowhead was the boat tour aboard the Arrowhead Queen. It’s a decently sized boat designed to look like an 1800s paddle steamer, but it has a modern engine. The captain takes you around the lake explaining small historical tidbits about standout homes and locations around the lake while also drowning you in puns. So. Many. Puns. None of the information was super recent and we figured it was to protect current homeowners if there were any celebrity homes around the lake. It was a fun ride and because of it, we were able to find next the entry about this place! Lake Arrowhead Brewing Company!
Overall I would say Lake Arrowhead Village is the best spot for visitors to the lake to really enjoy themselves short of hopping on a boat. It has a small-town vibe but you’re not terribly far from a neighboring city if there are any major things you’d like to buy. It was a 6-minute drive for us from our cabin and we stopped by the area nearly every day. It’s a must-see if you visit Lake Arrowhead one day!
If you want to read about our lovely cabin, check out my post here! Lake Arrowhead Part 1
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