Remember Crystal Lake?

[letsgohuntin]

Im sure many of you south Ga folks have great memories of weekends spent at Crystal Lake. Take a look at it now, it's just sad to see it like this. The part that is still holding water is down where the old caves used to be.

[Jranger]

An old quarry?

[Oldstick]

Yes, I do remember. And we went even once when my kids were little, and they had a blast with all the water slides. That would have been about 15 years ago, so I know it was still open then. I remember you would always see the guy who owned it, he always had that cowboy hat on.

Is it that low because of the drought or has it just gone down hill for lack of maintenence?

[letsgohuntin]

For those of you who are not from this area, Crystal Lake was a huge lime sink and water park about 18 miles west of Fitzgerald near Irwinville.

It was a huge weekend get away, basically "the beach" without leaving the area. It had a water park with slides, campgrounds, and white sand beaches. The water was very clear, and chasing the many fish was a favorite of kids.

[Buck]

Wow! even this North Georgia boy was there many years ago... That's a pretty sad sight right there.. Is this due to the drought?

[letsgohuntin]

Originally Posted by greers57

Is it that low because of the drought or has it just gone down hill for lack of maintenence?

The email that I got the pic in said it was the drought. If I remeber right , it was spring fed.

[turtlebug]

That is so odd. I was thinking about that place the other day. Used to be a weekend getaway when I was in high school. Keys to a car meant weekend trips there. It was a blast.

That's just sad.

[Muddyfoots]

Man.!!! I remember it well....

[BOWHUNTER!]

Isn't that the same lake that Jason Vorhees was drowned?

[letsgohuntin]

Originally Posted by turtlebug

That is so odd. I was thinking about that place the other day.

Same here! Just yesterday I started to post on here asking if anyone knew whatever happened to Crystal Lake and then I got this email today!

Also, do yall remember Holiday Beach... it was near Douglas I think.

[curtis lowe]

jujujuju jhjhjhjh jujujuju jhjhjhjh.

[Wishin I was Fishin]

i dont remember, but it looks like Crystal Puddle now

[whenders]

Some of us guys would play hooky back in the 60's and go spend the day there. Later in life took my family there many times.
Can't remember any names but there has been several drownings over the years.

[deedly]

Did it used to be named "Tripps Beach" ?

[Sultan of Slime]

I remember it use to have swingsets in the water so you could jump out of em.It was the redneck riviera in the 80's.

[jmfdakaniterider2]

Originally Posted by deedly

Did it used to be named "Tripps Beach" ?

That's in Cochran Ga!!!!

[jmfdakaniterider2]

Originally Posted by letsgohuntin

Same here! Just yesterday I started to post on here asking if anyone knew whatever happened to Crystal Lake and then I got this email today!

Also, do yall remember Holiday Beach... it was near Douglas I think.

Went to see George Jones at Holiday Beach And found out why they called him NO SHOW JONES!!!!

[Deer Fanatic]

Crystal lake is closed now,and has been for several years.I spent many a day there.There was a drowning there and after that it was closed down.

[curtis lowe]

Originally Posted by deedly

Did it used to be named "Tripps Beach" ?

[Tomboy Boots]

Originally Posted by turtlebug

That is so odd. I was thinking about that place the other day. Used to be a weekend getaway when I was in high school. Keys to a car meant weekend trips there. It was a blast.

That's just sad.

Thats REALLY odd...just last night my daughter and her boyfriend came over and she wanted to show him old photo albums... And there were pictures from when my daughter was about 5 or 6 yrs. old, going down the water slide with a huge smile on her face. She was saying how she loved it, how much fun she had. I still have a pink crop top bought from the gift shop that says "Crystal Lake", fringed on the bottom and sleeves, never wore it.

[deedly]

Originally Posted by jmfdakaniterider2

That's in Cochran Ga!!!!

10-4,, I got confused

[Researcher31726]

Yep, I remember Crystal and holiday both. Wow.
Sue

[Red Man]

Originally Posted by letsgohuntin

Same here! Just yesterday I started to post on here asking if anyone knew whatever happened to Crystal Lake and then I got this email today!

Also, do yall remember Holiday Beach... it was near Douglas I think.

Yep, I spent my share of time at Crystal lake. Still go buy every couple of weeks on my way to visit family. I grew up in Douglas and remember Holiday beach very well. Before it was Holiday Beach it was 5 private ponds with excellent fishing. Now it's an upscale housing subdivision called Bay Meadows.

[biggsteve]

any of you guys got access to a metal detector? now, that the lake is dry would be a good time to search for all those rings, bracelets, and necklaces that were lost in the water. plus, imagine how many old coins rolled out of little pockets when the kiddies went down the water slide. this is what many beach combers dream about! everybody, over the years, has lost jewelry one time or another while at a park. imagine the tons of stuff that's there, just inches below the surface of the sand! hurry now. p.s.--i'll take a 10% finders fee for givin' you the idea!--steve

[Snakeman]

Originally Posted by letsgohuntin

Also, do yall remember Holiday Beach... it was near Douglas I think.

No way I could forget Holiday Beach. I met the Snake Charmer (my wife) while working at Holiday Beach 30+ years ago.

I remember going to Crystal Lake before there was a "water park" there.

The Snakeman

[maker4life]

Now that's a blast from the past . I spent several weekends dragging those heavy sleds up the big slide in the lake that seemed to be miles high back then . It may have taken twnty minutes to get to the top but those three seconds going down were well worth it .It also always amazed me to get up high then look down and see all the fish at the bottom of the slides , I bet there were some pretty nice bass in that lake .

[KDarsey]

Originally Posted by jmfdakaniterider2

That's in Cochran Ga!!!!

Nope...........Eastman,Ga.

[ALLBEEF]

Been there several times - and my grandmother use to tell about going over there when she was just a little girl in the 1930's!!

[SGADawg]

I remember Crystal Lake well. I got my first kiss there from the lady I later married! 35 years later we're still going strong.

Great memories of Holiday Beach, waterskiing, camping, going to concerts at the Opry House. As previously stated, it's all private now, sold for building lots. Still some good fishing if you can get an invite from a resident.

[letsgohuntin]

Originally Posted by biggsteve

any of you guys got access to a metal detector? now, that the lake is dry would be a good time to search for all those rings, bracelets, and necklaces that were lost in the water.

Ya know I 'll bet you are right... there are probably many rings,bracelets,etc laying around that place. Wonder if the owner has thought of that?

Originally Posted by maker4life

It also always amazed me to get up high then look down and see all the fish at the bottom of the slides , I bet there were some pretty nice bass in that lake .

There were some very nice bass in there at the time. I remember camping there one time, and after the park closed in the evening you could go down to the lake which was totally deserted. The bass would then come up around the docks and you could see them well through the clear water.

I'll bet there is still plenty of fish in that end that's still holding water. It appears to still be fresh water, at least it doesn't look stagnant.

[Allen Oliver]

I live about 1/2 mile from Crystal Lake. I too spent a lot of time at the Lake growing up. 4th of July was always a big party. Remeber those Fire works shows DeerFanatic?? Good Old days. Here is Picture my Dad took last year.

[RBaldree]

There are a number of different reasons and explainations for the demise of Crystal Lake, but I too grew up very close to there, two of my siblings worked summers there in the 80's, and my spouse worked for the owner in his pecan business as well. I cannot count the number of times I swam in those waters, and in later years slid down the slides and the like. Great fireworks on the 4th too. A.N. even had that little air strip so you could fly a small plane in and land right there.

What I have been told is that the whole thing is shut down since a summer several years ago when some folks in Atlanta got a bright idea to bring busloads of inner-city kids down to the lake, and a boy drowned. Then, just a couple of weeks later, the same thing happened again.

Remember the floating rafts out in the water, where the water was 10-12 feet deep? Imagine a crowd of 30-40 kids thrashing and playing around that float? Now, in your memory remember it again and tell me if there were exactly the same number of kids as there were before. That was the dilemma presented to the lifeguards. There were no parents watching, and the bus drivers were in the concession stand trying to stay cool. Just having a sign saying that you aren't responsible doesn't make you not responsible, it just makes a lawyer start salivating.

Now, it is a ghost town till the lawsuits and the insurance finish gutting each other and the owner, and I seriously doubt it will ever be back..

The old legend about the place said there was a hole in Crystal Lake that went all the way down, and no one had been able to plumb the bottom of it. The color and temperature of the water told me that the hole extended down to the aquafer, where there was a crystal clear stream of cold water running from Appalacia down to North Florida. Seems like it is all that is left now. Between the drought and the pivot irrigation systems pulling water out of the ground faster than it can be replaced, many many people are having to re-dig old wells and try to keep up with a water table dropping like a stone.

You can see the results of them bringing in sand for years, trying to keep the beaches white sand, and then having that sand get tracked into the water (and carried home in my swimsuit).

[Doyle]

I also swam there as a teenager. That is where I ruined my left ear drum - an injury that to this day makes scuba diving difficult and free diving impossible.

[GrandSlamHunter]

It was a popular place back in my high school years. Also took my kids there when they were small. It's a shame today's youth can't enjoy it.

Looking at that picture reminds me of a spring lake that was near me called "Blue Springs". (Screven County, next to Savannah River)It too, is now dry. Lots of rumors circulate as to the demise of the springs, but maybe its just the natural cycle of a spring. There is also a lake near Blue Springs that is also now dry, and has been for several years, that was supposedly spring fed.

[White Stag]

man... a lot of childhood memories in that place of church trips gone by...

[TMAC]

I remember going there. Many moons ago.

Tripps beach is in Eastman.

[GoFish]

Came across this thread while doing a search. How does the lake look now after all the rain we got over the weekend?

I'll go old school on ya'll.

How many remember Johnson's Lake near Alma, GA?

[fishbit]

I remember hearing...."Turn around, Do Not Attempt to swim across the lake"

[Keebs]

Originally Posted by fishbit

I remember hearing...."Turn around, Do Not Attempt to swim across the lake"

Yeah, quiet a few times a day you'd hear that!
I grew up a few miles from there too -- nothing like packing a cooler & basket & going for alll day long - - man, I miss that place!!

[Wiskey_33]

Doesn't look like it's gettin' any better.

[cujo]

Does anyone know the names of any cave divers who might have explored this sink?
I think a sneak dive might be in order here.

[Keebs]

Originally Posted by cujo

Does anyone know the names of any cave divers who might have explored this sink?
I think a sneak dive might be in order here.

If you could just get me PERMISSION to go on the place, I would love you forever & a day!! From what I am told, someone from the Irwin County Sheriff's dept. rents the trailer out there & the gate stays locked.
I have always *heard* that there have been divers that went down, but at least one didn't come back, one came out somewhere on the Alapaha River - - but I've never talked to anyone that actually did a dive.

[SouthGaTrophyHunter]

Spent many days there too. That was one of the coolest places you could of ever had growing up. White sand, clear cool water, and all those old oaks standing all over, oh almost forgot about all the girls that would hang out there. Even partook in a few adult beverages, even though we were all underage.

Anyone remember all the road blocks they used to have out there?

[Doc_5729]

Looks like a local started a myspace page.

Saw two photo albums. Looks like it was a nice place.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm...ndID=165463584

[Jim Thompson]

chh chhh chhh, hah hah hah

[Wiskey_33]

Originally Posted by Jim Thompson

chh chhh chhh, hah hah hah

Exactly what I was thinking.

[whitetaco02]

Spent quite a few days there myself!

[Rabbit Runner]

with all the rain that we have got the last few days here in irwin county, the ol lake may just fill back up.

[JohnBenoit09]

I know the man who lives down there personally and could get permission to go out there. I've worked with the guy not to long ago. I was even offered to hunt the many 8,000 acres