It seems everyone’s on a first-name basis at Lakeside Lodge on the shores of Lake Hartwell, within a cannon’s boom of Death Valley.
The general manager is just “Shane,” the head of real estate sales, “Russell.” One of the lodge’s principal investors, Leighton, sits and chats with one of lodge’s first-ever condo owners, Randy.
“Leighton” is Leighton Cubbage, a former Clemson football player who downplays his “playing” days. “I couldn’t have played dead in a Western,” he jokes. But he’s all-business when it comes to what the lodge — a $50 million investment of which he has a significant stake — has to offer.
“We’re high-end but not hoity-toity,” he says of the experience he hopes those who come there will enjoy. “We’ve got people coming in from all of South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina … even New York,” he says during a walking tour of the grounds.
“It’s a great place for kids, for families. There’s the lake, all the Clemson restaurants … I consider this an investment in my family.” – Randy Sturgis, Lakeside Lodge condo owner
There’s the pool with a cabana bar, the gated, manicured grounds, the full-service restaurant, Traditions on the Lake, with it’s backlit, orange onyx bar. “We had it shipped in from Miami,” Cubbage says.
“The rate of sale has increased in the last six weeks,” Cubbage says of the $15 million in inventory. “We have owners who’ve bought more and others are considering buying more, too. That’s crazy – we haven’t had any of that.”
It’s August-hot in Clemson, but in the lodge lobby, it’s warm and friendly. And busy. The staff at the 118-unit luxury condo-hotel development — where the largest units sell for more $700,000 — are gearing up for what they hope will be their first-ever, fully-involved fall football season.
Lakeside Lodge by the numbers:
- 118 Units
- Studio, 2- or 3-bedrooms.
- Square footage: From about 500 to more than 1,500
- List price: From the $280s to $700+
Owners can opt-in to the property’s management program and rent out their units and the lodge is processing 90 check-ins a week, says Russell Mudge, who heads up real estate activities.
And in the center of it all, the half-football field that Mudge says will be the heart of the Lodge’s game day vibe, the place where everyone will (hopefully) know everyone else’s name come Saturdays in the fall.
“The idea is to make it a fun, family atmosphere,” says Mudge while standing on the field about 20 yards from a cluster of families splashing in the gated pool. “Everyone’s so pent-up for football, I can’t wait to see things develop here this season.”
Game day offerings include a couple of buffets for those wanting to eat before catching the nearby shuttle to Death Valley or just relax in front of one of the projector screens and watch from inside the air-conditioned ballroom, says general manager Shane Bounds. Ticket prices have not yet been set, but, condo owners will be given first preference.
To-go boxes will be offered, too, he says. “And live music’ll be part of our Friday nights,” Cubbage says.
Randy Sturgis, of Rock Hill, was one of the early adopters of the Lakeside Lodge concept. He bought a three-bedroom condo in 2017 long before the building broke ground and he’s thinking of buying another one.
“Sometimes, you make a big investment and wonder if you’ve done the right thing,” he says. “I’ve never had that feeling here.”
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” he says, despite last year’s COVID-modified football season. “We still had fun.”
He’s always been a tailgater, he says, and a devoted football fan. Now a grandfather, Sturgis says it’s good to have a way to experience Clemson sports without necessarily having to make the trek to campus.
“Let me count the ways,” he says. “We had three boys and getting into Clemson, tailgating, going to the game, getting back out … it was just a pain in the butt sometimes. Not to mention that I-85 traffic.”
As for the Lakeside experience, he says it’s not just one thing.
“It’s a great place for kids, for families,” he says. “There’s the lake, all the Clemson restaurants … I consider this an investment in my family.”
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Fun, on a first-name basis — Clemson's Lakeside Lodge primed for fall, football and family - Greenville Journal
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