Can you even say you had a good summer if you didn’t get dragged around Alum Creek Lake on a rubber tube?
We hadn’t taken Z tubing in several years and she had the best time. I can say it was also a lot more fun for me this time as her mom.
Last time, she was only nine and it made me nervous every time she got tossed off the tube into the lake.
Circling back around in the boat seemed to take forever – she looked tiny floating out there in her life preserver. My mind spun with worst-case scenarios and what-ifs.
Now, she’s a teenager and I worry less about her ability to handle herself. She and her friend were outfitted with bright red life jackets (anyone tubing in Alum Creek Lake is required to wear one) and very visible in the water.
Plus, they both seemed to have the most fun when we used a combination of boat speed and maneuvering tactics to get them going at maximum tube speed and ultimately toss them off into the water!
If you want to rent a ski boat and experience the joy that is yanking your teenager around on a tube and then whipping them around turns so fast that they fly off screaming with laughter to land in the lake, then you’re going to have to get to Alum Creek Marina bright and early.
We were there by 8 am on a recent Saturday and had our pick of ski boats, plus use of the tube. Get there too late and the ski boats may be taken – then you’ll have the option of putting your name on a waitlist or taking an available pontoon boat. Pontoons are slower and also fun but you can’t go tubing from them.
Ever since we got our hands on one of the ski boats, my family has not wanted to rent a pontoon boat again. I personally loved the slower, bigger boats – and with a pontoon, the dogs could come along, too – but E and Z apparently have a need for speed.
If you haven’t seen the all-new, rebuilt Alum Creek Marina, it’s a gorgeous building and they have so many ways for you to enjoy the nature and beauty of Alum Creek Lake. It’s definitely a must-do on our family’s bucket list each summer.
In fact, I could definitely see us renting a ski boat again before summer comes to an end. Tubing is just so much fun and any activity that gets tweens and teens this excited to spend time with the family is a plus in my book.
What are your favorite ways to have fun with your family in the summertime? I’d love to hear your summer fun ideas in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram.
