Every year we try to get together with my parents (who live about 8 hours away in FL) for Father’s Day weekend. This year, my dad wanted to spend a long weekend on the lake, and he found a fantastic house to rent on Lake Lanier. Even though it’s only an hour north of Atlanta, we’d never been other than a day trip to the water park at Lake Lanier Islands.

We started the weekend off with a fancy outdoor dinner at the Atlanta Food Truck Park! So yummy and fun to share all kinds of treats from the different trucks. Thursday night, we tasted Nana G’s Chicken & Waffles (and the skinny fries are super salty and delicious!), Sweet Auburn BBQ, Pressed for Time (California Club), the Blaxican (fish tacos that Craig said were great), and the Sandwich Buddah‘s grilled cheese made with I think 3 types of cheese (it was so simple, but my favorite from the night). For a quick dessert before the rain, we grabbed some chocolate sea salt pops from King of Pops. What’s your favorite food truck at the park?

The rest of the weekend was spent on the north side of the lake in a spacious home with a huge deck and beautiful view of the lake. The weather was a bit cool, but mostly sunny… quite perfect. We made breakfast (including a friend’s family recipe for an orange breakfast ring made with biscuits, butter, oranges, and lots of sugar), made the trip up to Dahlonega one night for dinner at The Smith House (one of our old family favorites when we used to visit our Uncle Stan’s cabin in Suches, GA), and tried out Fish Tales on the lake, as well as Re-Cess Gastro Pub and 2 Dog Restaurant in Downtown Gainesville.

Orangey, biscuity, buttery, sugary goodness::

Dinner at The Smith House — family style, southern dining::

I’d highly recommend 2 Dog — we had Father’s Day brunch there on Sunday morning and really enjoyed everything about it. The service was great, our waitress was funny, and the atmosphere was quaint and quiet.  Portions are huge, so bring your appetite. We all got different versions of the breakfast quesadillas and frittatas with side of really creamy grits and biscuits the size of the palm of my hand. They feature preserves and butters made in house. Definitely a place I’d go back to if in Gainesville again!

Fish Tales is a fun place to visit on the lake, and it would be really convenient to dock your boat and drop in for a bite…. if the wait on a Saturday night weren’t 1.5 hours. The grouper fingers and conch fritters were the best things our group had while there. They do have a GIANT sand box with tons of toys, which did a pretty sufficient job of entertaining the large amount of kids there.

We spent the rest of the weekend sleeping in, playing with the dogs, laying out on the dock, and riding on the boat my dad just got. It was our dog Coco and my brother Andrew and his fiance Lauren’s dog Riley’s first time on a boat, and they loved it! I think having the wind in their faces was their favorite part. We pulled up to one of the islands on the lake so that the dogs could play on the beach while my dad and brother showed off their skiing skills – the beach was such a great little find!

Craig’s first boat driving went well::

Dad and Coco were so happy on the boat::

My mom, Riley, and me out for a little lake exploring::

Andrew tested out his skiing skills from about a decade ago::

It was such a relaxing way to spend the weekend honoring my wonderful, generous, loving dad. Nothing beats a weekend out in the sun with the ones you love! I hope everyone else has had a happy Father’s Day with the special men in their lives!