We finally got our first trip to Carlton Landing in the books! If you’re looking for an easy family getaway from Northwest Arkansas, add this little lakeside town to your list. Carlton Landing is located on Lake Eufaula in eastern Oklahoma, and for us, one of the biggest draws was how easy it is to get there – only a 2.5 hour drive from NWA! Carlton Landing was designed as a walkable, resort-style community, so the whole experience feels a little different from a typical lake trip. Kids can ride bikes through town, families cruise around in golf carts, there are parks tucked throughout the neighborhood, and the pools, lake, restaurants and trails are all part of the experience. The community was designed by the same team behind Florida communities like Rosemary Beach and Seaside, which helps explain some of the coastal, 30A-like feel.
Where We Stayed: Happy Harbor (USE CODE NWAMAMA10) for 10% off your stay!
We stayed at Happy Harbor, and it was such a great fit for our family. The home is owned by a Northwest Arkansas family and I always love staying somewhere owned by someone local to us. From Happy Harbor, it’s a VERY short walk to Tower Court Pool and Redbud Park, with the lake and other community amenities only a quick golf-cart ride away.
Happy Harbor sleeps up to 10 and gives families plenty of room to spread out. The house has a downstairs primary suite with a king bed and ensuite bathroom, an upstairs queen bedroom, a bunk room for the kids with a trundle and twin bed, and a loft area for games and movies.
As a mom, I especially appreciated all of the family-friendly touches. Happy Harbor provides items for babies and kids, including things like a pack ‘n play, stroller and games, which means you don’t have to pack quite as much of the baby-and-toddler arsenal. There’s also a fully stocked kitchen and laundry room, which are two things I always appreciate when traveling with kids. The screened-in porch quickly became one of our favorite places to hang out. We ate meals out there, played games, relaxed on the porch swing and just enjoyed being together. There’s also an upstairs deck with lake views and a fire-pit area that was perfect for winding down at the end of the day.
What to Do in Carlton Landing With Kids
1. Go Pool Hopping
One of the things we loved most was having multiple pools to choose from. Carlton Landing currently has three community pools, each with its own feel: Boardwalk Pool, Tower Court Pool and Lakeside Pool. Boardwalk Pool has a mini splash pad and hot tub along with the main pool, Tower Court has a kiddie pool along with the larger pool, and Lakeside Pool sits right along the lake (as you’d expect LOL) with beautiful views.
2. Spend the Day at the Lake
Don’t miss the Swim Beach, which sits on a peaceful cove of Lake Eufaula and is a great spot for swimming, relaxing, or simply letting the kids play along the shoreline with sand toys (bring your own from home!). During the summer months, Lake Days offers rentals including kayaks, paddleboards, umbrellas, chairs, life jackets and lily pads.
3. Try the Aqua Park
The Lake Days Aqua Park was SO much fun — or at least it looked fun from my view at the Lakeside Pool 😉 My oldest daughter was the only one who could participate (with my husband) but she couldn’t stop talking about how much she loved being out there! It’s essentially a floating playground on Lake Eufaula where you can climb, jump, slide, blob, and enjoy a good physical challenge. Current sessions are 60 minutes, reservations are required, and participants must be at least 7 years old and 45 inches tall. Life jackets are provided. Make sure to make a reservation prior to ensure you get a spot as they fill up quickly. Hot tip: if you have to separate like we did, play at the Lakeside Pool with your younger kids so you can watch your other family members on the Aqua Park! There’s a great view from that pool.
4. Explore the Town by Golf Cart
This might have been one of our favorite parts of the trip. The kids loved cruising around Carlton Landing in our golf cart and park hopping.
We loved seeing all of the cute houses, cruising through the different neighborhoods and stopping whenever something caught our attention. The whole town is designed around walkability and biking, so there’s a much slower pace than you get in a typical tourist destination. One morning someone even threw us a breakfast burrito as we drove by and that made us all laugh so hard! And it was delicious! Tip: Rent your golf cart in advance from Carts of Carlton or Dr. Doo’s or you may not get one!
5. Let the Kids Run at the Parks and Play Pickleball or Basketball
There are little parks and green spaces all over Carlton Landing. There’s Firefly Park, Lincoln Square, Pistache Park, Redbud Park, Celebration Lawn, Festival Lawn and more. Some are perfect for running around, while others have playground features, hammocks, fire pits or open green space. Pistache Park, for example, has a little baby slide, balance beam and hammocks, while Festival Lawn hosts community activities and events throughout the year. Bring your paddles and/or rackets and plan to spend some time at The Courts. Carlton Landing has lakeview courts that can be used for pickleball, tennis and basketball, and they’re lit for evening play.
6. Walk or Bike the Trails
It was fairly hot when we went so we didn’t get a chance to bring our bikes and explore the trails, but several people told us there are nice paved trails to explore.
7. Find Something Good to Eat
The community has a few restaurants, shops, pop-ups and food trucks that are all part of the small-town atmosphere. Mama Tig’s serves wood-fired pizza, The Meeting House serves coffee, food, snacks and drinks while the Airstream Food Court has options like burgers, fish and chips and frozen treats. And yes, you should absolutely get ice cream. They serve Tillamook! Tip: for us, Mama Tig’s was an hour and a half wait for pizza. Plan on calling ahead to place your order! Plan to check the hours/open days of restaurants before you go. Because there are only a few places to eat without leaving Carlton Landing, we brought quite a bit of our own food to eat at the house.
Overall, we had a wonderful trip! Please let me know if you have any questions! 🙂 Always happy to share more!