Alpine mountain lake outside of Torino Italy 
Lake Lovers Have a Home at Lakelubbers.com
By Sarah Cavicchi
When I was a kid my mother would set up my brother and me on our bicycles and lead us down to the town lake for swimming lessons. Cranberry Cove in eastern Massachusetts was our summer haven were we caught rainbow fish in nets over the side of the docks.
Lakes are like sweethearts, with the fond memories and a deeply personal connection that never quite dies out. They take on their own character, and people around the world have grown up on their very own personal favorite lakes.
Lakelubbers.com is an online guide to 1,675 vacation lakes and counting, featuring lakes across America and around the world. The three-year-old online database is monolithic, it’s a lake lover’s online dream solution to the heartache of displacement or for the lake connoisseur, a smorgasbord of vacation possibilities.
Labor of LakeLub
The site is a labor of love for CEO and co-founder Brian Raub and his wife, co-founder and president Lisa Raub. “We created Lakelubbers.com because we love and live on lakes ourselves,” Brian explained.
The couple moved to Virginia’s Smith Mountain Lake in 2001, and after starting a handful of travel-related websites, they decided it was time to build a worldwide lake website for lake enthusiasts everywhere. So in 2007 they began gathering lake information. The staff quickly grew from 2 to nearly 20, covering lakes from all 50 states and more than 60 counties across the world.
Lakelubbers.com isn’t just a giant list of lakes, but a living, breathing, and ever-changing database, full of all sorts of useful information. Each lake featured has it’s own profile page detailing everything you need to know. Worcester, Massachusetts’ Lake Quinsigamond for example has a nice size write up detailing the lake’s association with John Adams, Cole Porter, and other historical happenings.
>Theatrical Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore, Italy 
Need to know statistics like lake type, water level control, and water residence time are included to help you plan out your vacation. And don’t forget the activities!
If the lake has water sports or a zip-line, or boating guidelines, Lakelubbers will list them. For the avid fisherman, each lake page has a list of all fish species available. State park and other lake specific affiliations are also included.
Some lake pages already do feature rental ads specifically tailored to the lake you’re looking at, but soon there will be even more real estate info at your fingertips.
“Now we’re building search tools, and including lake-related vacation rentals and related real estate advertising,” Brian answers. With all that info, you’ve got to wonder, what else is there to add?
Fishing on Leech Lake, Minnesota 
Don’t Worry, There’s More!
Besides detailed profile pages for each of the 1,675 lakes, Lakelubbers.com has even more resources available to its readers. There’s a free newsletter showcasing a few lakes with a unique theme; the most recent newsletter featured ten shipwreck lakes from around the world.
In the newsletter, Tenkiller Lake in Oklahoma is listed with an underwater scuba diving park with not only boats, but cars, planes, and even an underwater town you can explore! Past newsletters have other interesting themes like the world’s most unusual lakes, lake legends and myths, and lake monsters. Newsletters are released every other month.
There’s also the Lakelubbers.com articles section, a resource providing links to articles hosted on other websites with all you need to know about lake vacation life. They are organized by topic, featuring articles on specific lakes, activities, and some nature 101. You can find a camping checklist, lots of swimming tips and resources, how to properly identify trees, links to articles that will help you tell the difference between various bodies of water, and more.
>Paragliding over Lake Maggiore, Italy 
Share the Love
Lakelubbers.com also has a few different ways readers can get interactive to profess their love (or disdain) for lakes featured on the site. Signing up for a free Lakelubber account opens up lots of interactive options.
Without an account you can view some of the feedback on a lake’s page, but if signed in, accounts allow you to post on the lake pages, anything from reviews to fishing reports, or any questions you may have of some of the more experienced Lakelubbers.
There’s also albums that account holders can add to, posting their favorite vacation pictures. Members can also vote on their favorite lake spots and advertise their lakeside property to prospective buyers and renters rental property, among other lake related business opportunities.
There’s also a Lakelubber blog, facebook, and twitter page, constantly updating readers on the most recent additions to the main website.
Since Lakelubbers is still in their growing phase, they’re always welcome to hearing about your favorites, and have a lake suggestion page, complete with an online form with statistic and description fields. The interactive lake love options seem endless and ever-expanding.
But the site is still a work in progress. “We’re creating a unique internet resource that encourages travelers to visit lakes as vacation destinations – just like ocean beaches, ski areas, cruises, tropical islands, eco-tourism destinations, and major cities,” say Raub.
“Our goal is to eventually document 6,000 of the worlds best vacation lakes, and to make it easy for our website visitors to find at least a few they will enjoy visiting for a week or a weekend.”
So gather your fond memories of your favorite lake and head on over Lakelubbers, an online smorgasbord of lakelub awaits.
For More Information
Sarah Cavicchi is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and an editorial assistant for GoNOMAD. She writes our daily Travel News Notes blog.
- GoNOMAD Reviews of New Travel Products - June 1, 2012
- Lake Lovers Have a Home at Lakelubbers.com - August 1, 2010
- Blue Highways: An American Road-Trip Classic - August 1, 2010
