Family Fun Coming to Lake Wylie, SC

Happy Friday Chatter family. As we head into the weekend and Spring Break for some of us I wanted to share with you some exciting news coming to our neck of the woods here in Steele Creek and Lake Wylie, SC.

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Friday, April 15th 2011
Nestled in between Lake Wylie’s Buster Boyd Bridge and the River Hills community, lays many well known landmarks of Lake Wylie, SC.  “T-Bones on the Lake”, a favorite for local boaters, "Rey Azteca", a family friendly Mexican Restaurant and the retail chain “Fred’s Superstore”.  Yet also included in those landmarks, unfortunately has been an eye sore for many years.  The vacant parking lot, of what was Waterside Market, including the graveyard of run down shops that have sat untouched for years, and have left local residents wondering- what or even if any change would soon come.

Regonizable sign in Lake Wylie, SC is about to change

All of that is about to be transformed and as a Mom, a local resident and huge fan of our wonderful Lake Wylie community, I couldn’t be happier.  What was once known as the ghost town by the lake will soon be bustling with family fun entertainment with retails stores and restaurants soon to follow.
Darrin Skinner, local, corporate recruiter and entrepreneur has teamed up with York Development to officially announce the major face lift of what was “Waterside Market” to be, “Wylie Gateway on the Lake” and anchoring the soon to follow shops will be “Lake Wylie Bowl n Bounce”, a family entertainment and fun center, located in what was once the Food Lion location.

Darrin, his wife Heather and their three kids live in the Lake Wylie area and are thrilled to be a part of the beginning of a new chapter in Lake Wylie’s History.  “Lake Wylie Bowl n’ Bounce will offer family entertainment for toddlers to seniors and everything in between.  The facility will have bowling, video games, bounce houses/inflatable's, and a lounge/food court where food, drink, sports, and entertainment are available.  We will provide a clean, safe, and affordable place where families with children, adults, teens, singles and private parties can enjoy themselves without having to leave the Steele Creek/Lake Wylie area.”

This is exciting news for our community.  Especially since Lake Wylie with all of its charm and boater appeal, really doesn’t have an established and well-known location for family fun and entertainment. 

“We want to change that” Darrin tells me.   “One of the goals of the center is to fill a void in overall entertainment options in the Lake Wylie area.  We are planning the center as a place to meet friends, have a drink, watch a ball game, or listen to live music even if you never bowl a game or play a video game. There will be something for everyone. 

Other tenants to occupy "Wylie Gateway on the Lake" the will include some restaurants, a wine bar, cigar bar, coffee shop, and an ice cream shop to name a few.
This has been a work in progress since 2008.  And the location couldn’t be better.  Lake views are visible for many areas of the property and being so close to the boat landing by T-Bones, families can enjoy a day on the lake and then wander over to the shops for food, drink, family fun and more.

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View of Lake Wylie through the trees in the parking lot or future site of Wylie Gateway on the Lake

Construction will begin in just a few weeks with a target open dated slated for the fall 2011. 

What is the best part of all of this Darrin tells me quite specifically “At a minimum, our kids will think Heather and I are awesome for owning a place with bounce houses.”

I couldn’t agree with him more and know my boys, ages 5 and 6 will be one of the many hundreds of kids who will soon enjoy a new chapter of Lake Wylie’s well known history of a family oriented community.

Look for more information coming soon and please feel free to leave a comment and spread the great news for our area!!
Happy Friday and a great weekend to everyone.

Mary Ickert