A week from Friday marks a big weekend for the owners of Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens in Lake Lure. The restaurant, bar and event space will have a grand reopening starting Friday, March 28, and lasting through the weekend.
The Grey Hawk has only operated sporadically in the six months since Hurricane Helene devastated the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village area.
“The exciting thing is at the end of March we’ll be fully opened,” says George Carter, who owns the establishment with Adam Polaski. “People are starting to come back and they’re excited about a fun place like ours to come back to.”
The property that Grey Hawk now occupies has quite a history. Starting in the 1960s and going until maybe the early 1990s it was a campground with a swimming pool. It was quite the attraction for people getting away for the weekend, says Polaski. It had most recently been a veterinarian’s office.
Carter and Polaski opened up the Grey Hawk in August 2023, renting the space. Remarkably, they purchased the property on Sept. 20, a week before Hurricane Helene swept through causing massive destruction throughout western North Carolina. The areas around Lake Lure and Chimney Rock were especially hit hard, and both remain closed. The other big visitor draw — Chimney Rock State Park — is still closed.
The Grey Hawk did not have any substantial damage from the storm, but the region’s recovery process left it in limbo, Carter and Polaski say. For a month after the storm the lack of water and electricity, and blocked roads, kept the business closed. Around October, the Grey Hawk opened and gave away coffee to anyone who wanted a cup. Since then they’ve served coffee and bagels and held some special events.
They’re opening despite worries over logistical challenges and uncertainty about tourism prospects in the spring and summer. The lake — known for the “Dirty Dancing” movie — still has debris, just below the surface.
“We’re looking at a pretty tough summer,” says Carter.
They say they’ll fight back by offering extended hours and live music every weekend, expanded food and drink offerings and a full lineup of special events almost every month. Details can be found here.
The Hatchling Coffeehouse by Grey Hawk, an espresso bar and lounge located nextdoor at 102 Resort Lane, will open seven days a week, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
They want to make Grey Hawk a destination, where people would come out for a meal, maybe play a board game on an outside table and then stick around for live music.
“We really want to make Grey Hawk worth driving out from either Asheville or Charlotte,” says Carter.
“That’s the spirit we’re bringing with us this spring and summer, and we are humbled and grateful to be here to entertain, serve, and delight,” says Polaski.
Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens is a recipient of a grant from the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative, supported by Dogwood Health Trust and Appalachian Community Capital in partnership with Community Reinvestment Fund.