As Lake Lure Nears Recovery Milestone, Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens Enters Third Summer With New Expansions & Returning Favorites
With Lake Lure set to reopen for the first time in 18 months, Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens – the restaurant, bar, coffeehouse, and music venue that has become Lake Lure’s premier destination – has scaled up for its biggest year yet.
LAKE LURE, NC – This weekend, Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens – a restaurant, bar, and event space in Lake Lure, North Carolina – will host the official start to its Festival Season, welcoming guests to The Great Egg Hunt Festival on Easter Sunday. It will serve as an early kick-off to Grey Hawk’s third summer in operation – which includes a full schedule of live music, expanded hours, and the new availability of on-site guest suites.
The season’s kick-off is happening against a backdrop of exciting milestones in Lake Lure’s historic recovery process from 2024’s Hurricane Helene. In just a few weeks, Lake Lure is expected to be at “full pond” for the first time in 18 months, ever since Helene surged through Western North Carolina and left extreme devastation in its wake, especially in Chimney Rock, Bat Cave, and Lake Lure. As a result of the storm, the lake has been drained and dredged over the last year and a half. The Grey Hawk property was mercifully not substantially damaged during the storm, although the region’s recovery process led to severe logistical challenges and stunted tourism throughout 2025. On March 28, a major travel artery connecting Lake Lure to Asheville finally reopened to the public.
Here’s what’s happening at Grey Hawk in 2026:
Extended Hours:Hours at Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens have expanded, with Thursday dinners newly available from 5-9pm. The restaurant is also open for dinner on Fridays 12-9pm, brunch and dinner Saturdays 10am-9pm, and extended Brunch on Sundays 10am-4pm. Hours are expected to continue to expand in the weeks ahead.
Live Music:From now until November 1, local musicians will perform every day of the weekend, on Fridays from 5:30-8:30, Saturdays from 5:30-8:30, and Sundays from 11-2 – plus special additional musical offerings on holidays and festival days – check here for all of the details.
Expanded Food and Drink Offerings: The Grey Hawk culinary offerings will be more extensive than ever in 2026 – including new food items like our Lavender Citrus Salad and Pork Osso Buco; returning favorite cocktails, including beautiful (and big) premium blended cocktails; and our special outdoor grill menu, featuring steaks, burgers, carne asada, and more. Guests can make reservations at www.greyhawklakelure.com/reserve.
A Full Lineup of Festivals: We’re building on our innovative Festival line-up with a special event almost every month of 2026 – including the only large-scale Pride celebration in Rutherford County, NC; the second annual Food & Wine Festival and Chili & Beer Festival, and special events celebrating the spring (Mother Mae Hawk at Grey Hawk Festival) and the end of summer (Burning Mae Festival). These will be special events that bring the community together, featuring riveting live entertainment, 15+ local craft vendors and artists at every event, and fun for all ages.
Line-Dancing in The Woods:Following 2025’s successful “Friday Hoe-Down,” we’ll keep it up in the summer of 2026 with a new edition that will take place in The Woods at Grey Hawk – a dance floor in the forest that guests will enter over a bridge across a creek, complete with an outdoor bar, whimsical lighting, and more.
Acoustic Open Mic Night in The Woods: Local musicians will be encouraged to join us every Wednesday evening for an Acoustic Open Mic Night, hosted on alternating weeks by Christina Chandler and Ashley Heath. These will also take place in The Woods at Grey Hawk.
The Nest Guest Suites by Grey Hawk: This year Grey Hawk has opened three new short-term rentals, available steps away from the bar and restaurant. These cozily decorated studio apartments (“The Bumblebee Suite”, “The Dragonfly Suite,” and “The Ladybug Suite”) are a destination for weekenders, crash pad for wedding guests, and the perfect getaway for a few days in Lake Lure. Learn more and book at www.greyhawklakelure.com/nest
A Beautiful Outdoor Oasis:The Grey Hawk property includes an extensive lawn, a creek with a small waterfall, a huge, hand-poured fountain, and beautiful landscaping with local and rare plants. Guests can enjoy the gardens, picnic on the lawn, and play newly-available family lawn games like cornhole, ladder ball, bocce, and more
Daily Coffeehouse Offerings:The Hatchling Coffeehouse by Grey Hawk, an espresso bar and lounge located right next door at 102 Resort Lane (and owned and operated by Grey Hawk), will continue being open seven days of the week, from 8am-3pm. The coffee house features a selection of grab-and-go food and snack items, plants and gifts for purchase, a Bottle Shop with accessible wine offerings, merchandise, and more.
Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens is owned and operated by George Carter and Adam Polaski, who purchased the property one week before Hurricane Helene. Since then, the couple has been forced to innovate with flexibility, perseverance, and creativity – providing new reasons for guests to visit Lake Lure.
George Carter, co-owner of Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens, said:
“What I love most about Grey Hawk is that we have become a central hub for weekenders, visitors, and locals of all walks of life. Sometimes people are confused by Grey Hawk and ask, ‘So what are you?’, and we are really proud to be able to offer, ‘whatever you’re looking for!’ – that we can shape-shift into so many different experiences, depending on what our guests need and what the season provides. We’re perfect for an upscale, elegant evening – but we’re also ideal for having a few beers while playing soccer with your kids on the back lawn. One of the most heartwarming things I see every week is people swinging in the hammocks engrossed in their own little worlds…living in the moment with the people they love. We are so lucky to have the space and time that we don’t need to rush people through and reseat the tables – some families spend the whole day with us!”
“We love having large parties, and we also enjoy providing intimate experiences for couples. We host awesome live musicians every day of the weekend, and we also have a weekly line-dancing night in the summer. We’re here to host your wedding, your birthday, your retirement celebration, or your baby shower. We are really excited to have become the ‘third space’ that so many people crave – a place away from home and away from work, but with all of the comforts and down-to-earth luxury that everyone deserves. It has been such a joy to see this vision come to life, and we can’t wait for another season of making new experiences.”
Adam Polaski, co-owner of Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens, said:
“Last year, even as Lake Lure visitors were unable to use the lake itself, we were honored to serve thousands of visitors. Our festival series was especially fun – and Grey Hawk really found our footing as a place that could provide a true community experience here in Lake Lure, during such a challenging time. In 2026, we’re excited to see this recovery and mourning shift to celebration and rebirth. We’re especially looking forward to The Nest Guest Suites – we get a kick out of seeing families coming back to Lake Lure again and again, raving about how they feel at home here and how they love the backyard vibe. It’s a delight to be able to offer a place for folks to stay on site.”
Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens is proud and grateful to be a recipient of a grant from the Western North Carolina Small Business Initiative, supported by Dogwood Health Trust and Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) in partnership with Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF). Grey Hawk also received generous support from the Rural Rebuilding Together Grant Fund by Mountain Bizworks in 2025.
Stay up to date on the latest events, menu items, and news from Grey Hawk Bar & Gardens on our website (www.greyhawklakelure.com), social media (@GreyHawkLakeLure on Instagram and Facebook), or via our email list, which you can join at www.greyhawklakelure.com/updates. For media inquiries or to cover an upcoming event, email Adam Polaski at info@greyhawklakelure.com.
