We spent the weekend at Lake Norman, about 30 miles north of Charlotte (as the crow flies). We made some delightful discoveries at the quiet state park campground as well as Charlotte’s NHRA dragstrip, zMax Dragway. Nothing major, but sometimes it’s the details that make a trip memorable. Read on for a campground review and some of the surprises we found.
Where We Stayed
Lake Norman State Park Campground
The Campground
Of the 9 man-made lakes along the Catawba River, Lake Norman is the largest. Lake Norman State Park Campground was pretty quiet while we were there. There are 49 campsites, including 11 sites with full hookups, 32 with no hookups, and 6 cabins.
The cabins are named using native plant species. For example, this one is called common yarrow.
We saw a lot of kids here. There were at least a dozen riding bikes around. The campground itself, as well as the surrounding area, was pretty hilly, but the kids didn’t seem to care. At one point on a walk, we were basically surrounded by kids riding their bikes, and Aiken was completely unphased. He said hello to a bunch of people over the weekend.
Another nice feature of this campground is the park trails. You can access miles and miles of trail without having to get in your car.
Surprisingly, we didn’t see that many dogs. Perhaps it has something to do with the location of our site, but I think only one or two dogs passed by our site the entie time we were there.
Trash and recycling is conveniently located at the entry/exit point of the campground loop. There aren’t any other trash cans in the campground.
The bathhouse was adequate but not great. There are three shower stalls, each with a door to a small changing area in front of the area with the shower.
The changing area is really small though. It’s only about 18 inches between the stall door and the shower curtain.
Campground Bathhouse Tip
When taking a shower in a campground bathhouse, be sure to turn on the water in your stall before you get undressed.
When I discovered the water pressure was basically nonexistent, I convinced myself it would be the same in all of them, mostly because it would have been a hassel to change stalls at that point, but on my way out, I turned the water on in a different stall. The pressure was much better. Lesson learned.
| Campground Name | Lake Norman State Park Campground |
| Location | Statesville, NC |
| Dates | April 23-26, 2026 |
| Site Number | Site 43 |
| Site Surface | Gravel parking pad and spot for picnic table |
| Hook-ups | Full hookups |
| Cost | $45 per night (including taxes and fees) |
| Water Pressure | 35-40 psi |
| Voltage | 120-125 V |
| Verizon Speed Test | 9.7 Mbps down; 0.18 Mbps up |
| T-Mobile Speed Test | 2.6 Mbps down; 1 Mbps up |
We found this flyer outside a bathhouse for a Lake Norman scavenger hunt. We didn’t try it, so I can’t speak to the scavenger hunt itself, but I love the idea! I did test the QR code and download the app, and that appears to work. If anyone tries it, let me know how it went!
We also found a list of upcoming events at the park, so be sure to check that for anything that might be going on during your stay.
Ever heard of chronolog? We hadn’t either until this trip. They are self-described as “a photo monitoring tool powered by people like you.” Think of it like a community science project to create a timelapse of a park, museum, etc. Jesse and I found this sign and bracket attached to a bridge while out for a run.
The sign says to set your phone in the bracket and take a photo. There’s an email address and a particular code to use as the subject line (to identify the location of the photo, I assume). I love this idea, and we were happy to be involved.
Our Campsite
Our site was the second-to-last site on the main loop. We had a neighbor oneither side, but we were a good distance away from them, especially the neighbor on our “fun side.” The parking area of the site was paved, and there was an area of fine, crushed stone for the picnic table as well as a good bit of grass.
It wasn’t an exceptionally long site. We backed right up to the hill at the back of the site. We were able to pull the truck up about 5 feet when we unhooked, but if we went much further, the truck would have been in the road. The site was pretty level side to side, but it sloped downhill at the front of the site.
What We Did
Charlotte’s zMax Dragway
Charlotte’s zMax Dragway is just under an hour’s drive from the campground. It is one of only two 4-wide drag strips in the country (possibly in the world).
We saw several different NHRA classes, including top fuel and funny car, among a few others. Jesse is very much a car guy. He knows a lot about the differences between the different classes and the cars they use, how they work, etc. Me? I can only identify top fuel because the long, skinny cars look so different.
Top fuel cars are about 25 feet long and can reach speeds of 300 mph in 1000 feet. With an engine like that, an individual car is loud! When four of them race at once, you don’t just hear it, you feel it!
Things to Do at a Drag Strip
If you’re wondering if there’s anything else to do besides watching the cars race, I had the same thought.
You’re in luck, because there’s plenty to see besides the races themselves. Outside of the dragstrip, the racing teams each have an area where they prepare for upcoming races. That means spectators can watch them work on the cars in between runs.
I am fortunate that Jesse knows a lot about cars, so he can usually explain to me what we’re looking at. However, even if you don’t travel with a car guru, it’s still interesting to watch the team take apart an engine and put it back together. In addition to the racing teams, there are plenty of vendor booths to look at. We saw everything from tools to sunglasses and from cleaning wipes to t-shirts.
Two opportunities really surprised me. While we wandered, we saw a line of people near a fenced area. When we read the sign that said “Free Thrill Rides,” we decided to stop and see what was going on.
It turns out they were offering rides in some sort of new Dodge. They’d set up a tight course in the small, fenced area. The driver takes three passengers at a time and drifts the car around the turns, all for free and in about 30 seconds per ride.
The second unique opportunity we noticed was motorcycle riding. We spotted a fenced area with multiple motorcycles lined up alone one side. One of them had been pulled out and had two people standing by it. As we watched, someone came up and asked if we wanted to try. Turns out, they would teach you to ride a motorcycle, free of charge, if you were at least 16 years of age. We didn’t do it, but I believe these were 30-minute sessions.
I have no idea if these sorts of activities are a regular thing as NHRA events, but it seems to me there are things to do if you just wander and keep your eyes open.
Dog Fun
There are several spots along the lake where you can access the water. We packed up long leashes for the dogs and water shoes for me and headed out in search of some swimming opportunities for Aiken.
Because of the recent drought in NC, a small, would-be island was actually a peninsula. One side of a narrow strip of sand had minimal waves and was the perfect spot for Aiken to swim and fetch sticks.
The other side had waves and was perfect for Aiken’s absolute favorite activity: wave chasing.
Corona stood happily in the lake with the water almost to her stomach and watched Aiken’s antics.
I am always on the lookout for trash where it shouldn’t be. While we were enjoying the lake, I found a bottle cap, a hair tie, and part of a soda can that I collected and threw out properly back at the campsite.
Where We Ate
Waterside Bar and Grill
The Waterside Bar and Grill wasn’t the best place we’ve been, but it was a perfectly reasonable spot. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the burgers were good, and there’s a patio out back with a view of the lake. We wouldn’t be opposed to eating here again.
Wildlife
We discovered an osprey nest in a tree on the peninsula. They are beautiful birds! Once we knew they were there, we tried to stay further from the nest so as not to disturb them.
More Photos
Corona dug herself a hole and then napped in it.
After a lot of activity, the dogs were content to relax at the campsite for a while.
Happy travels!
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