Pickwick Lake

Photography of kitchen courtesy Mark JacksonThe Local TouristMary Beard GrodskyOne of the most common avenues I see being used for investing or enjoying a vacation home at Pickwick Lake is to offset the monthly costs and prolonged downtime of not using the property by renting it on Airbnb or VRBO platforms. With soaring real estate prices and inflation, owning a secondary home has become tougher to...

The Local Tourist Mary Beard Grodsky Straight across from our lake place in Yellow Creek lies the old NASA facility. If you’re a local, you know exactly where this is. For anyone that visits the lake or for those not local, I’m constantly asked what that giant building is. Its proximity to Goat Island draws a summer crowd around that section of the lake, and ironically, hardly anyone believes me...

The Local TouristMary Beard GrodskyOn one blissful summer day at Pickwick Lake, I received a text from a local friend: “Grimey has a food truck with smashburgers set up today by your place and they are amazing.” Had my friend used his real name (Josh Grimes), I probably would have had no idea who it was since he’s gone by this nickname since 2nd grade. As I looked around the boat...

The Local TouristMary Beard Grodsky I like to joke with my clients when they ask me about marrying a New Yorker that I have to go overboard to make sure he’s happy. Because I had to travel all the way from Iuka to New York City to meet my husband, I guess there a sense of trying to surpass expectations when he travels down to my hometown. Everyone laughs, but it is true.When my now...

The Local Touristby Mary Beard GrodskyWhile the summer season is what attracts most visitors in and around Pickwick Lake, I find that the cooler weather is actually the best time to enjoy some of the attractions that don't require the use of a boat. One of my favorites things to take advantage of is our access to the state parks. Pickwick Landing State Park is one of three nearby parks...

The Local TouristMary Beard Grodsky My mother was known for her homemade baked goods. Neighborhood kids always came straight from the bus to our house to see what the latest batch consisted of. Could be pies or cakes or various pastries, but her most popular creation was her chocolate chip cookes. People still ask me to this day for the recipe. Spoiler alert: they came from the side of a...

One of my favorite sights of this time of year is driving down our area’s winding country roads and seeing every tree in a different color.  The past few years haven’t been as memorable as this one with seemingly every shade of orange, yellow, or red on display.  And once the leaves start changing, that can only mean one thing: Christmas will soon be here.  We haven’t even put...

The Local TouristMary Beard GrodskyIn a world where it’s hard to find people to work, the Happy Hippie doesn’t stop. An entrepreneurial spirit led Brian Riley to start his own business, offering concierge services to the Pickwick Lake area. This was a much-needed position, given how many people use their homes as secondary residences. A dream that started from deciding to rent his...

The Local TouristMary Beard GrodskyWhen I was in high school at TCHS, an Art IV class was introduced. I remember talking about it at the lunch table and questioned why we needed such an advanced class and was told it was because Brian Casabella and another student were so talented that the class was needed to get them into advanced college programs. Last week, I had the opportunity to...

Special thanks to Jack Inman for featuring me on his YouTube channel to discuss home ownership and rental options at Pickwick Lake. Here’s a recap of the interview: This week Mary Grodsky, a top agent at Crye-Leike, shares great insight into the process of buying a secondary home. Mary is an expert on second homes and knows the Pickwick area better than anyone. Consider the massive income potential of...