Things to do at Lake Sara

On the water

• Lake Sara Beach and the Forever Beach playground ↗

  The public beach, by the Pearson Building

  The Water Authority’s public beach, open Memorial Day to Labor Day, with a pirate-ship playground, an accessible fishing dock and two disc golf courses beside it.

  Link goes to: Enjoy Illinois listing

• Boating — stickers, rentals and the rules ↗

  Lake-wide

  Every craft needs an EWA sticker, sold as an annual license or a three-day pass at the marinas, Anthony Acres and the Mach 1 station. Larson’s Landing rents boats, canoes and kayaks and sells fuel and bait.

• Fishing — the Authority’s regulations ↗

  Lake-wide, and the public shore spots

  Bass, channel catfish, bluegill and both crappies, with a protected bass slot and a crappie limit. Shore fishing at the Community Building, the Post Oak Flatwoods and the accessible area by the dam.

• Lake Sara fishing profile (I Fish Illinois) ↗

  Lake-wide

  The state fisheries biologist’s outlook by species and the stocking record.

• Lake Sara disc golf ↗

  By the beach

  A nine-hole course and a four-hole accessible course on the beach grounds.

  Link goes to: Enjoy Illinois listing

• The Community Building and the beach pavilions ↗

  Near the dam, and by the beach

  The Water Authority rents two buildings and two open pavilions for events — the air-conditioned Community Building near the dam with its patio, horseshoe pits and fire pit, and the Pearson Building and pavilions at the beach.

Eating, drinking and golf on the lake

• Cardinal Golf Course and The Nest Tavern ↗

  North Beach Road, on the lake’s shore

  A public eighteen-hole course bordering the lake with wide fairways, a lighted driving range and memberships, and The Nest Tavern — open to the public and open late — as its clubhouse bar.

• Larson’s Landing and Pinky’s ↗

  The marina

  The marina with boat, canoe and kayak rentals, fuel, bait, food and drink, joined to Pinky’s full-service restaurant on the water.

  Link goes to: Enjoy Illinois listing

• Effingham Country Club ↗

  On the lake

  The private, member-owned club and course on Lake Sara.

In Effingham, four miles east

• The Cross at the Crossroads ↗

  Beside the I-57/I-70 interchange

  The steel cross nearly two hundred feet tall that every traveler on both interstates remembers, with a visitor center and grounds open to the public.

• Effingham Performance Center ↗

  Effingham

  Touring concerts, comedy and shows in a hall off the interstate.

• Tuscan Hills Winery ↗

  Historic Hills Drive, Effingham

  A winery and event venue on the hills west of town, open since 2011.

• Ballard Nature Center ↗

  U.S. 40 east of Altamont

  Trails, prairie, wetland and woods with a visitor center open daily March through October, a short drive west on the old National Road.

• Visit Effingham — things to do ↗

  Effingham County

  The county tourism bureau’s full directory of attractions, dining and shopping.

The calendar

Dates are the organizers’ own. The tourism bureau and the county chamber keep the running lists.

1. July 4, at dusk

   Lake Sara Fourth of July fireworks ↗

   Over the lake

   Billed as the largest single-day event in Effingham County, paid for by private and business donations and watched from boats, docks and the shore.

2. Late July into early August

   Effingham County Fair ↗

   Fairgrounds, Altamont

   Eight days of livestock, harness racing, tractor pulls, a rodeo and a car show.

3. September

   Corvette Funfest ↗

   Mid America Motorworks, Effingham

   The Corvette parts company’s annual show — by its own account the world’s largest — filling the town for a weekend.

4. Year-round

   Visit Effingham — events calendar ↗

   Effingham County

   The bureau’s running calendar.