South Shore Park 4555 Ragsdale Road, Acworth, GA 30101

"It's a run down park with a gravel road, old wooden picnic tables, old wooden benches, lot's of places to fish of the banks (for bass, crappie and catfish), a plastic porta-potty outhouse, a small swim at your own risk mud/beach area, a few scattered trash cans, hordes of poison ivy and mosquitoes, a metal entrance gate that opens at 6 am and closes after 11 pm, lots of wildlife, no houses nearby, and no camping/fires/grills/alcohol and/or loud music allowed. Overall, it's a peaceful park to take your fishing gear and license, bugout bag, plenty of water, bug repellent, a swim suit/towel, a sack meal, a hammock with mosquito net and rain fly/tarp, your friends/lover, first aid kit, your phone/portable battery (charged), a good book, a folding camp chair with beach umbrella, pepper spray (for bears), you kids, pets (they have an enforced leash law), allergy medicine, hand sanitizer, spray disinfectant cleaner (for the well seasoned porta-potty), toilet paper/wet wipes, kayak with ores, canoe, long pants/long sleeve shirt/gloves (to protect against poison ivy/bugs), good outdoor shoes (ground is uneven in several places) and a good walking stick (maybe not everything on the list, but you get the idea). I went in mid July and it all the trees/vegetation make it very shady and less exposed to direct sunlight. It was also very humid. People were friendly, but it's probably safer if you carry some sort of protection. I would suggest you at least carry Sabre Red 3-In-1 Pepper Gel Spray (good against humans and animals). As far as safety goes, I was in the park for over an hour and didn't see law enforcement or a park ranger drive through. Due to the size of the thick forest surrounding the park, it's a perfect place to make out in the woods if you wanted to. Bring a 3-person tent (green, brown or camouflage), foam ground mats, a flashlight, water bottles, and a towel. Hike 100 yards or more (away from your vehicle and the lake) into the woods and enjoy. Keep hydrated and enjoy the nature. Pepper Spray will definitely come in handy in the woods."

"The area is small and not well kept; however, the parking is free. It's a great spot to launch your kayaks. Also, there is a small bridge you can cross under to see a lesser known area of Lake Acworth. **Update: Parking is no longer free! It's $10 to park now. I'm not sure if this is throughout the entire year but it definitely is for Summer. Very disappointed in the change, but I'll stand by my review as it is still a neat place."

"Great place to swim and kayak! TV hey do have frills. It's usually free to park, but recently they started charging $5 cash on the weekends."

"Nice little Sandy Beach with picnic tables. Some litter noted and a fishing hooks found on the shore edge where little kids were playing. This is a nice little Park to access Lake Acworth. It's across the lake from the downtown Acworth Lake area and it was less crowded when I visited in May 2018. My husband and toddler and I used this area as a boat launch for our blow up kayak. It was perfect. There was parking near the beach, and the beach was about 50 ft long for carrying the kayak to the water. We noticed after the fact that there is another small boat launch that you could use for a fishing boat or kayak that would not require walking over the beach. There are approximately 40 parking spaces? It was difficult to say because they were kind of spread out amongst the trees. When we went, it was free. But there is a pay station that I believe is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. I think it's $5 per car, but I'm not sure. We did notice some litter in the sand. Such as cigarette butts, food wrappers, pieces of broken sand toys. And I noticed some fishing line with a hook in it at the water's edge. It's unfortunate, but seems to be on par for other beaches around this lake. That being said, there were several garbage cans that I could put my collected litter into. Due to the litter, I might not recommend this beach for small children. Although I have seen plenty of families here on many occasions. So maybe my experience concerning the litter was unique. However I would definitely recommend this as a place to put your boat in the water, or a place to sit at a picnic table to have an outdoor meal."

"We love this little gem - secluded and afternoon shade. Sand beach area, picnic tables, port-a-potty...always people here, so it's not exactly a secret place ;) nice for picnics but watch out for flies!"