This Ritz-Carlton Resort Is the Ultimate Summer Camp Experience for the Whole Family

While a trip to Augusta National Golf Course is on every golfer’s bucket list, Golf Digest Editor’s Choice Award Best Resort in the Southeast for 2016 is actually less than two hours from the site of the annual Masters Tournament.

The Ritz-Carlton Lake Oconee occupies 30 acres of shoreline and has been awarded AAA 5-Diamond status for a decade. Marriott International’s Hotel of the Year for the Americas (2016) is best-known as a golfer’s paradise, but the sprawling property features diverse dining options, kid-friendly activities and spacious accommodations to please travelers of all ages and interests.

The resort’s five championship golf courses were designed by Tom Fazio, Rees Jones, and Jack Nicklaus -- Travel + Leisure calls the property America’s Best Lake Vacation for Golf.

While parents hit the links, younger guests can join the Ritz Kids Camp to explore the resort on nature hikes, fish from the docks, and canoe or kayak on the lake.

To chill out, lounge on the private beach or take a dip in the outdoor pool and Jacuzzi.

Families and groups traveling together can spread out in private cottages with fireplaces or book the three-floor Lake House, with four bedrooms and a private outdoor pool.

There’s a long list of outdoor activities, but the resort’s luxe guest rooms -- featuring marble bathrooms, feather beds and stately wood furnishings – are so gorgeous, it’ll be hard to leave.

This is the only Ritz-Carlton offering a BBQ Butler, celebrating the flavors of the South with private cookouts available for guests staying in Lakeside Cottages or the Lake House.

The spa has 19 treatment rooms and an indoor lap pool; it’s the perfect place to recover after a day of golfing, with an arnica-infused massage to soothe irritated joints.

Seven dining options on site are sure to please even the pickiest eaters, but we love the Southern comfort food like shrimp and grits, black-eyed peas and watermelon gazpacho served at Gaby’s by the Lake – request a table on the waterfront deck.

Each evening, guests can roast marshmallows and indulge in complimentary s’mores by the lake.

Capture the moment to remember this family vacation for a lifetime, with a free photo session and $50 printing credit, available to all guests via the photography concierge.