• SLIDESHOW: Lake Anna
• STEPPING OUT: See the entire series

LAKE ANNA
Eric Heidig doesn't have to go far to pick up a great bottle of wine.

"I live at the winery," said the owner of Lake Anna Winery on Courthouse Road.

Heidig, 44, and his brother Jeff have been growing grapes at this picturesque vineyard since 1989. The winery, on rolling hills that were once a 70-acre farm, has become one of Lake Anna's top tourist destinations.

"Nothing here is stressful," said Sandy Boardway, tasting room manager. "People come in here in a good mood."

Winemaker Graham Bell's Chardonnay Barrel Select, which took Best in Show at the State Fair of Virginia last year, is just one of the many reasons to visit this lakefront community during the summer.

The lake and nearby state park are some others, residents said.

"I love it here," said Tina Lane, who moved to Lake Anna about 12 years ago from Germany. Lane lives in a chalet on the water, complete with a tiki bar and lights.

"We have real palm trees, wicker furniture and a bamboo bar," she said. "Living here is like a vacation."

Located about an hour northwest of Richmond and 30 minutes west of Fredericksburg, Lake Anna is the second-largest freshwater lake in Virginia, with more than 250 miles of shoreline.

It was created in the early 1970s, when the North Anna River was dammed to form a cooling reservoir for Virginia Power's North Anna nuclear-power plant. The lake has two sections -- the public side, with unrestricted public access, and the private side, whose access is restricted to property owners.

Because the private side serves as cooling lagoons for water circulated through the power plant, year-round water temperatures there are several degrees higher than the public side.

"We call it the warm side," Lane said, adding that locals tend to joke about the reactor and unfounded rumors of its effects on wildlife. "You know the fish have three eyes."

. . .

Locals may joke about the reactor, but they are serious about their fishing, boating and water sports.

After the lake was formed, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries stocked it with baby bass and other fish.

But not all of the lake's inhabitants have been welcome.

Back in 1978, a professional fishing guide told The Times-Dispatch he saw a 6-foot alligator swirling in the shallow cove of the cooling lagoons of the power station.

The presence of an alligator did not surprise the state fisheries department, according to a story published in May that year. Officials there said people who keep tropical fish and alligators often grow tired of them. Unable to kill the exotic wildlife, they often release them in nearby waters.

In addition to alligators, the lake has been a draw for local anglers (the lake reportedly has over 30 species of fish including large-mouth bass, striped bass, walleye, catfish, crappie, bluegill, and white and yellow perch) as well as retirees and families looking for a laid-back vacation.

"It's God's country," said Thomas King.

A retired District of Columbia police detective, King moved to Lake Anna two years ago. He works part time at Anna Point Marina.

"My boat's right out there," he said, pointing to the dock outside the Marina door. "I live 500 feet from the water."

He said he works at the Marina to "get a little gas money."

. . .

Although there aren't many restaurants in Lake Anna, there's one spot the locals frequent for home cooking and drink specials -- sometimes a few times a week.

Chelsea Jo's Restaurant is a family-run place on Courthouse Road (state Route 208) with a front patio that gets packed during the summer months. Many come for the Dirty Banana, the bar's infamous deep-yellow drink plastered on T-shirts that hang on the wall.

"It has five different kinds of rum," said owner Mac Fick, known to just about everybody as Pops.

Fick runs the restaurant with help from his two sons, M.J. and Eric, and their mother, Cheryl.

"This is the local hangout," Fick said. "It's kinda like Cheers."

Aside from their drink specials, Fick said the restaurant is best known for its Wednesday-night hamburger special -- 100 percent ground chuck for $4.35.

"People start coming in at 4 p.m.," he said. "It's a zoo in here. It's a blast in the summer."

Visitors looking to enjoy the lake should plan ahead and pack a picnic, or do some supermarket shopping if they're planning an extended stay.

Aside from bait shops, a local grocery and one restaurant, there aren't many places to dine in Lake Anna. Billboards promise that retail shops and waterfront dining are in the pipeline.

. . .

About 10 minutes away from the marina is Lake Anna State Park.

The land in the park used to be called Gold Hill and contained the Goodwin Gold Mine, according to the state Department of Conservation Resources.

These days, the area is better known for its nuclear power.

A sign just past the gate reads: "You are within 10 miles of the North Anna Nuclear Power Station. In the event of a serious accident at the station, persons within 10 miles will be alerted immediately by sirens or public address systems."

Once in the park, it's easy to forget the reactor is nearby. The park boasts lakefront picnic areas and wooded hiking trails.

The park, which totals 2,810 acres with 10 miles of lake frontage, has rental cabins, camping, a guarded swimming beach, a children's play area, a boat ramp, food concession stand, bathhouse and fishing ponds.

Lawrence and Diana Bloom, of Elkins Park, Pa., spent a recent sunny afternoon at the park beach. They were spending the week in Lake Anna during their spring break from school.

It wasn't warm enough for a swim. But tossing a Frisbee worked out just fine.

"It's really fun," said 8-year-old Kyra Bloom.

When asked about her favorite part of her vacation, she said, "Being down here."

Julian Walker's feature on Chester will appear June 3. Have a suggestion for a "Stepping Out" feature? Contact him at jwalker@timesdispatch.com or (804) 649-6831