LOCAL ATMOSPHERE

State Nickname

Grand Canyon State

Lake Havasu Population

56,355

Lake Havasu Size

43 sq. mi.

Distance from Phoenix to Lake Havasu

3.5 hours by car

Distance from Los Angeles to Lake Havasu

5 hours by car

Distance from Las Vegas to Lake Havasu

3 hours by car

Points of Interest

Havasu Falls
Lake Havasu State Park
London Bridge
Planes of Fame Air Museum

Web Sites

www.golakehavasu.com
www.havasuchamber.com
www.havasunews.com

The Locals

The locals are friendly and know that the spring breakers will bring in lots of money for the local economy. When you're on the lake, the locals will always offer you a beer or invite you to a barbecue as a welcome to Lake Havasu.

Sports & Outdoor Activities

You can find anything involving water here: boating, fishing, Jet Skiing, parasailing, wakeboarding, and water skiing. On land, you can go ATVing, dirt biking, hiking, or rock climbing.

Shopping Centers

Island Fashion Mall
You can find everything you need at this mall on McCulloch Boulevard, from a swimsuit (if you forget yours) to a new paddle for your kayak.

Shops at Lake Havasu
This brand new shopping center offers tons of shopping. Its anchor store is Dillard's.

Other Things to Do

If you get sick of partying and hanging out on the water, you can check out the Havasu Island Golf Course, museums like the Planes of Fame Air Museum, or Parker Dam, which was built in the late 1930s.

Lake Havasu's Best Beaches

London Bridge Beach
London Bridge Beach is located directly across from---you guessed it---the London Bridge. It's a favorite spot for tourists.

Rotary Park
This four-acre beach and park is centrally located and has lots of activities, such as beach volleyball and bocce ball courts.

Windsor Beach
Located in Lake Havasu State Park, this beach is about a mile from the London Bridge. There is a Jet Ski rental place right in the park.

Lake Havasu's Best Party Spots

Copper Canyon
Most people associate Lake Havasu with bumper-to-bumper boats filling Copper Canyon with people partying the day away. If you want to see and be seen, this is the spot.

The Channel
The Channel is a boat launching area where everyone gathers on their boats before heading off to other spots.

London Bridge
Since it is out in the open, this spot isn't as crazy as Copper Canyon, but there's still a lot of action. This is where a lot of the promotional crews set up.

Sandbar
As the name implies, there's an actual sandbar here, so people can move from boat to boat pretty easily in the shallow waters.

Safety Concerns

Do not mess with drinking and driving or boating. The cops are on boats, bikes, cars, helicopters, and trucks, all to make sure nobody winds up on their deathbed or puts others in danger. This definitely makes Havasu safer, but be warned: the cops carry video cameras and film drunk kids, and the footage sometimes ends up on TV.

Did You Know?

Fun Facts about Lake Havasu

• Yes, Lake Havasu really is home to the original London Bridge. After it was sold to the founder of Lake Havasu City in the 1960s, the bridge was dismantled in London and then re-built stone by stone in Lake Havasu City. Today, it serves as a fully functional bridge and road.
• The London Bridge cost a total of $5.25 million to purchase and ship from London.
• Copper Canyon is only accessible by boat. If you head southwest along the lake, you will eventually see the plethora of other boats blasting music, and you will know that you have arrived.
• The English Village and the London Arms Pub and Playhouse Theater are great for a change in scenery and a chance to get out of the sun for a few hours.
• During spring break, the local newspapers post pictures of drunk college students, usually on the front page, so make sure this doesn't happen to you!
• The lake is 45 miles long. Try to see all of it---it will be worth your while.
• There is an average of more than 300 days of sunshine a year in Lake Havasu City.

Students Speak Out On . . . LOCAL ATMOSPHERE

"The Havasu locals are great. They are the ones who offered us food when we rolled up to refuel our boat, and we wound up hanging out with them for a while."

"Spring breakers find out all the inside dirt real fast on where to go and what to do in Lake Havasu since the city itself is relatively small."

"If you just look for the busiest beach, that will most likely be the best one."

The College Prowler Take On . . .LOCAL ATMOSPHERE

If you have enough money to get a boat or can find some new friends who are willing to share theirs in exchange for a 24-pack of beer, Lake Havasu is a blast. There is nothing better than cruising up and down the lake at 60 miles an hour with the wind in your hair. Cops are everywhere, though, so make sure that the driver of the boat isn't drinking. In fact, make sure they stay sober for the day because BUIs (boating under the influence) are quite frequent during spring break in Lake Havasu. If you're looking for some sand, there is a potential beach almost everywhere you look along the lake. Grills are set up around the most popular beaches, outhouses are available, and sandy coves are abundant.

The local newspaper usually takes pictures of all the spring break events that occur during those weeks in March, so be sure to steer clear of some guy taking your picture with a really nice Canon camera. Other than the hounds looking for trouble, Lake Havasu has an extremely inviting atmosphere. The locals all know that it is spring break and that it will be over relatively soon, so while the spring breakers are in town, they just bite their tongues and bear it.

The College Prowler Grade On . . . LOCAL ATMOSPHERE

A high Local Atmosphere grade indicates that the major tourist areas are safe and scenic. Other factors include nearby attractions, proximity to activities and attractions, and the town's attitude toward tourists.