The places that don't make you apologize for the kids. Restaurants with crayons that aren't an afterthought, parks with shade and bathrooms, the ice-cream stop with the line on a hot Tuesday.
A small public park directly on the lake — a tennis court, a covered picnic pavilion, a playground, and a little free library. No swim beach or boat ramp; the honest, genuinely public foothold on a lake with otherwise restricted shore access.