It kind of shows up out of the blue while you're driving down Highway 243 in Ivey.
Lake Tchukolako came about because of the persistence of one man about 70 years ago.
Suzanne Lawler goes off the beaten path to show you why the roots of the area date back even to the Creek Indians.
Brenda Broach is the mayor of Ivey and has a house on Lake Tchukolako.
"People will go by it and kind of look at it and say, ‘Oh there's a lake here,’ but they don't realize it's a beautiful lake," she said.
A beautiful lake with a ton of history behind it.
"There's no telling what's under this water and how many artifacts are under here to tell the history of all the Indians that came through this area,” said Broach. “It would just blow your minds I'm sure and it would blow mine.”
She did her research and says this hidden jewel had quite the reputation long ago.
"At one time, there were probably 2,000 Creek Indians that would stop here as a result for a resting area and the Tchukolako name translated into great gathering place," said Broach.
These days, the Ivey general store is the gathering place. That's where we sat down with one of the regulars, Charles Jackson.
"You see people come in with their pajamas on, hair in rollers, it doesn't matter. [It’s] laid back,” he with a chuckle.
Charles remembers when these waters didn't run nearly as deep on the lake. As a matter of fact, the whole area looked more rustic than recreational.
Then things changed in the 1950's.
"The guy that started it started in a small way and just kept knocking and beating on these trees till he got them cleared out and made this lake and when he started, nobody thought he'd ever make it," Jackson said.
"It started off with being a creek; it was Commissioner's Creek. O.L. Brooks, which everyone around here called him Red Brooks, he had a vision in 1959 about making this a lake so everyone in the community would have something to enjoy,” said Broach.
No matter how you choose to say it, Lake Tchukolako offers its waters to folks looking for peace, quiet and a little down time.
The lake sits on private property, so if you want to fish or enjoy the beach, you've got to become a member. It's $150 a year.