Towne Lake in Woodstock, GA: An Area Guide to the Exit, the Golf, and the Parks

Ask ten people in Woodstock where Towne Lake is and you will get ten slightly different boundaries. Ask them where the lake is and the conversation stops. Towne Lake is one of the largest and most recognizable parts of Woodstock, it has its own exit off I-575, its own golf courses, its own shopping, and its own magazine. What it does not have, according to published local histories of the community, is a body of water by that name.

This is an area guide to what Towne Lake actually is, what is there, and what is being built right now. It is not a market report and it is not advice about any particular property.

What Is Towne Lake?

Towne Lake is a large planned community in southern Cherokee County, not a single subdivision. Published descriptions place it beginning roughly two miles due west of downtown Woodstock and extending northwest, bounded by Bells Ferry Road to the west, the Little River to the north, and Interstate 575 to the east. Long time locals knew the area as Thousand-Acre Woods before it was developed.

An Umbrella, Not an HOA

This is the single most useful thing to understand about the name. Towne Lake covers many separate neighborhoods, each with its own character, governance, and amenities. Published listings of its constituent subdivisions include The Arbors, Deer Run, Eagle Watch, The Estates at Towne Lake, The Fairways, Grove Park at Towne Lake, Parkview at Towne Lake, Rose Creek at Towne Lake, Somerset, Summerchase, Towne Harbor, Towne Lake Hills East, Towne Lake Hills North, Towne Lake Hills South, Towne Lake Hills West, Waterford, Wellesley, and Wyngate.

When someone says they live in Towne Lake, they are naming a region the way someone might say East Cobb. The actual homeowners association, the dues, and the amenities all live at the individual neighborhood level.

The Name and the Development Era

Local accounts trace the name to the community's proximity to the town of Woodstock and to Lake Allatoona rather than to a lake within the development. Rose Creek and Noonday Creek flow into the Little River arm of Lake Allatoona.

On who built it, sources genuinely disagree. One account credits the Means Brothers Company in the late 1980s. The community's own local magazine, the TowneLaker, describes development beginning in the mid-1980s under Larry Johnson of the Texas-based Johnson Co., with an original master plan calling for roughly 12,000 homes across about 3,700 acres, later reduced to around 8,000, and with Arvida, Manchester Properties, and builders including John Wieland among those who built there. Both accounts agree on the essential point: this was a large multi-developer build-out, and it accelerated after the second phase of I-575 opened in March of 1985.

Getting Around: Exit 8 and the Parkway

Towne Lake Parkway is I-575 Exit 8. The corridor is built with a landscaped median and two lanes in each direction, and it becomes Eagle Drive about halfway through the development, past most of the commercial district. One commercial listing puts traffic at 13,100 vehicles per day at Rose Creek Drive and calls it a primary retail thoroughfare through the city.

Two Things That Are Not Towne Lake

Worth clearing up, because both get lumped in constantly. Woodstock Square, the 218,859 square foot Kimco center anchored by Kohl's with Target as a shadow anchor, fronts Highway 92, not Towne Lake Parkway. The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, with nearly 100 stores, sits at 915 Ridgewalk Parkway off Exit 9. Both are close by and both are worth the trip. Neither is on the Towne Lake corridor.

What Is on the Corridor

The Rose Creek Shopping Center is a roughly 70,000 square foot Publix-anchored center, with the Publix at 4403 Towne Lake Parkway open daily from 7am to 10pm. Towne Lake Village Center is a roughly 38,000 square foot neighborhood center nearby. Southpointe at Towne Lake sits at 1105 Parkside Lane. Regal Cherokee, the area cinema, is at 355 Cinema View Drive.

Two Golf Courses, Two Very Different Models

Towne Lake has more golf inside its boundaries than most planned communities its size, and the two clubs work differently.

Towne Lake Hills Golf Club

Located at 1003 Towne Lake Hills East, this is an 18 hole par 72 course designed by Arthur Hills that opened in 1994, playing 6,784 yards from the gold tees with a 73.2 rating and a 140 slope. It operates as semi-private, meaning it sells memberships and is also open to public daily fee play with bookable tee times under dynamic pricing. Its official membership page lists current tiers, and members receive discounted rates at Lake Arrowhead Golf Club and Callahan Golf Links. The pro shop is at 770-592-9969.

Eagle Watch Golf Club

At 3055 Eagle Watch Drive, Eagle Watch is a private Arnold Palmer design operated by Invited, formerly ClubCorp, which means members also get access to a network of more than 300 clubs. Eagle Watch is itself one of the Towne Lake subdivisions, so this is a golf course community in the literal sense.

The Tavern

Tavern at Towne Lake shares the building with Towne Lake Hills Golf Club at 1003 Towne Lake Hills East. It was founded by three local neighbors and describes itself as serving the greater Towne Lake community. It is one of the few genuine gathering spots on this side of the interstate rather than downtown.

Parks, Trails, and Lake Access

The recreation picture here is better than most people outside the area realize.

Hobgood Park

At 6688 Bells Ferry Road, Hobgood is a 60 acre Cherokee County park originally dedicated in April of 1990 and often described as the county's largest recreational public park. Its county page lists four lighted championship softball diamonds, six baseball diamonds, two batting cages, an artificial turf field, four tennis courts, a concession stand, a playground, an amphitheater, a half mile running and walking track, three pavilions, four picnic areas, and restrooms.

Towne Lake Pass

The Greenprints trail network reaches into Towne Lake directly. Towne Lake Pass runs 1.94 miles and connects Towne Lake to Woofstock Dog Park, traveling along Towne Lake Hills South from Towne Lake Parkway. Woofstock, at 150 Dupree Road, has separate large and small breed areas and hosts both the Towne Lake Pass and Noonday Creek trailheads. The city's Greenprints page lays out the full system, which was planned in 2008 around a vision of sixty-plus miles of trail and open space.

Getting to Lake Allatoona

Two access points serve this side. Cherokee Mills Park at 6900 Bells Ferry Road sits near the Little River with three boat ramps, a boat dock, and trailer parking. Parking runs 7 dollars per day or 45 dollars for a season pass, with a 3 dollar rate for senior county residents, and the ramp operates seasonally based on lake levels. Victoria Campground, run by the Army Corps of Engineers at 937 Victoria Landing Drive, has more than 70 reservable campsites, a swimming beach, a fishing dock, and boat ramp access.

What Is Being Built Right Now

Three projects are actively reshaping the corridor.

Towne Lake Parkway Widening

Construction started in March 2026 between Woodstock Parkway and the Towne Lake Parkway and Mill Street roundabout. The work adds two continuous eastbound lanes, two westbound lanes, dedicated turn lanes, and pedestrian crossing upgrades. The contractor has 365 consecutive days from a notice to proceed dated January 12, 2026. The cost runs close to 1.5 million dollars, funded through SPLOST VII plus a Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank grant and loan.

The I-575 Exit 8 Interchange

A separate GDOT project targets the interchange itself. Cherokee County announced a public comment period in June 2025, with the county having secured 1.37 million dollars in federal funding plus an additional 5.49 million more recently, against a total project cost estimated at 12.9 million dollars. Proposed work includes roughly 282 additional feet of right turn lane on the I-575 southbound off ramp and expanded turn lanes at the Woodstock Parkway and Towne Lake Parkway intersection.

Do not confuse this with the diverging diamond planned at Exit 9 and Ridgewalk Parkway, a 13.7 million dollar project with right of way acquisition beginning in 2026 and construction beginning in 2028. Different exit, different project.

The Woodstock Mill District

Atlanta developer CONNOLLY closed on land in September 2025 and began construction immediately on a Publix-anchored center on Towne Lake Parkway between Woodstock Parkway and the Mill Street roundabout. The project totals 118,000 square feet, combining 90,000 square feet of new construction with 28,000 square feet of existing space, plus six freestanding buildings and a renovation of the adjacent center, with phased delivery through the second half of 2026. Note the location: this sits at the downtown gateway end of the parkway, east of I-575, so it is accurate to call it a Towne Lake Parkway project and misleading to call it a project in Towne Lake.

Little River Park

Woodstock's largest park is under construction with its primary entrance on Trickum Road. At 110 acres it doubles the city's greenspace. Plans include roughly 1.75 miles of multi-use concrete and boardwalk trails, a fishing pond, paddle craft platforms, a water trail on the Little River connecting toward Olde Rope Mill Park, a creative playground, a group pavilion, an outdoor classroom, family pavilions, large and small dog parks, open fields, and a trailhead with restrooms and parking. Construction began in August 2025 with completion estimated for spring 2027. The city's project page tracks progress.

Where to Eat on This Side of the Interstate

Downtown Woodstock gets most of the food coverage, and deservedly so, but Towne Lake has its own set. Family Tradition at 4379 Towne Lake Parkway serves Southern comfort food and is known for biscuits and fried chicken, open Monday through Saturday 8:00am to 8:30pm and closed Sunday. Towne Lake Taco Co. at 1105 Parkside Lane in Southpointe runs taco fusion rather than traditional Mexican, open Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 9pm. Woodstock Thai Eatery sits at 2360 Towne Lake Parkway. Peace Love and Pizza has a location at 2990 Eagle Drive. Hours change, so call ahead.

For the downtown side of the equation, see our guides to the best restaurants in Woodstock and to downtown Woodstock living.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there actually a lake called Towne Lake? Published local histories describe the name as coming from the community's proximity to the town of Woodstock and to Lake Allatoona rather than from a body of water within the development. Rose Creek and Noonday Creek flow into the Little River arm of Lake Allatoona.

Is Towne Lake one neighborhood? No. It is an umbrella name covering many separate subdivisions, each with its own association and amenities. Published listings name roughly seventeen of them.

Which I-575 exit is Towne Lake? Exit 8, signed for Towne Lake Parkway and Woodstock. The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta are at Exit 9 on Ridgewalk Parkway, a different interchange.

Are there golf courses in Towne Lake? Two. Towne Lake Hills Golf Club is a semi-private Arthur Hills design from 1994 that also takes public play, and Eagle Watch Golf Club is a private Arnold Palmer design operated by Invited.

Conclusion

Towne Lake is easiest to understand as a region rather than a subdivision: roughly two miles west of downtown Woodstock, anchored on Exit 8, holding two golf courses, the county's largest recreational park, a trail connection into the Greenprints network, and its own retail spine that is currently being widened and rebuilt. The construction on Towne Lake Parkway is temporary. The reason it is happening is not.

Clareo Group, powered by The Agency Atlanta, works throughout Woodstock, Towne Lake, and Cherokee County. Because Towne Lake covers so many separate neighborhoods with very different associations and amenities, the useful conversation is always about specific subdivisions rather than the umbrella name. Reach out and we will walk you through the differences.