Custom Search     Dietz Lake     I spent a large part of my summers here through the 70's and 80's. I would stay with Herb and Donna Reed. So many great memories growing up with my cousin Lee here. Says Aaron My grandfather ran that place with Bob for longer than I can remember. He actually died working their- Now my uncle lives their and runs it the best he can. I miss it very much and can wait to go back. Says Anonymous There are no dates on these posts, so I have no idea whether     Dietz Lake is still open! Today is June 17, 2012. Is the place still open? Do they still have cabins to rent? I grew up going to the lake also, and would love for my grandkids to enjoy that place. We rented cabin #13 alot. Any info passed on to me would be greatly appreciated! Says Gail Morgan Wow been reading all these stories and it saddens me I wasn't alive back in the 60's early 70's. No kids don't enjoy things now like that but I do and would love such a place to go. I have been here in Patricksburg for 12 yrs about 10 min away and have no where to go close to take my kids other than McCormick's creek pool. We have been through Dietz a few times and it looks awful but has great       potential. Wish it was nicer and I felt more comfortable to take my kids there. We have not been swimming there yet, but considering it just because its so close and cheap and we have out floaties and noodles. lol Hoping it cant be   all that bad. We'll see. Says Leeann I went to Dietz lake from the time I was 8 until I was 18 I am now 37. I am very upset to hear that the place has been neglected. I have lots of memories from there. The place is a part of my past. Says Jamie My parents took my sister and I there the first time in 1963 stayed in a tent then back in a month with a vw van camper what a great place to spend time back then the food the music at the club house the beach the entertainment on the patio the safety mom n dad didn't have to watch out for us so they had time to relax all the days n nites fishing wow what memories got on here to find out if it was still open and saddens me to read the comments I mean we can build Jim irsey and his rich players a place to play and we can build 2 million $ high school sports arenas but we never seemto find money to keep up such a fine old place for families to spend time and bond sadly that's how all America has become ! Says Bobbie Perry We go to Dietz every weekend and love it. The campers are different than the sixties and seventies, but people in general have changed. It is still a good place to fish and relax. Lots of people haven't kept there places up, and maintenance hasn't been kept up in the past, but the owner just died recently and younger owners have taken it over and have been doing a good job cleaning it up and repairing things. They are good people and have been doing a good job keeping things fun for everyone. They still play cards, bingo, dances and killer food. It will take some time but this place will be packed again someday. Says Robert Obviously you people have not been to Dietz Lake in years. It is Very run down and no one takes pride in the condition of their cabins or trailers. Fred Dietz would sit right up in his grave if he saw the place! I have heard that there is drugs and liquor there and lots of parties. On a recent visit there I couldn't believe all the weeds and grown grass that no one takes care. Back in the day in the 60's and 70's the place was spotless with trash. Too bad someone can't purchase the Lake and make it into a great place, again, for family fun - we need more family time today with our children in knowing where they are and what they are doing. My memories are priceless!! MY family and I started going to Dietz lake in the early 80's. I can remember walking to the beach with my friends hearing the reflex by Duran Duran playing over the loud speaker I still think back to those days and it makes me smile every time. I sure wish it was the same now that I have children of my own it would be so nice to have a place to take them and know they would be safe. Nothing better than finding the new kid a taking him on a snipe hunt. I sure miss the old days.. Thanks for the memories Dietz Family. Says D Playing cards on the beach, slathered in Coppertone Oil with my hair rolled on huge juice can rollers...Dancing Grandpa at the Saturday night dances...Mrs. Sankey saying ''A pound of platter bacon and a dozen eggs'' as a door prize at Friday night Bingo...Mr. Dietz not allowing boys with long hair into the resort in the sixties...Sitting in our cabins during those wonderful summer thunderstorms...Walking through a maze of beach blankets trying to find a spot to park for the day...BBQ sandwiches, beef manhattans, & homemade pies in the beach house...sitting around the campfire singing and laughing with family...the sound of Ricky Nelson's ''Travelin' Man'' or Bobby Vinton's ''Blue Velvet'' playing over the intercom all over the park. I lots of summers with my Aunts and Uncles who owned cabins there on Sugarloaf Hill and Lakeshore Drive in the 50s & 60s, then bought a cabin on Dover Cliff in the mid 80s so I could let my daughters experience ''the fun life''. When Mr. Dietz died, his son Max and wife MaryLou who had worked there all their lives too would have taken over but Mr. Dietz's daughter tied things up legally for a couple of years (during which time none of the regular maintenance could be performed - like treating the lakes) until Max died also. A trailer owner for several years, Bob (not sure his last name) bought the property to try to keep the resort from going under. But by that time, after 3-4 years of lack of maintenance, he was fighting a truly up-hill battle and many of the cabin owners were scared off by the legal battle and left. Oh well, at least we have our memories. Thanks Dietz family for all your hard work! Says Valerie Ward Ludwig My family started going to Dietz lake in the 70's and quit in the 80's. We had awesome bike rides all over the campgrounds and down the big hill and going by snakes ''home'' and trying to be quiet when we were walking past Mr. Dietz. Boy do I miss getting my strawberry pie on Sunday evenings after the gospel singers. That was our family treat. We had a cute little cabin and my cousins, and uncle and aunt had a nice big cabin down the hill. I always went down the slides, but always too scared to jump off of the tower. Wish I could go back and try it but, I heard it is looking really bad. I only live 10 miles away, so we plan to check it out this weekend. I'll let you all know what it looks like. Posted June 2011. Peace to all and rent a cabin and clean it up, it could be nice again. Says Karen I have been going down to Dietz for as long as I can remember. Yeah it might need some up keep but it is a nice get away. And the bingo and euchre is so much fun. Yeah I might be one of the youngest to play but its still a lot of fun. Now that I have my own son; I can say he will have somewhere to go and have some good clean fun growing up. Like I did growing up. Says Monica I too remember Dietz's Lake my great Uncle owned it. My grandmother would take me down there. We stopped going down there and I have not been there since. I remember watching the Blob at the Beach. Says Melanie After hearing about Dietz for many years, my father-in-law purchased a rundown cabin there. He has done a great deal of work and made it into a truly nice getaway. However, in walking through the complex, it's appalling to see how rundown and depressing the place is. It needs MILLIONS invested to bring it back to a place that would be a destination that most of the middle class would consider seriously. The ''beach'' is a joke. The restrooms in the clubhouse by the ''beach'' are rusted, filthy, and downright gross. A new owner with a new vision for what ''could be'' is badly needed. Says Tim I wish I had the funds to buy it. I would make it like the old days. It was real nice back in the 60s. I would tell the people there make your places (cabins) nicer. Says Mark Anthony G. My family started going to Dietz when we drove through Dietz's barnyard at their home and there was only cabins 1 & 2!! When we built our cabin it was 1955-6. Needless to say I go way back. I have tried to tell my kids what a great place it was to grow up there. Over the years I have run into kids that were there and they will come up to me and introduce themselves!! I too, have gone down recently and was so disappointed in the condition it is in. We would go down early spring, so my dad could fish and would always find Mr. Dietz making repairs. Before my mom passed away I thanked her for giving me such a great place and so many memories. I wished I could have thanked Mr. and Mrs. Dietz, but did get the opportunity to thank MaryLou Dietz last fall!! I would love to have a Dietz reunion, especially the 60's kids!!! Says Claudia Had great memories. Yes it has changed we all have. My sister's and I have great memories of the lake thanks to my Mom and Dad and they still enjoy it...life is what you make it ! It was really nice growing up there...we did enjoy it a lot more than the kids now....we went to the beach every day you could...went to the movies ...walked around the lake ..out in the boat.....tennis anyone ! worked bingo....eating at the restaraunt was a treat...loved the snow cones !! The water was great and the rock by the life guards was fun......my youngest sister met her husband of almost 20 years there and my other sister married and divorced one from there ! Mostly I was just friends w people there I did have a big crush on a great guy he was a lifeguard ....Greg....i have met some of the best friends there.....we still go to the lake....I no longer have a place but my family does.......I think to when you had the summer rentals you met new people as well and then you had the weekenders and the people that stayed all summer like we did.........so anyway...see you there ! Says BRENDA MURPHY I have been going to Dietz now for the last 9 or so years and it is getting a little better than what is was. Some people need to take better care of their cabins and the little store has change there is new half owner and they are try in their own way to help. But I know a lot of people that I know from when I start going down there stop going all together just wish it was like the olds day when I start going down and working down there. Says Candace I spent my summers at Dietz Lake all thru the 70's. What a great time swimming, diving and the GIRL'S!!!! (met my 1st love there) Wouldn't it be nice if life was still that simple for today's kids. Joann C. I remember you and most the people you listed. It would be great to see the old gang again we've lost a few Dean Hall and Debbie Opperman both passed away way to young. Says Mike A. Dietz Lake is where I met my wife. It will be 25yrs May 17th that we have been married. Than you Dietz Lake. Says Mike I remember when my Mom married my Dad there at the Beach house to the song Unchained Melody it was some of the best years of my life,and have fond memories of all the friends I made there. Says Mike Very fond memories of Dietz Lake. I remember watching ''The Fly'' on movie night, playing bingo and the strawberry pie at the restaurant. Still have the membership card with my photo and a scar from sliding down the big slide backwards. Not sure you can find family fun like that anymore or even if kids now would appreciate the simple stuff. Says Angie We had an early 50's 33 passenger bus turned int o a camper (Pre-Winnebago). We had a lot there in 64 and 65 and went down almost every weekend. It was great going down the slides. I will never forget going down the big slide backwards and when I hit the water I lost my trunks. It took the rest of the afternoon to find them. When it was time for a rest period I sawm to the life guard and thankfully he let me stay at his stand. I was there in the early 90's and was very disappointed that things had changed so much. I was told that it was more of a party place than a family campground. Oh well sitll had some great memories there. Says Mark Ammerman I was thinking about Dietz Lake yeah it has changed. The kids have also changed they don't want to take advantage of the things we did like trails, the beach which I don't blame them with the water..but now they have all this technology it wouldn't matter if they did what they use to do at night the kids wouldn't enjoy it....from what I can tell it is about the golf cart people which it does like they are having fun....it is all in what you make it. I do think change is going to happen but yeah take pride in the property....the memories are good ones.....like life things change people change....so I guess if you don't like it don't go there....... Says Someone in the past It was my home away from home. Some of my best times I had as a kid were spent there. I lived on the tower, watching the girls coming to the beach. I think it time for me to go back there. I would love to see some of the old gang start hanging there with our kids. What good times we had!!! Says Corky Higgins My family went to Dietz Lake all the time. We had suck a wonderful time. Matter of fact I still have my member card with my picture on it. I was 13 when we started going. I am now 54, went to the place to check it out about 6 yrs ago. Terrible! There was a man going thru the garbage, the buildings looked like a tornado went thru there. Such a shame that someone would let a piece of property go like that, it could bring in so much money now. I had 6 brothers and sisters and we tented it back then. The best fun we ever had. We would race each other out to the tower just so we could jump off it. It was great! They had activities for the kids while the adults played cards. I still have one of the papers that tells all about Dietz lake back then. What a waste of land. Says Brenda I just got back intouch with Tami my best friend in Middle School, I went with her to Dietz Lake one summer and a wonderful time!!!! What a beautful place it was 30+ years ago. I will have to make it a point to go back. Will have to take kids. Says Jill Dearth Monroe Wow! Seriously. I know things change over time but this was my childhood home during the summer. I have been in Texas for the last 25 years and the first place I wanted to see when I got back was Dietz Lake. Every year when school let out we headed to our cabin at Dietz and didn't go back home until school started again. It really sadens me to hear about what it has become. Shame on you new owners. Fred and Myrtle Dietz took pride in their home that they shared with us. Sure Fred was a mean bear who constantly watched out the kitchen window and yelled at anyone fishing or standing on the pontune bridge but he made it nice for everyone. The 40 foot tower and 20 foot slide were the best. I can't count the times we jumped off the tower. I worked the Bingo tables with my friends to make some junk food money. We played cards (Euchre)in the resturant, went to the dances and played softball at the softball field ''we made.'' I can't list all of the wonderful memories. I would love to connect with the gang. So if any of you are out there and would like to connect please email me at joannhall@comcast.net. I won't list last names but you know who you are: Debbie M. Donny W., Eddie P. Judy M. Mike M. Danny S. Mary Jo S. Gary L. and the rest I can't remember. (I just turned 50) Please clean up Dietz Lake!!!! Says Joann Carrico Smiling : ) guess who.... Well yes the fun we had we can't bring back.... Some people are like my High School days were this or that. Well I am thinking Dietz lake summers were great.. the boat rides, the walks at night, the camp fires, swimming all day in CLEAN WATER with things to do in the water...sneaking out at night....sneaking you know anymore kids are like see me smoking or drinking they don't care ..they lost the meaning of fun.... Anyway well does anyone know what happened to Tom Gillespie! Hey the life guards will never be the same I mean they were just a different breed ... So well things change..... Still yes fun to be had and still when I go to the lake I don't want to leave and I enjoy some of the people.. So if anyone wants to tell a Dietz lake story post it ...... Says Poodie I spent many a summer at Dietz Lake when I was a kid. Our family rented cabin #9 every year untill we moved to Pennsylvania in 82. I was wondering if it still exists because I would love to take my children! Do they still rent cabins? Anyone with info please Email me at carolecollis@comcast.net. I would love to take my parents back one more time. My father will be 70 in November and my mom 62 in September. They both have terminal illnesses. I would be so grateful for any information you might have. Thank You! Says Carole Does anyone remember 'Santa Claus? He came to Dietz Lake EVERY year in the hot summer, and passed out candy canes. Do you also remember a time when you had to shuffle your way to a good spot on the beach-EVERYDAY of the summer? I can hear the loud echo of Mr. Dietz all the way back to Beech Grove, and past 'Sankeys well groomed home, to Pine Ridge and Gravel road..to the front gate --saying sadly 'ITS A SHAME!!'' Shame on the owner, you had a gold mine and allowed it to turn to acres of what looks like a huge dump. and..FYI.. MY 40YRS + MEMORIES OF THE GOOD OLE DIETZ LAKE DAYS WILL NEVER FADE,AS THE MEMORIES OF MY 'FATHER--WHO WAS DIETZS' SANTA WILL ALWAYS BE FOND MEMORIES.I miss my Dad[Paul Lewis Sr.a.k.a.SANTA CLAUS] and I miss Dietz Lake Says The Lewis Clan- I am actually going to Deitz this weekend. It might not be in the best place but you can still have some great memories. It is starting to clean up. This place is still alot of fun! Says Jerri Beck I don't know how current this post page is but I had to add to it, I'm 21 and grew up in Dietz every summer since the day I was born. I still have a cabin in Shadey Valley on the plot my grandfather bought. I have so many memories there and it is strange to see how it's changed. Seeing all these posts here reminds me how wonderful it was. Says Garrett W. I too went to Dietz Lake all the time from the mid 70's to the mid 80's.I'm 40 now. My parents had a trailer next door to Mr. Hart. I think that he helped take care of the place. He had a tractor and cut the grass. Most of the trailers had screened-in porches. I learned to fish there. We used to ride our bikes and skate boards down the big hill in front of the beach house. Also, they had the biggest toads there I've ever seen. I hope that they haven't let the place go bad. I'd like to take my family there. I guess I'll have to go see for myself. Says James Our entire family went to Dietz EVERY summer for as long as I could remember. It was some of the fondest memories I had growing up. We were never bored, and all my cousins had so much fun here. I'll be 40 in November, and we've been going there for a while, but only quit once we heard that the grounds weren't kept up the way Mr. Dietz would have done it. He is probably rolling over in his grave now. There was a man who knew how to make a family happy, keep kids (both young and old) entertained, and yet it was all very extraordinary. If this place was as nicely kept now, like it was even 20-25 years ago, I would have my own family going there now. What an experience, extremely unforgetable! Says Angel I have been going to Dietz lake for I think 15 years. And it's great up there. It's real relaxing and everything. Says Nikki I have been going to Dietz Lake for four years maybe more with my grandma and grandpa. This is a great place for family. It might need cleaning up but it is so much FUN! The dances and bingo are great. The fireworks are a great show too... I do think the lake needs cleaning up a bit. It would also be nice to have a slide or swings or something to do on the beach other than volleyball. I love Dietz Lake :) Says Jerri Beck My family and I have been going to Dietz lake for all of my life and I am now 30 years old. I too can remember Fred Dietz yelling on the microphone no fishing on the pontoon bridge. Dietz lake has changed over the years but there still is good times to be had there. I have met alot of good people there. There may be some rule changes needed and some other things but for the most part it is still a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. Says Mike Burnett Well, I'm 56 and I spent lots of summers there. It is my best childhood and teenage memory. We had three slides and the tower to jump from (I don't even know how high it was, but I only got up my courage once.) We had wooden platforms to swim to, the ''H'' platform to swim around and it was beautiful. Mr. Dietz spent all summer yelling on the microphone to ''get off the pontoon bridge''. I spent the early sixties there to late sixties - I was at the front gate while the ''confrontation'' (scary, we kids were hiding behind the trees). I can't remember if the Guard or just state police were there. I have such fond memories of everything. I drove thru there last summer and just shook my head. It is sad. EVERYTHING is run down. The water looked bad. In the sixties you couldn't get a spot on the beach. You had to wait in line for Mrs. Dietz's great food. We had bingo and dances that were FULL. We had trails to get in trouble on, boats to row to the beach, we could swim at night with the snakes. It was wonderful!!! Says Donna Yeah, it is really nasty now. I'm 16. i went there to bbq in 02 and stopped going in 06 because of the crack heads and break in's, and it's just horrible there now. We left our trailer that has been there since my great-grandfather bought it and put it where it was. I miss it and wish it was back because I would love to go down there in the summers and clean the trailer and rack up the leaves', clean the spare house and then run through the main field to the lake and swim. But over time the lake just got worse and worse and more seaweed every where. But yea it was decent until around 05-06. I miss it. I hope someone fixes it. My grandma and mom said it did have slides and was amazing when old man Dietz was there. Says Josh I went to Dietz Lake in the 60s and 70s. My Uncle Butch taught me to swim there the old way.It was great then but now it looks like a dump. Says Tony Greene I also spent most of my childhood at Dietz. It was great now I am 44 and have 2 kid of my own. I would like to buy a place now but I hear its not good there now. Old man Dietz would turn over in his grave. Please fix the problems so some of us can come back with our own kids and show them the fun place it was years ago.Thanks. Says Tim Thompson I am 14 and just moved to Cory, Indiana, and Dietz lake is one of the best I've been to. yea sure it needs cleaned up but lake Monroe doesn't have dances and bingo. It's a good place for the family. Says Melissa My family had been going down since the 70's till the early 90's. I remember Old Man Dietz getting on the intercom and yelling at someone doing something that was not permitted. They had 3 slides. During the summer, they had dances, bingo, church, movies, euchre... I miss those days. From what I hear above, its not the same place I remember. Wish I could find a place like that, now. Says Paul I was going to Dietz lake back in the 50s like 1956-57-58- My brother and I went to school in Cory Indiana. Dietz lake was the best place to go swim; or all the boys would go swim in the strpepits up on 59 and 46. Says John Mohan I TOO, WITH MY FAMILY SPENT SUMMERS THERE AND LOVED IT, AND I AM 47 NOW. WE CHECKED IT OUT AWHILE BACK AND BOY WAS IT NASTY , UNKEPT, AND JUST PLAIN WRONG. Says Melissa H I love Dietz lake because it's one of the few places I can get away from my parents and still hang out with friends. I like to ride my bike and swim all the time. I wish I could have met old man Dietz Says Kyle My family has been going to the lake their whole lives and they tell me how it looked like in the past years and how it is now...worse. But still we have good times on the beach, karaoke, BINGO, and the dances. It's Wonderful! Says Cassidy I'm 25 and I remember going to Dietz for most of my early childhood. I noticed a few of you were asking about the slides. They took the slides out in the early to mid 90's b/c they were A. unstable and B. kids kept getting hurt on them. Says Mike I started going to Dietz Lake propably the day I was born, my parents had a cabin there and I pretty much grew up there in the summer. Mr Dietz did keep everything under control. I got married and bought a cabin, but it wasn't the same after Mr. Dietz passed away it has went down hill. I would love to go back there and remember what there was when I was growing up. It's really too bad Says Lorra Campbell We grew up at Dietz Lake and like others here it has changed. The teenagers do whatever they want there is drinking at the beach house on Sat night. The bingo well if you call this a crowd. The thing is people need rules and Mr. Dietz kept it really clean and we always thought sneaking was much more fun now days it is get drunk and fight. It is sad but you cannot expect it to be nice if the owners don't put anything into it. The roads are awful. The swimming area is terrible. Of course there will be change and times are different the thing is it won't ever be the same. Says The good ole days I spent a lot of time during my summers here in the early '70's and have many fond memories of the place. I worked for ol' Fred one summer, too. The dances they held were pretty cool and I met a lot of nice people there--especially the girls...Does anyone know if they allow motorcycles in the gate now? I'd like to ride out and see it again. Says Tim W. The problem with Dietz Lake is that people do, as mentioned above, ''turn their kids loose'' there. You have twelve year olds getting drunk and acting like idiots. It's so run down and nasty and it's a shame. I loved going there as a kid. Mr. Dietz may have been mean but he kept it nice and kept control. Says Carrie I am looking to find out how to purchase or rent a cabin at Dietz lake. How do I go about finding out how to get this done? Any info please e mail me at Thehive95@aol.com Says JWinchester Dietz Lake Indiana hmmm I think of Fred Dietz that many thought was mean but he took great pride in the place ....now it is a free for all ....teenagers are way out of control....things could be done updates to be made and we won't even mention the power there.....pleaseeeeeee can they clean it with chemicals like Fred did every summer....the lifeguards pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee do the job.......anyway I think the point is taken In replying to Kim, The ownership has been slacking with maintenance, and Dietz' cheap property prices... Says B What happened to the slides? I loved this place as a kid. Says Ghawk Hello as a kid my parents had a cabin at Dietz and I am now looking to buy one myself. If you know of one, please advise me. Thanks! allan1008@comcast.net Says Big Al As a young girl my parents took us to Dietz Lake to camp. It has been 40 years since that time. I happen to stop by not to long ago and the place looked so run down. I wasn't sure if it is still a camp ground. I saw old old trailors that were painted purple and green and all sort of colors. I was so hurt to see this as I always had my memories of the way it used to be. Back then it was always packed with people and they had bands that played for dances. I remember two long slides at the beach but they are now gone. The camp store looked shut down. Can someone give me some insight on what has happened to the beautiful Deitz Lake as I remembered it? Kim from Bloomington Indiana Says Kim How big is Dietz lake? Says Richard Our family has been going to Dietz Lake for almost 30 years. Like Kim, we love playing Bingo and Euchre at the Beach House. Our son loves to swim and ride his bike over the trails. It's one of the few places left that you can ''turn your kids loose'' and let them be kids. Says The D's Our family has been going to Dietz Lake for over 40 years. Its a wonderful small community where we can fish, swim, hike, relax and have fun. Our family loves playing bingo at the beach house every friday night and sunday afternoon. A wonderful family experience!! Says Kim          Map Detailed Map Weather Local weather forecast