Where retail and corporate campuses intersect, the 350 acres of land adjacent to Traditions Club offers a sensory respite where visitors can take in the sights, scents, tastes and textures of the Lake Walk experience.
• • • • • • • • • • SEE • • • • • • • • • •
The spacious sidewalk along Lake Atlas Drive accommodates walkers, strollers and those headed to the nearby outdoor Pure Barre full-body workout class on the lawn overlooking one of the four Lake Walk ponds. Ascend the 75-foot observation tower to see a 360-degree view of the Brazos Valley and breathe in fresh air.
Lake Walk is not meant to be a transactional experience, says Spencer Clements, principal and operating partner of Traditions Club and Community. It is a place where people can come and exhale.
“You think to yourself, why did you want to be there?” Spencer says. “Because it’s beautiful. You had white noise from the fountains; you had some blue sky overhead, and there wasn’t as much traffic whizzing by. It’s this peaceful place where you feel like you want to be, where you can be restored.”
• • • • • • • • • SCENTS • • • • • • • • •
The Stella Hotel is the anchor and catalyst for Lake Walk’s success, the winner of numerous awards, and now part of the Marriott Autograph Collection, Lake Walk's marketing director Kate Chapman says.
“Because of The Stella Hotel, businesses, industries and other retail tenants have wanted to become a part of Lake Walk,” Kate says. “The idea of Lake Walk did stem from wanting to build a hotel that this community has never seen before.”
The aroma of POV Coffee House’s signature nitro cold brew or the Midnight Yell latte draws visitors to choose between indoor or outdoor seating that looks out to the observation tower across Lake Atlas Drive while offering Danish pastries and scones.
• • • • • • • • • TASTE • • • • • • • • • •
The Tuesday seasonal artisan market, The Local, held on the grassy lawn offers diverse tastes including S.O.S. Cotton Candy’s sweet and salty maple bacon flavor or the classic summer strawberry. Nearby, Sweet Home Sweets offers gourmet “Good Stuff Cookies” along with an assortment of brownies, blondies and dessert bars.
Kanji Sushi is the ultimate destination for sushi lovers to book a table with Chef Tai Lee to experience the fresh tuna flown in directly from Spain, along with other unique cuts of fish from Japan and Korea.
Chef Tai describes Kanji Sushi’s offerings that fuse spices from Korean and French cuisines as new concepts by trained chefs who are fearless in creating new taste sensations. He points to truffle oil as an example, which is not common in Japanese cuisine but when knowledgeably paired with other sushi ingredients, creates the flavor profile Kanji is known for.
It was a conversation with a customer about Caesar salads that led Chef Tai to reinvent the traditional staple with a Japanese flair. Substituting rice crisps for croutons, a fish-oil inspired sauce for Caesar dressing, topped fish flakes instead of parmesan shavings are just some of the ways he incorporates the traditional artistry of Japanese cuisine with modern techniques and ingredients, Chef Tai says.
“Come here to experience something truly unique, something that will be right at the boundary of your comfort zone,” Chef Tai says.
• • • • • • • • SOUNDS • • • • • • • • •
The night’s tempo picks up from 9-11 p.m. with live music drifting from the open doors of Hershel’s Bar inside The Stella Hotel. Campfire restaurant hosts performers such as Dale Mae and Taylor Branch to accompany patio brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• • • • • • • • • TOUCH • • • • • • • • • •
With a nod to The Woodlands, choosing what businesses have been added to the Lake Walk community has been intentional, Kate says.
“We want to find and foster small businesses, new ideas and new development in which you can’t just find anywhere,” Kate says. “We were very purposeful and were trying to fill a void that maybe some people have seen in our community for restaurants and retail experiences that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Woodhouse Spa is a recent addition where Lake Walk visitors can go to feel soothing relaxation through signature spa services like the HydraFacial and Calming Retreat. Through the Calming Retreat, visitors will receive a reflexology scalp massage as well as a stone massage.
Closing the door to the salt or tub room to escape the busyness of life is one way the owner of Woodhouse Spa, Kristie Sievers, says customers can experience the difference. Woodhouse Spa offers massages, basic facials, body services and rituals. The 80-minute, Holistic Minkyti Facial offers a facial connective tissue and lymphatic massage.
“We want them to have that five-star experience that you don’t get at any other spa locally,” Kristie says. “Normally, you would have to go to a resort or go on vacation to get this type of service — we call it the Woodhouse way.”
While it’s a place where residents can walk outside and experience The Local, watch the sunset at the top of the observation tower, stroll the sidewalk for an evening dog walk, and enjoy fine dining and bar amenities, Lake Walk is so much more, Spencer says.
“Some of the most talented people on the planet [graduate from Texas A&M University],” Spencer notes. “We’d like to keep some of them. How do we keep some of them? We need companies like BlueForge Alliance, Capital Farm Credit and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies. They need a nice coffee shop; they need a lake; they need music.”
Cutting-edge technology and research at the ATLAS corporate campus next door is where world-class vaccine and gene therapy work happens every day, Spencer notes. Lake Walk was developed to be part of a holistic vision.
“Capital Farm Credit is leading the state in rural land loans, and BlueForge Alliance is running all of our submarine industrial bases,” Spencer says. “But they’re doing it in a place that helps their soul stay fulfilled.”
