Freedom Boat Club offers a country club-style experience to the Lake Conroe community, allowing members to spend time on the water without dealing with the upkeep of boat ownership. Club Manager Sande Olson said Freedom Boat Club offers its more than 175 members the ability to essentially rent out a boat whenever they want. Members can reserve a boat or see what is available that day, and they only pay for gas in addition to membership fees. Olson said the staff at the club takes care of getting the boat ready and cleaned up, allowing members to walk right onto the boat—and walk right off with no hassle. “We have new members who have never driven a boat before, and so for them, that’s exciting. We have members who have owned boats before and said, ‘Been there, done that, not doing it again thank you very much. Too much work,’” Olson said. “And then we have people who are looking to buy a boat who say, ‘You know, for 12 months, I can figure out how much we’re going to use the lake [and] which boat we like before we buy.’” The most popular boats are the tritoons, a type of pontoon, and the ski boats. Olson said the ski boats allow people to go wakeboarding and water skiing, while the tritoons are better suited for relaxing and holding conversations. No matter the boat, Olson said every member is trained before going on the water. “We want to make sure … the member is comfortable and safe. We want to make sure our boats are safe,” Olson said. “And we want to make sure traffic on the lake is with people who are mindful and knowledgeable about boating on Lake Conroe.” Olson said she believes Lake Conroe is the best-keep secret in the Greater Houston area. “I can be down in the middle of Houston inside the loop within 45 minutes to an hour, but yet I’m out here in this beautiful country … some rolling hills, some beautiful trees and this beautiful water,” Olson said. “Why not take advantage of it?” Freedom Boat Club 15320 Hwy. 105, Montgomery 936-262-0229 www.freedomboatclub.com Hours: Tue.-Sun. 8 a.m.-8 p.m., closed Mon.