The Drowning Pool

The Drowning Pool

Paul Newman stars in the 1975 hit, The Drowning Pool

The Drowning Pool
The Drowning Pool

Film still of The Drowning Pool, shot in Lake Charles.

Heading along I-10 and looking for a nice place to stop and stretch your legs or maybe have a picnic? Try North Beach in Lake Charles, one of two white-sand inland beaches (the other located at Fontainebleau State Park!) between Texas and Florida, with easy access just off the interstate. Many may not know that the beach hosted a shirtless Paul Newman for a scene in The Drowning Pool. The movie, set in Louisiana, has Newman’s detective Lew Harper investigating threats against an old flame. Between scenes throughout New Orleans and at Oaklawn Manor in Franklin, you can just feel the southern heat and humidity (or is it Newman’s on-screen chemistry with off-screen wife Joanne Woodward?). So maybe dipping your toes in the lake during a stop at the beach will cool things down. And if you’re not a fan of sand, the nearby Charpentier Historic District offers restaurants, bars, and historic homes.

Address

North Beach

N. Lakeshore Drive

Lake Charles, LA 70601