5/5 -- London Bridge, Lake Havasu City…read more
The London Bridge is easily a 5/5 attraction for me -- not only because of how beautiful the setting is today, but because the history behind how an actual piece of London ended up in the Arizona desert is pretty incredible.
This isn't a replica. This is the actual granite exterior of the London Bridge that once crossed the River Thames in London, England. The bridge was designed by Scottish engineer John Rennie, completed in 1831, and served London for more than a century. By the 20th century, however, it could no longer adequately handle modern traffic and was actually sinking unevenly into the Thames.
Here's where the story gets crazy...
Lake Havasu City founder Robert P. McCulloch purchased the bridge from the City of London in 1968 for $2.46 million, intending to make it the centerpiece of the new community he was developing in the Arizona desert. The bridge's 10,276 exterior granite blocks were individually numbered, dismantled, shipped through the Panama Canal to Long Beach, California, and then transported by truck to Lake Havasu City.
The original stones were then reconstructed around a modern structural framework. Even more interesting, the bridge was initially rebuilt over dry land. Afterward, the land beneath it was excavated and flooded to create the Bridgewater Channel that now flows beneath the bridge and separates "The Island" from the mainland. After three years of reconstruction, the London Bridge was officially rededicated in Lake Havasu City on October 10, 1971.
Knowing all of that history makes seeing it in person so much cooler.
But even if you knew absolutely nothing about its history, the setting itself is beautiful. The Bridgewater Channel, boats and jet skis cruising underneath, palm trees, surrounding mountains, restaurants and resorts along the waterfront all create a really unique atmosphere. We walked along the channel around sunset, and that's probably my favorite time to see it -- watching the sun drop behind the bridge and mountains with the reflections across the water was awesome.
Then at night, it almost becomes a completely different attraction. The bridge is illuminated, the palm trees and surrounding waterfront light up, and the entire area has a great nighttime ambiance. From our vantage point overlooking the pools and marina, the illuminated bridge across the water was probably one of my favorite views of the entire weekend.
It's also pretty amazing to think that something that carried Londoners across the River Thames beginning in 1831 now carries cars and pedestrians across a man-made channel in the middle of the Arizona desert nearly 200 years later.
Historical significance: 5/5
Scenery: 5/5
Sunset views: 5/5
Nighttime ambiance: 5/5
Overall experience: 5/5
The London Bridge isn't just a quirky roadside attraction -- it's genuinely an impressive piece of history in an unexpectedly beautiful setting. Between its journey from England to Arizona, the Bridgewater Channel, the lake, mountains, boats and incredible sunset and nighttime views, it really is the centerpiece of Lake Havasu City.
Definitely a 5/5 and an absolute must-see if you're visiting Lake Havasu.
