Sebastian Cove | Lake Oconee Neighborhood Guide, Eatonton GA
Sebastian Cove is an ungated lake community on the Putnam side with a boat ramp, a clubhouse, renovated tennis and pickleball courts, walking trails and a private grass airstrip. For amenities outside the gates, nothing else on this lake beats it. The community calls itself Lake Oconee’s best kept secret, and for once that is not marketing.
Quick Facts
| County / city | Putnam County — Eatonton, GA 31024 |
| Streets | Fourteen, including Bradford Drive, Sebastian Drive, Whitney Street, Ellman Drive, Norris Lane, Smith Court, Stanton Drive and Moudy Lane |
| Getting there | Turn onto Scott Road by the Wingmaxx, then right onto Ellman Drive |
| Time to grocery | 5 minutes to the new Lake Oconee Publix on the Putnam side. Around 10 to the older Lake Oconee Publix in traffic |
| Gated | No. Private roads, long-standing covenants |
| HOA | Yes. Sebastian Cove HOA, $700 to $800 a year |
| Amenities | Clubhouse, private boat ramp and dock, one tennis court and two dedicated pickleball courts, walking trails, private airstrip |
| Schools | Putnam County School System |
The Airstrip
Start here, because it is the thing everyone asks about and almost nobody explains properly.
Sebastian Cove has a registered private airport. It carries the FAA identifier 32GA, it has been active since February 1995, and the runway is 2,700 feet of turf. It is private use, which means permission is required before landing. Several sources also describe a helicopter pad.
It is not an HOA amenity
The airstrip is owned by the Sebastian Cove Air Strip Association, Inc. — a separate legal entity from the Sebastian Cove Homeowners Association. The HOA says so on its own amenities page, and FAA records list the same separate association as the owner.
What that means for a buyer: buying a house in Sebastian Cove does not automatically give you the right to base an aircraft here. Access to the strip runs through its own association, on its own terms. If flying is any part of why you are looking at this neighborhood, establish exactly what membership involves before you write an offer.
For everyone else it is simply an unusual and rather charming neighbor. A grass strip in a lake community is a rare thing, and it gives the place a character nothing else on Lake Oconee has.
Everything Else You Get
Short of a swimming pool, Sebastian Cove has close to everything you could ask for outside a gate.
The tennis and pickleball courts were recently renovated. There is one tennis court that is also striped for pickleball, plus two courts just for pickleball, and there is power at the courts if you want to bring a ball machine.
Any member in good standing can reserve the clubhouse for free, with no deposit. Homeowners are limited to three weekend reservations a year so everyone gets a turn.
The boat ramp and community dock are private to lot owners and their guests. The dock is for loading and unloading only, so there is no tying up for the afternoon or leaving a boat overnight.
Walking trails wind through the neighborhood, and the roads are private, so there is no cut-through traffic.
Each lot gets one electronic access card for the ramp, the courts and the trails. A replacement card is $50.
HOA dues run $700 to $800 a year, a fraction of what a golf club membership costs on this lake.
The social club
Established in 1995, the same year the airstrip was activated, to enhance quality of life through social interaction and fellowship. It runs events on the lake, in homes and at the clubhouse through the year — game nights, food and wine tastings, a Christmas party, and progressive dinners by boat.
A progressive dinner where the courses are at different houses and you travel between them by boat is not an amenity you can build. It comes from people actually knowing each other and a true sense of community.
The Water, and the Light
Sebastian Cove looks east over big water, across toward Reynolds Landing. That is a large open view rather than a cove view, and it means sunrises here truly pop. If you are the sort of person who is up early with a coffee on the dock, this is your orientation.
Lake frontage on waterfront lots in Sebastian Cove is normally generous by the standards of this side of the lake, though it varies lot by lot, and so does the water depth at the dock. Both should be confirmed on the specific property.
One honest caveat, for the southern end
Some of the most southerly homes may pick up a little noise from the Highway 44 bridge, in the same way the northern lots at Salem Plantation do across the water.
This is Highway 44 carrying local and regional traffic, not the Interstate 20 crossing with freight running all night. And it affects the southern end, not the neighborhood as a whole. If you are looking at a southerly lot, stand on it at a busy time of day and judge for yourself.
What Is Happening at the Corner
Something interesting is arriving at the entrance. At the corner of Ellman Drive and Scott Road, just before the formal entrance, a renovated log cabin at 101 Ellman Drive is becoming Kate Gordon — the first physical location of the Rolling Clover brand.
It is a project by JoAnna Garcia Swisher, the actress known for Maddie in Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias, who has owned at Lake Oconee with her husband for years. She has announced it publicly, including a video filmed on the cabin steps. The plan described is a cafe, retail, cooking classes and event space, in partnership with the team behind Table at the Lake and the Burch x Boathouse.
Two things stand out. She chose Lake Oconee for the first location over Tampa or Atlanta. And the corner it sits on is shared — it is also directly across from Blue Heron Cove, so both neighborhoods gain a destination at their front door.
For a buyer, a serious food and retail destination at the entrance to your neighborhood is the kind of thing that changes how a place feels, and usually what it is worth.
Who Sebastian Cove Suits
Buyers who want amenities without a gate or a club assessment, and who will actually use them. If tennis, pickleball, a boat ramp and an active social calendar are things you want, you are paying a fraction here of what the same list costs inside the gates. 5 listings for sale now · listed from $475K to $2.32M · average 48 days on market $2,317,500 4 bd · 5 ba · 3,284 sq ft · Lakefront 90 Bradford Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024 Listing courtesy of Luxury Lake Oconee, 706-453-9243 · #70862 $2,150,000 4 bd · 6 ba · 6,019 sq ft · Lakefront 134 Norris Lane, Eatonton, GA 31024 Listing courtesy of Madison Realty Inc, 706-342-0693 · #71471 $1,650,000 4 bd · 4 ba · 3,111 sq ft 170 Ellman Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024 Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee, 706-467-3181 · #71411 $1,500,000 4 bd · 4 ba · 5,378 sq ft · Lakefront 100 Bradford Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024 Listing courtesy of Lakefront Brokers, LLC, 843-247-3770 · #71931 $475,000 3 bd · 4 ba · 2,266 sq ft 129 Sebastian Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024 Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Lake Oconee, 706-467-3181 · #71157 Similar home in Hidden Lake at Lake Oconee $1,750,000 5 bd · 5 ba · 4,327 sq ft · Lakefront 136 Hidden Lake Drive, Eatonton, GA 31024 Listing courtesy of Keller Williams Realty Lake Oconee, 706-485-0088 · #71020 Non-commercial use only. Listing data © 2026 Lake Country Board of REALTORS® MLS. Deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
It also suits buyers who like a big eastern view and early mornings, and anyone with an aviation interest — provided they understand the airstrip runs on its own association.
It suits you less well if you want a pool, if you want a gate, or if you need to keep a boat in the water at a community dock, which the rules here do not allow. And if you want the very southern end, satisfy yourself about the bridge first.
Sebastian Cove Homes for Sale
Sebastian Cove: Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Sebastian Cove at Lake Oconee?
In Eatonton, Putnam County, on the west side of Lake Oconee off Scott Road, with the main entrance at Ellman Drive. It looks east across big water toward The Landing.
Does Sebastian Cove really have an airstrip?
Yes. It is a registered private airport, FAA identifier 32GA, active since February 1995, with a 2,700-foot turf runway. Permission is required prior to landing. It is owned by the Sebastian Cove Air Strip Association, a separate entity from the homeowners association.
Is Sebastian Cove gated?
No. The roads are private and there is no through traffic, but there is no gate. The community operates under long-standing covenants.
What amenities does Sebastian Cove have?
A clubhouse, a private boat ramp and dock, one tennis court striped for pickleball plus two dedicated pickleball courts, walking trails, and the private airstrip. There is no swimming pool.
Can I keep a boat at the Sebastian Cove dock?
Not at the community dock. Its published rules limit it to loading and unloading, with no temporary or overnight docking, and the owner or an authorized operator must be present. The boat ramp is available to lot owners in good standing and their guests.
What do homes in Sebastian Cove sell for?
Sebastian Cove has two distinct segments, homes with private lake frontage and homes on subdivision or shared access, and they sell in very different ranges. A single neighborhood figure would be misleading here. For a figure on a specific home, get in touch.
Does Sebastian Cove get morning or evening sun on the water?
Morning. The community faces east over open water toward The Landing, so sunrises are the event here rather than sunsets.
Thinking About Sebastian Cove?
I know this neighborhood on foot. We rented in The Vintage Club for a year while we waited for a waterfront house to come up in Richland. I walk most mornings and I had already worn out every street in Reynolds Landing, so I started stopping in Sebastian Cove after dropping the kids off at daycare. I walked the loop around Bradford Drive, Sebastian Drive and the airstrip trail for months before the birth of my youngest. Right at two miles. Right at the limit my legs could tote my pregnant self around.
I love this neighborhood. That is why this is the subdivision I point clients to when they want a rich amenity list without the gate. Sebastian Cove isn’t wrong to call itself a best kept secret.
If you are looking in Sebastian Cove, get in touch — I am Margie Sorrell, and I will walk you through it properly…and at a better speed this time.
You can also read about Salem Plantation, the other established ungated neighborhood in this part of the lake, or browse every community in the Lake Oconee neighborhood guides.
Listing information on this page is provided by the Lake Country Board of REALTORS® MLS. All information in the listing data is from sources deemed to be accurate but is not warranted. Buyers and sellers are advised to personally verify all information given on this listing as some may be estimated. Neither brokers nor sellers are responsible for inaccuracies in this information. The listing broker’s offer of compensation is made only to participants of the LCBR MLS.