Silver Bay View Cottages are located in a quiet section of Smith Mountain Lake with superb wide-water lake and mountain views. The four properties are in two locations that are only a few minutes walk apart. The properties at Silver Bay View Cottages offer ideal settings for a romantic getaway for two, a family holiday or a large family reunion.

The cottages are located in the northeast corner of Smith Mountain Lake, near the dam. See our location in the Maps and Directions section of the Plan your Visit page.

Point View Cottages

The Point offers grand and spectacular views of the lake and Smith Mountain in a quiet, private setting populated with beautiful Loblolly pines and sweeping lawns. Two private deep-water docks offer easy access for boating, swimming and sunbathing. The point marks the entry to Witcher Creek, one of the best fishing areas on the lake. The houses on the Point offer a combined capacity of up to 16 people, making it the ideal location for family reunions. With the Bay View cabins a 5 minute walk away, 8 more people can be added to the party.

The Main House is a large, modern home with 4 bedrooms and 3 full baths that can comfortably accommodate 10 people. Two large public rooms and a large deck are designed for entertaining, making it the ideal gathering place for up to 24 people staying in the Silver Bay View vacation rental properties. If your party exceeds 24, please call and we can make arrangements with other nearby rental properties.

The Cedar Cabin, located about 100 feet from the Main House, is a generous 3 bedroom, 1 bath home that can comfortably sleep 6 people. A large, open-beamed public room is complemented with a deck that looks over the lawn that sweeps down to the water's edge and the views beyond.

Bay View Cottages

Two neighboring cottages in a row of ten that rim the shore of a secluded cove on Smith Mountain Lake, the Bay View Cabins are on the end, making them the most private of all. There are wilderness views of undeveloped forest and the lake, as well as Smith Mountain. The Bay View vacation rental cabins are located on Witcher Creek, which is a no wake area. This feature makes swimming very safe, and a sense of peacefulness prevails that you will not find in other areas of the lake that experience more boat traffic.

A private deep-water dock is shared by the two cabins, offering easy access for boating, swimming and sunbathing. Both cabins are two-bedroom, one-bath lakefront homes, with solid cedar construction, open-beam ceilings and hardwood floors.

While Cabin 1 and Cabin 2 are identical in construction, they offer different interior decor, features and views. Please check out their individual web pages to choose the one that best fits your personal preferences.

History

Smith Mountain Lake had its' beginnings in 1963 when the dam across the Roanoke River was completed. It took three years for the lake to fill, covering 20,000 acres and creating over 500 miles of shorline. The lake is operated by AEP to both generate and store electricity. Energy storage is achieved by pumping water up into Smith Mountain Lake from Leesville Lake that is immediately below the dam and visible in the photo above. The Smith Mountain Lake Dam Visitor Center includes excellent exhibits that explain how it all works. See the Activities page for directions and visiting hours.

The lake is about 200' deep near the dam, leaving forests, farms, roads and bridges hidden beneath the surface. The area was prepared by cutting down all the trees that would be near the surface, but leaving the trees that would be completely submerged, creating ideal habitats for fish. As the lake was being filled, early water skiers describe dodging trees as the flew across the water!

For decades the lake remained very rural with few amenities. However, in the mid-1960s, before the lake was full, retired Air Force Colonel Leo Bourassa recognized the beauty and economic potential of the lake. He chose land along Witcher Creek with the most beautiful lake and mountain views, and built all of the properties that are now Silver Bay View Cottages, and named the area "Cedar Key". Cabin 1 and 2 were built as part of a fishing resort, while the Cedar Cabin was built as Col. Bourassa's home. In the late 1970's he added the Main House to his compound on the point. Over the years the land was subdivided, and Col. Bourassa and his wife donated the forest at the entry to Cedar Key to the Virginia Department of Forestry as a wildlife preserve, which is what it remains to this day.

In the early 1990s, Hollywood discovered Smith Mountain Lake and the comedy "What About Bob?" was filmed here, although they said it was Lake Winnipesaukee in the film. In the years following the film, several stars from the film industry chose to vacation here. More recently, the Hallmark Movie Channel film "Lake Effects" was filmed here.

Smith Mountain Lake Today

As the lake became recognized as a vacation destination in the mid-Atlantic region, marinas, stores, supermarkets, restaurants and even two movie theaters appeared around the lake. Fortunately Silver Bay and the Cedar Key area remain largely untouched. The land across Witcher Creek, adjacent to Smith Mountain, is managed by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and will never be developed, preserving our beautifull views and pristine setting. The Cedar Key section of Witcher Creek is designated as a "no wake" area, which also preserves the quiet, natural feeling of the area.

In the early days, Col. Bourassa stocked Witcher Creek with striped bass, creating an intense spawning area each spring that remained well into the last decade. While Witcher Creek remains a prime fishing areas, DGIF rightly felt that it would be better for spawning to take place throughout the lake, so they now introduce fish in other locations as well.