Editors' picks across 8categories — the dock with the deepest channel, the winery with the view, the restaurant with the right wine list, the trail nobody's on at sunrise.
Smith Mountain Lake's premier dining room, at Mariners Landing Resort — waterfront views from nearly every seat, a lakefront bar, and Modern American cuisine with an Andean Nuevo influence.
Visit ↗A premium rental fleet at Bridgewater Plaza near the Halesford Bridge — tritoons, ski boats, deck boats, and Yamaha WaveRunners across three locations, over 100 boats total, with 24-hour pay-at-the-pump fuel.
Visit ↗A marina at the end of Smith Mountain Lake Parkway, minutes from Smith Mountain Lake State Park — boat rentals, slip rentals, boat sales, and a gas dock.
Visit ↗The lake's commercial hub since 1986, at Halesford Bridge — restaurants, live music, retail shops, an arcade, mini golf, and the marina anchoring the whole complex.
Visit ↗A Virginia state park in Huddleston with a 500-foot beach — one of only two public beaches on the lake, open with a snack bar from Memorial Day through Labor Day — plus a public boat launch.
Visit ↗The double-curvature concrete arch dam that created the lake — 816 feet across and 235 feet high, built by Appalachian Power between 1960 and 1963. The reservoir began filling in September 1963 and reached full pool in 1966.
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