Lake Motels in the Southeast

The Lakehouse Inn at Sledd Creek

Gilbertsville, KY

A late-1950s Kentucky Lake motor lodge reborn as a warm, spotless boutique inn where two resort pools, gas and wood firepits, and a lawn full of cornhole and washers turn strangers into porch-swing friends. It feels less like a place you check into and more like a lake house the whole neighborhood was invited to.

Arka Motel

Rogers, AR

A 1960s cinderblock motel overlooking Beaver Lake, gut-renovated into a crisp mid-century-modern retreat and featured on HGTV's Fixer to Fabulous. Kitchenette rooms, a seasonal pool, two fire-pit lounges, and an on-site mountain-bike trail make it a base camp for the lake and the Ozark riding around Rogers and Bentonville.

Lookout Lodge

Eureka Springs, AR

Locally made log-cabin furniture, private balconies facing the Ozark forest, and in-room Jacuzzi tubs in several rooms. The windows actually open.

Sherwood Court

Eureka Springs, AR

A 1950s Eureka Springs property with individually themed cottages and rooms, complimentary firewood at the fire pits, and a trolley stop on the property. Carefully run and showing it.

St. Clair Motor Lodge

Falls of Rough, KY

Restored in 2020 with fresh flowers in every room on arrival, a fully stocked common kitchen, hammocks, and fire pits at a 1952 lakeside property. The kind of care that shows up in how a room smells when you open the door.

Sportsman's Lodge at Dale Hollow

Byrdstown, TN

A tidy, recently renovated roadside motel in Byrdstown that runs as the honest, best-value base camp on famously clear Dale Hollow Lake. Friendly family owners, spotless rooms, and an on-site picnic and grill area make it an easy landing spot after a day on the water.