Virginia's Lake Country

The lakes

Practically bound by water on their southern borders, Mecklenburg and Brunswick counties truly harbor a lake country paradise. Much of life here centers on the natural beauty of two large lakes — Buggs Island Lake (John H. Kerr Dam and Reservoir) and Lake Gaston. Both lakes are featured in national sportsmen's magazines and provide an abundance of striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, walleye, catfish and bream.

Buggs Island Lake, a 50,000-acre impoundment with over 800 miles of wooded, cove-studded shoreline, is the largest lake in Virginia and one of the most scenic in the South. It hosts several national fishing tournaments each year. Recreation opportunities are available at North Bend Park and Occoneechee State Park, which encompasses 2,690 acres and is a haven for campers, nature lovers and fishermen.

Lake Gaston provides 20,300 acres of surface area with over 350 miles of shoreline. It offers ideal facilities for fishing, boating, swimming and other water sports, as well as highly desirable residential property and recreational attractions.

Stay, eat & shop

Comfortable accommodations are nearby, with motels in town and camping around the lakes. A shuttle service is available to and from the airport. Sherwood Manor Inn, a post–Civil War hospital, has been restored and operates as a bed and breakfast in a quiet setting a half mile north of Highway 58.

The area offers a fine array of dining — Southern home cooking, barbecue, steaks and seafood — with popular fast food a short drive from the airport. Shopping is fun in Lake Country, with antiques, country crafts, major department stores and small shops.

History & museums

Prestwould Plantation, built 1790–1795 by Sir Peyton Skipwith, Baronet, was one of the largest and most complex gentry houses in Virginia. The house retains an exceptional degree of its original interior and exterior detail, including three Federal-era porches and distinctly regional Georgian woodwork. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

MacCallum More Gardens in Chase City sits on a five-acre estate with formal gardens featuring 8,000 English and American boxwood, plus azaleas, dogwoods and other flowering plants.

Boyd Tavern in Boydton was an important stop for travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries. The frame Colonial structure is a Virginia Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.

South Hill grew up around the railroad: the Atlantic & Danville Railway purchased 56 acres surrounding its depot, forming the town. Today the depot houses the South Hill Model Railway Museum, with a museum-scale replica of a portion of the Atlantic & Danville Railroad, and the Virginia S. Evans Doll Museum, with over 500 antique dolls, furniture and carriages dating from the 1860s.

Discover the heritage of Virginia's tobacco farm families at the Tobacco Farm Life Museum of Virginia, with displays on tobacco production from seed to market. The Brunswick County Museum in Lawrenceville documents the county's history, with displays on Saint Paul's College, Governor Albertis Harrison, Fort Christanna and Brunswick stew.

Aside from all the sights and sounds of Lake Country, the people here are known for their friendly nature and smiling faces. Come see for yourself!