Vacation on Smith Lake, Alabama

Thinking of taking a vacation, retiring, or building a summer lake house?Check out Smith Lake in Alabama! I know, I know. . . Alabama didn't seem like a wonderful place to retire or vacation to a California girl like myself, but Memorial Day Weekend changed my perspective. My parents just finished building a beautiful, 3 story lake house on Smith Lake in Arley, Alabama as a retirement home. They decided to invite us all out for Memorial Weekend to see the house, relax, and have fun.
It was a beautiful 3 & 1/2 hour drive from Olive Branch, Mississippi to Arley, Alabama, filled with small historic towns, alot of creeping kudzu, and lush, green trees. The 3 &1/2 hours went by quickly and everyone was excited as we approached what my parents said was the last bridge to cross over Smith Lake before we got to their Paradise Home.

Two cars driving in the opposite direction blinked their lights and my father informed us that road blocks are pretty normal in Arley. Arley is a dry county; they don't sell alcohol and check to make sure the alcohol you might have isn't on ice(some strange law). My Dad called my sister, who was following in the car behind, to make sure that the bottles of liquor and beer that she had weren't on ice, and that she had her license ready. As we drove around the final bend and approached the bridge we saw a young man with a stop sign in his hand and a Firefighter vest on. We slowed to a stop, and my Father rolled down his window.
"I'm sorry folks, but I'm gonna have to turn you around. . . there's been a really bad accident just over the bridge and they're sending in a helicopter for the passengers."

My Mom leaned over and pleaded: "Please, we live just on the other side of the bridge, is there any way we can get by?"
The young firefighter looked down to the other side of the bridge where we could see a fire engine, two ambulances, three cop cars and three other wrecked vehicles.
"I'm sorry mam, the bird is in the air and on it's way. If you don't mind waiting over here on the side of the road, that would be alright."

My parents thanked him and pulled over to the other side of the road into a gravel driveway where two teenagers had also decided to park. My sister and her husband followed and parked beside us. It was during our wait on the side of the road, while we listened to the chopper land, that my parents informed me that the Firefighters of Arley, Alabama were all volunteers and were rumored to be very efficient at putting out local fires. When we were finally given permission to cross the bridge and get to the house, everyone was excited about getting in to their suits and enjoying the lake before it got dark.

WOW, WHAT A VIEW! The house was at the top of a rocky bluff, over looking Smith Lake. At the edge of the bluff was an aluminum bridge that led out to the top story of my parents boat dock. The middle level of the house had a beautiful wooden deck that looked out over trees and the boat dock. The land next to my parents lake house was cleared out. My Dad informed me that their neighbors were getting ready to build a house and showed me where it would eventually be. He was happy that they wouldn't be putting it too close and they would still have their privacy. Everyone unloaded as fast as possible and rushed down to the dock to take a dip. It was WONDERFULLY PEACEFUL! The people in the boats that passed by waved politely and some even slowed down to say hello to my father or ask about boat dock builders, or other general contractors that could help them finish their dream homes and develop their properties.

The weekend passed by quickly, and no one really wanted to leave, but we all enjoyed swimming, playing, sun bathing, sipping Margaritas on the house deck, and just relaxing. I even got a chance to ride one of the jet skis for about 30 minutes before it started to stall because of bad gasoline. The lake is beautiful and definitely not over developed. Everyone seems to respect their neighbors' privacy and it's apparent in the way they strategically place their homes on Smith Lake.
If you are thinking about buying property and putting your dream home on a beautiful lake, CHECK OUT SMITH LAKE, ALABAMA! If you can't afford to do that, but you'd like to vacation there, there's plenty of places to stay around the lake area.