10 Insider Tips for Boating With Kids on Smith Mountain Lake
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When it comes to family activities at Smith Mountain Lake, boating is one of the best ways to enjoy a day together. With its calm coves, clean water and more than 500 miles of scenic shoreline, the lake offers endless opportunities to swim, fish, tube and make lifelong memories.
A little planning goes a long way toward creating a safe, fun-filled day on the water. These 10 Insider tips will help keep kids, grandkids and their friends safe, engaged and smiling from the moment you leave the dock until it’s time to head home.
1. Safety first
Boating safely starts with wearing properly fitted life jackets. Kids—even strong swimmers—should wear them while underway or swimming off the boat. When adults set the example by wearing PFDs, it becomes second nature. 2
2. Set clear rules while underway
Make it a rule that kids stay seated while the boat is moving. No sitting on the bow with legs overboard, and never allow anyone in rear-facing lounge seats outside the cockpit while underway. Remind kids to keep arms and legs inside when docking.
Insider Extra: Never tow kids through the S-Curve or other congested areas.
3. Get kids involved
Before you leave the dock, ask kids what they want to do. Swimming at an island, tubing, fishing, spotting wildlife, or finding the ice cream boat all add to the fun. Build the day around their favorites so they feel part of the plan.
4. Plan for pit stops
On longer outings, plan a stop or two to stretch, use restrooms, or grab a bite. Ice cream breaks always rank high. Consult the SML Marina Guide for convenient spots no matter where you are on the lake.
5. Pack smart snacks and drinks
Bring a cooler stocked with water and easy, non-messy snacks like pretzels, crackers, or popcorn. Skip anything sticky or stain-prone and save yourself the hassle of cleanup later.
6. Turn lunch into an adventure
A picnic while anchored, drifting, or pulled up to one of the lake’s public islands is a highlight of any outing. The swim platform doubles as a buffet table, and floating nearby keeps everyone in the action.
Insider Extra: The coves at the base of Smith Mountain are known for especially clear, refreshing water.
7. Add a little learning
Share simple boating basics like navigation markers and right-of-way rules. Point out good boating behavior when you see it. Keep it light and age appropriate.
8. Follow along on the map
Pick up a free lake map and let kids track your route, checking off channel markers along the way. It turns the ride into a fun, interactive game. 10. Let them take the wheel. Letting kids “drive” for a few minutes—with an adult fully in control—is a memory-maker. Choose a quiet cove with calm water and no traffic, and don’t forget to snap a photo.
9. Don’t skip the sunscreen
Apply and reapply high SPF sunscreen throughout the day. A great outing can quickly be overshadowed by a painful sunburn.
10. Let them take the wheel
Letting kids “drive” ” for a few minutes, with an adult fully in control, is a memory-maker. Choose a quiet cove with calm water and no traffic, and don’t forget to snap a photo.
11. Bonus: Stay out after sunset.
On calm summer nights—especially on weekdays when boat traffic is light—the lake offers incredible stargazing. Find a protected spot, drift, and look up.
Insider Extra: Keep your running lights on while drifting.
With a little planning and a focus on safety and fun, a simple day on Smith Mountain Lake can turn into the kind of lake memories kids carry with them for a lifetime.
Jerry Hale
STAFF WRITER
When he’s not writing about the Smith Mountain Lake, you might just find Jerry out wake surfing or just idling through its coves, practicing guitar or banjo on his deck at the Cottages of Contentment Island, playing steel drums or volunteering with LCM, Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Neighbors Helping Neighbors or the SML Charity Home Tour.
