The Story of Silver Bay View Cottages
Jim and Catriona Erler, the owners of Silver Bay View Cottages, first discovered Smith Mountain Lake in 1987, a few years after they moved to Northern Virginia from San Diego with their infant children. Craving the long open views they grew up with in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Jim and Catriona knew they had found the ideal spot for their young family to build vacation memories.
The Erlers purchased Cabin 1 in 1993 and began offering it as a rental a few years later. As the rental business grew, they purchased Cabin 2 and soon learned that there was a desparate need for accomdations large enough for reunions. When the Main House and Cedar Cabin became available in 2002, they purchased them and began major rennovations to prepare them for large reunions. Since 2003 Silver Bay has been a first choice on Smith Mountain Lake for reunions.
With the lake becoming a year-round destination there was a growing demand for hot tubs. So, in the spring of 2012 the Erlers undertook a major rennovation project where hot tubs were added to the Main House and Cedar Cabin, and all the properties were updated with new HDTVs and furnishings.
Today, Jim and Catriona divide their time between their lake home next to Silver Bay, and their home in Charlottesville. While Jim manages the properties, he is assisted by Tina & Brian Vandergraft who own and operate Maid4You housekeeping services.
About the Owners
Jim ErlerJim is an entrepreneur with a wide range of technical, artistic and business interests. When not managing Silver Bay, he is a mentor for technologists at the University of Virginia and at the Darden School of Business who aspire to start their own companies. He also consults for growing technology companies. Having a technical background in physics, chemistry and engineering, and having founded a semiconductor company, Jim offers a unique combination of technical and business expertise.
Jim's artistic interests inspired him to design Loblolly House, a reproduction of a famous 1908 Arts & Crafts home in Pasadena, California. Loblolly generated the interest of architects and academics who encouraged Jim to offer design services to others, which he now does. Loblolly House is next door to the Main House at Silver Bay and was featured in the Smith Mountain Lake Home Tour in October of 2011. It has also been featured in local and national magazines. If available, Jim is happy to offer private tours of the house. See www.ErlerDesign.com to see a video about the house.
Catriona Tudor ErlerCatriona is a garden author/photographer/speaker who has written 9 books and countless articles for national and international publications. Her books are available at Amazon.com, major booksellers and home improvement stores. You can also see her regular articles in the Smith Mountain Laker Magazine which is free at local businesses. Check out her web site, www.CatrionaTudorErler.com for more information
The Landing is generally recognized as the best restaurant on the lake, and we agree with this assessment. The quality of the food and its presentation is outstanding, with an excellent beer and wine list. In our opinion, it is as good as the best restaurants in a major city, with prices that are only slightly less than similar establishments in major cities. For those of you who have a passion for food and cooking, The Landing offers special event meals and cooking classes. There is outdoor and indoor seating. While they are on the lake, views of the water are obscured by boat lifts in front of the restaurant.
The Marina Café is the closest restaurant to Silver Bay. They have both indoor and outdoor seating and offer a limited menu of burgers and sandwiches. A great place to catch a bite with the locals.
Home-style cooking in a classic silver diner that is located at the local drive-in theater quickly brings us back to the 50’s and early 60’s. It is also a popular place for breakfast.
The Southern Belle offers private dinner cruises for up to 35 people. With indoor seating for dinner, and a large upper deck for pre and post dinner partying, the Southern Belle is one of the best ways to celebrate a family reunions. The deep water at Silver Bay makes it possible for them to pick up your entire party at any of our docks. Their food is excellent and the owners are wonderful hosts. We celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary on the Belle, so it holds a special place for our family!
The Virginia Dare has been cruising Smith Mountain Lake as long as we can remember, and is one of the more popular attractions on the lake. Beyond offering sightseen and dinner cruises to the general public, they also offer private charters. We have not taken a dinner cruise, so we can’t comment on the food. We did attend a private dockside party there, and the food was excellent. It is normally moored next to the Portside Bar & Grill (see above).