10 Charming Lakeside Cottages for Summer

Watervale Inn, Arcadia, Michigan

Swimming is a favorite pastime at the Watervale Inn, but you can also immerse yourself in history with a stay in one of its quaint cottages that date back to the town's 19th-century lumber-mill days. With old-fashioned names like Mary Ellen and Ursula, the lakeside cottages offer vintage charm and many have screened porches and fireplaces.

Rates: Summer-season cottage reservations are booked by the week. Cottage occupancy ranges from four to 11 people, and rates start at $1,330. There's an additional weekly meal charge of $196 per cottage guest that covers breakfast and dinner.

Lafitte's Landing Guest Quarters, Uncertain, Texas

Classic New Orleans-style architecture on a quiet cove dotted with cypress trees draped in Spanish moss: that's Lafitte's Landing Guest Quarters on Caddo Lake in Uncertain, Texas. Its five cottages feature high ceilings, spacious bedrooms, parlors, and "butler's pantries," or kitchens. Lafitte's is a certified Backyard Wildlife Habitat, so you don't have to go far for bird-watching. Beyond your porch, explore the lake on a paddle-wheel steamboat, visit nearby historic towns, or head to Caddo Lake State Park for nocturnal adventures such as Owl Prowls, Bat Watches, and Friday Night Frog Choruses.

Rates: Rates are $120 per night for double occupancy; each additional person is $25 per night. Note that Lafitte's accepts cash or check only.

Lake Placid Lodge, Lake Placid, New York

With 17 cabins nestled along the shores of Lake Placid, the arts-and-crafts-style Lake Placid Lodge offers a summer lake experience that's both private and pampered. Lakefront cabins come outfitted with hand-built beds, stone fireplaces, and soaking tubs. Take a lake cruise aboard the lodge's 35-foot Hacker-Craft mahogany boat, go for a hike, or hit the lake for swimming, fishing, or kayaking.

Rates: Room rates include full breakfasts, nightly turndown services, stocked in-room refrigerators, and on-site activities. Summer nightly rates range from $559 to $1,899. Children younger than 12 are only allowed at the lodge during some holidays and the month of March.

Lake Crescent Lodge, Olympic National Park, Washington

Built as a resort early last century, Lake Crescent Lodge's cottages and cabins are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Choose between one- and two-bedroom Singer Tavern Cottages, all with lake and mountain views, or stay in the always-popular (and often booked) Roosevelt Fireplace Cabins. Spend your days hiking in the surrounding Olympic National Park & Forest, exploring Lake Crescent by boat, or simply whiling away the hours on the main lodge's sunporch.

Rates: Nightly rates for cottages and cabins range between $217 and $298. The lodge also has packages, such as the Bed & Breakfast Special that includes overnight accommodations for two plus breakfast at the lodge's award-winning restaurant.

Lakeside Cottages, Lake Placid, Florida

Discover the serenity of Old Florida in a cottage hideaway at Lakeside Cottages in Lake Placid, Florida. Lining a sandy stretch of Lake Clay in the central part of the state, three cottages (plus three houses and two duplexes) offer full kitchens and screened porches. The five-acre property includes a fishing pier, Spanish-moss-draped oak trees, and a private beach.

Rates: Nightly rates in the cottages range from $99 to $275. The cottages are also available for weekly and monthly rates, and the property runs weekend specials.

Abigail's Lakeside Cottages, Geneva on the Lake, Ohio

Abigail's Lakeside Cottages have all the ingredients you'll need for an ideal summer-at-the-lake vacation. Classic 1932 cottages retain original exteriors but have been extensively renovated to offer modern comforts, including air-conditioning and updated kitchens and bathrooms. Outside, guests can lounge on a sprawling lawn underneath the shade of large trees, sunbathe on the private sundeck, and swim in the lake.

Rates: Summer nightly rates range from $150 to $350, and weekly rates range from $850 (for up to four guests) to $1,375 (for up to nine guests). There's a two-night minimum on weekends.

Tamarack Lodge & Resort, Mammoth Lakes, California

Mammoth may be best known for its wintertime skiing, but Tamarack Lodge & Resort, perched on the peaceful shores of the Twin Lakes, delivers summer bliss in the California Sierras. Choose between recently built Deluxe Cabins (including a LEED-certified three-bedroom lakeside cabin) and historical timber-and-stone cabins. Swimming, fishing, boating, biking (you can take a trolley up the mountain and then bike back down), and hiking are popular pastimes with summer guests.

Rates: Summer cabin rates range from $169 to $999 per night.

Conway Lakeside Cottages, Center Conway, New Hampshire

Spread across several acres in an old pine grove bordering Conway Lake, Conway Lakeside Cottages' five rentals feature full kitchens, fireplaces, and screened porches complete with rocking chairs. Hammocks, picnic tables, and gas grills turn each yard into an extension of your one- or two-bedroom cottage. Guests can bring their own boats or use the property's rowboats, kayaks, canoe, or paddleboat.

Rates: Between June 22 and September 3, there's a minimum stay of one week. Summer weekly rates range from $850 to $1,375.

Golden Pond Resort, Monticello, Kentucky

Only a few of the cabins at Golden Pond Resort on Kentucky's Lake Cumberland are lakeside, but those that are offer a winning combination of laid-back charm and comfort. With features like screened porches, outdoor fire pits, and even private fishing decks, cabins such as the Ginger Chalet, the Serenity Ridge Cabin, and the Lake House offer a water-centric getaway. Plus, the resort delivers amenities such as a private pool and tennis court.

Rates: There's a two-night minimum booking on cabin stays. Summer rates range from $219 to $395 per night or $1,158 to $2,100 per week. An additional cleaning fee adds $65 to $110 to each stay.

Elkins Resort on Priest Lake, Nordman, Idaho

Experience the best of the West in one of Elkins Resort's 30 log and cedar cabins. Spend days soaking up the view of crystal-clear Priest Lake and evenings cozied up next to your cabin's granite fireplace. The mountain-lake resort has a sand beach, and the waters are ideal for kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, and wakeboarding.

Rates: Weekly summer rates (from June 29 to August 23) range between $1,435 and $5,593, depending on the size and location of the cabin. Cabins sleep from two to 14 people.

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