Lake Hamilton Lakefront: Huge Covered Deck, Fire Pit, Dock & Hot Tub, 4BR/4BA

Scott Forge Lake House: a quiet stretch of Lake Hamilton, five minutes from Central Avenue.

The house sits on a full acre, on a private road shared by four homes. It's all on one level, with vaulted wood ceilings, a stacked stone fireplace and a kitchen built for a crowd. Every bedroom has its own bathroom. Three have king beds, and the bunk room has four twin XL beds, an Xbox and its own TV, so the kids have their own space. The house sleeps 10 in real beds. For bigger groups we can add two twin air mattresses for kids, made up like a real bed.

Out back, the big covered deck has plenty of seating and stays usable in the rain, with the grill and the hot tub just off it on the open deck. A flagstone path leads down to a stone fire pit at the water's edge and a private dock with a swing and a swim ladder.

This part of the lake is a no-tow zone, so the water stays calm. Along the sea wall it's roughly ankle to four feet deep over pea gravel, a good spot for little ones to wade. Off the end of the dock it drops to roughly seven to nine feet for swimming and fishing. Depths change with the lake level, so they're approximate. Bring your boat and use the slip, or rent one a few minutes away.

Harps grocery, gas and restaurants are about five minutes out. Uptown Hot Springs and Oaklawn are about 15 minutes, and Garvan Woodland Gardens is close by.