WELCOME TO THE INN CROWD!
The Bel Air Motel was originally constructed in the late 1950’s. When the most recent owners, the English family, decided to sell – it was an opportunity that the Cook family decided not to pass up. For years, the Bel Air has hosted families, fishermen and reunions – and that’s still the business plan. We’re just doing it as The Lakehouse Inn at Sledd Creek – with a complete renovation of all 18 rooms, the lobby and the cabins.
If you’re looking to recreate memories of summer camps and family road trips – this nostalgic inn is for you. Our outdoor space is unlike any other at Kentucky Lake – with cozy fire pits, family games and a two resort style pools. We’re a stone’s throw away from so many of the Lake’s most popular places to eat, shop, play – and launch a boat, of course!
Welcome to your lake house – where modern meets rustic and becomes home.
Our Story
We are Brad & Cindi Cook and our Kentucky Lake story starts on July 2, 2006. My own Kentucky Lake story started in August of 1964, when my parents chose to honeymoon there. We spent several summer vacations there as a family – swimming and playing on the beach at Kentucky Dam Resort. I remember being a kid at Kaintuck Territory — and those random “gunfights” that would break out in the street when the bank was robbed. Remember how you could get your picture made on a WANTED poster there? My family didn’t have a boat – but we loved the lake anyway.
Fast forward to 2006. After a
blind date the week before, Brad and I went on our 2nd date at Kentucky Lake on July 4th weekend.. He had a campsite at Buchanan — and a boat with engine trouble – but he was determined that we would have a great day on the water. He drove to Buchanan from Union City (over an hour), started his boat, left it running, drove back to pick me up in Union City, and we headed back to the lake. The boat was still running and we headed out on a perfect day. Of course, later in the day, the boat wouldn’t start. We got a tow from another boater – and headed back to the Airstream to feel the fireworks. We’ve been married 15 years.
We each had two children when we married, and as most parents know, teenagers with practice schedules and social lives can interfere with family lake time. So the boat and the Airstream were sold — and we enjoyed those years at the pool in our backyard. But in the summer of 2020, when all the kids were finally out of school, we ventured back to Kentucky Lake and rented a pontoon for the day from Green Turtle Bay. We cruised around, saw a “For Sale” sign in a yard at a house on Sledd Creek — and a few months later we were officially lake people again.
We spent six months renovating a super cute house from the 1960s with “great bones”, bought a boat, and we haven’t looked back. Kaintuck Territory might be gone (google it!) — but our kids love Kentucky Lake almost as much as we do. There are so many days when Brad and I watch the sun go down and think, “Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could enjoy a lake house vacation?”
For the next part of the story, we need to head back in time again to the summer of 2006. Brad and 
I were dating then — and one weekend in late July, his son was in a weekend baseball tournament in Marshall County. I drove over to the lake from Portageville, Missouri and met him so we could watch the game together. Our meeting spot? The Bel-Air Motel in Gilbertsville. The parents of the boys on the team were all there – grilling burgers and hot dogs while the kids swam at the pool. Later that day, we had Blizzards at the Dairy Queen in Draffenville.
Back to 2021. Every time we headed to Sledd Creek from Union City, we would hang a right at the Bel-Air Motel. I noticed a “For Sale” sign out front. It was there in the fall of 2021. It was there in the spring of 2022. Still there during the summer. One day, when Brad and I were rained off the water, we drove to The Thirsty Turtle, and I asked if he ever thought about buying the Bel-Air. We talked about how cool it would be to have a hotel close where family could stay when they visited. Our lake house brought us so much happiness — what if we could do that for people with the Bel-Air?
So we bought a hotel. The deal closed in October of 2022 and the renovations started soon after. Our goal is to keep what everyone loved about the old Bel-Air — while making it a place where families can experience a lake house. Just like my family in the 1970’s, they don’t need a boat. We’ve got a super cool resort pool that will keep kids entertained all week. In the evenings, everyone can play corn hole and ping pong and horseshoes. And catch fireflies. And enjoy the bonfire. No boat required.
The old Bel-Air Motel is now officially The Lakehouse Inn at Sledd Creek. We have 18 rooms and four cabins — and we want to provide a luxury (yet affordable) stay for families who want to fall in love with the lake. Future plans include campers for rent and an event space for gatherings of families and businesses. At some point, we’d like to have a restaurant. After that? Who knows?! Maybe we’ll buy another motel – or build one. Maybe we will just sit on our dock and watch the boats go by. But I can guarantee you that whatever we do, we will be doing it at Kentucky Lake.