Things to Do at Kerr Reservoir

Occoneechee State Park

Occoneechee State Park in Mecklenburg County occupies land along the Virginia shore leased from the Army Corps of Engineers. The park honors the Occoneechee people, an indigenous group who inhabited an island in the Roanoke River at this location before the reservoir flooded it in 1952. The tribe was nearly exterminated in May 1676 during Bacon's Rebellion, and survivors eventually sought refuge at Fort Christanna in what was then Brunswick County.

The park offers camping, hiking trails through mixed Piedmont woodland, picnic areas, and boat ramp access to the main Virginia lake body. The historical interpretation available at the park — connecting the reservoir's creation to the submergence of inhabited indigenous land — is a dimension of the lake's history that no other Virginia lake offers at this level of documented specificity. Bald eagle sightings are common from the park shoreline year-round; the Kerr Reservoir area has one of the stronger bald eagle populations in Virginia, a fact noted by multiple wildlife resources describing the lake as an excellent bird-watching location.

Prestwould Plantation (1795)

Prestwould, located near Clarksville along the Roanoke River, is one of Virginia's most significant Federal-period plantation properties. Built in 1795 by Sir Peyton Skipwith, the estate's main house is a two-story Georgian structure considered one of the finest surviving examples of its period in Virginia. The property is managed by the Prestwould Foundation and is open for tours during the season. The nearby The Cliffs at Prestwould development takes its name from the adjacent historic estate.

For buyers who care about historic preservation and regional history, Prestwould is a genuine asset to the Clarksville area — not a recreation-focused amenity but a cultural institution of real significance. Its proximity to the lake community gives Kerr Reservoir a historical depth that purely manufactured resort communities cannot replicate.

Seven Corps Campgrounds and Public Beaches

The Army Corps of Engineers manages four campgrounds at Kerr Reservoir and leases additional land to both Virginia and North Carolina for state-managed campgrounds. Together, the Corps and state campgrounds provide seven facilities on the Virginia side alone. Several of the campgrounds have designated swim areas with public beaches, boat ramps, hiking and nature trails, picnic areas, and 26 wildlife management areas accessible from Corps-managed shoreline. Some sites have electric and water hookups for RVs. The Corps' campground infrastructure makes the reservoir a genuine destination for visitors arriving by RV or tent camping, which in turn creates a seasonal visitor economy around Clarksville and Boydton.

Southern Virginia Wild Blueway

Kerr Reservoir sits along the Southern Virginia Wild Blueway, a water trail connecting paddling destinations across southern Virginia along the Roanoke River system. The Blueway designation integrates Kerr Reservoir into a regional paddling and outdoor recreation network that extends from Smith Mountain Lake downstream through Leesville Lake, into Kerr Reservoir, and toward the North Carolina border. For kayakers and canoeists, the coves and upper arms of Buggs Island Lake — particularly the wildlife management areas maintained by the Corps — provide quiet water away from the main lake's boat traffic. Bald eagle, osprey, great blue heron, and a range of waterfowl use these areas year-round.

Clarksville Historic District

Clarksville's historic downtown district preserves 19th and early 20th-century commercial architecture along the main street, with the waterfront Town Dock visible at the end of the downtown corridor. The downtown has antique shops, local businesses, and the small-town character that larger lake communities lose as they commercialize. The Mecklenburg County Courthouse at the center of Boydton — the county seat 15 miles west — is another example of the working historic civic fabric that distinguishes Southern Virginia from purpose-built lake resort communities.

Regional Connections

Within a 90-minute drive in any direction, the Kerr Reservoir community has access to a range of regional destinations. The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville (45 minutes west) hosts periodic public programs. Raleigh-Durham's museum district — the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, the NC Museum of Art, and the Durham Performing Arts Center — is 90 minutes south. Richmond's Maymont estate (100 acres with Japanese gardens, petting zoo, and the Dooley Mansion), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (free general admission), and the Byrd Theater (opened 1928) are 90 minutes north. For lake residents who value access to cultural and educational institutions as a periodic complement to lake living, the dual-direction 90-minute range offers more than most comparable rural lake markets.