Photos Hardy Realty
For many years, the locals around Alabama’s Weiss Lake considered their aquatic paradise one of the best-kept secrets in the Southeast. But these days the word is out: Weiss Lake is the place to visit—and to buy. The potential is abundant, and homeowners and businesses alike are snatching up properties. The lake covers 30,200 acres and boasts 447 miles of shoreline. With a combination of deep channels, shallow flats, and expansive coves, the lake is an outdoorsman’s dream come true. And as many fishermen know, the crappie, largemouth bass, and striped bass are biting. It’s no wonder the lake hosts as many as 15 annual fishing tournaments.
Hardy Realty is showcasing Weiss Lake Lodge (at 998 Cedar Bluff Rd., Centre, Alabama) as an ideal opportunity for some lucky buyer or investor with enough vision to capitalize on the rising interest in this lake community.
Lots to offer
Weiss Lake Lodge is a 28-room motel, situated on 2.7 acres in close proximity to the lake. It has RV parking, a swimming pool, a private pavilion with a kitchen, a tackle shop, and room for boat storage. Conveniently located, the Lodge is about a one-hour drive from Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Birmingham.
Currently, Weiss Lake Lodge is owned by Gauntlet Private Investments, of Los Angeles, California. They are open to selling outright, but they are also interested in taking on a co-owner for the property. Mike Clinton, Gauntlet’s managing partner says, “Honestly, I’d love to find a partner. I love the lodge. We’ve made some extraordinary plans for this place that we think will make it a pillar in the community, a gathering place.” There’s plenty here to catch the public’s attention, starting with the two oversized fish statues in the front yard, which have made the lodge a memorable landmark. “People pull off to the side of the road to take pictures,” Clinton says.
“We have some pretty solid plans,” Clinton explains, “but in the meantime, the economy being what it is, I’m staying open to God’s plan for the whole situation. We want to be flexible. We’re willing to invest alongside someone else, but if a buyer comes along who has a different vision for the property, we’ll respect that as well.”
Interested parties are invited to ask about owner financing and equity swap.
Room for change
The land around the lodge provides some elbow room for creating new points of interest. Clinton says, “There’s a large piece of adjacent land where I think we could do some fire pits, some outdoor grills, and—if there’s room—a small wedding venue or a small amphitheater—twenty to fifty seats—and room for performances, acoustic guitar and that kind of thing. We’re working with an architect right now to see what all we can fit in.”
Plans are in the works to add value to the lodge itself. “We want to upgrade it to more of a modern farmhouse look,” Clinton says, “and improve the rooms: nicer beds, nicer sheets, nicer televisions, cool colors. We’d also like to add some sort of food service—a restaurant or a food tenant. We already have a picnic area, so we’d have space to serve people on the street. We have a kitchen area, and we’d like to expand on that. We’re still planning, we’re having multiple conversations. There aren’t a lot of places to eat in this particular part of Cedar Bluff, so we’re hoping to offer something.”
With the Weiss Lake area becoming more desirable for buyers, housing is quickly becoming an issue. The owners of the lodge have an idea that will be a helpful solution. As Clinton puts it: “For at least ten of our twenty-eight rooms, we’d like to renovate them into studio apartments. That would help offset the seasonality of the business and provide more housing for the local community.”
A heart for the place
“The ideal buyer or partner needs to be someone who sees the vision for this particular location and understands Weiss Lake,” Clinton says. “I try to explain to people how gorgeous this lake is. I compare it to Lake Como in Italy; that’s how beautiful it is. It’s amazing. If you understand the beauty of this place, you know you’ll always have visitors here. And considering all the fishing tournaments, I think someone with a passion for these things can really fall in love with this location. This needs to be someone who wants to be part of what’s happening locally.”
It cannot be overstated that this is a place that caters to the fishing community. Clinton says, “We have a full fish-cleaning station as well as an on-site tackle shop, where we sell fishing supplies. Also, we have charging stations for the fishing boats’ trolling motors. The RV park is not up and running yet, but for now, people can park their RVs in the parking lot.”
Also, Weiss Lake Lodge has three small cabins that are usually occupied by outdoorsmen who want to be as close as possible to camping outside, perfect for those who want to rough it a little bit, rather than staying in a motel room.
Tom Sipp of Hardy Realty says, “Weiss Lake has really changed over the years. I’ve been in this area for two decades, and when I first came, a lot of people didn’t really know about this community. Since Covid there’s been a real estate boom, and this lake has exploded. Now, this area is really being discovered, as far as property sales go. And the population out here has also increased. Weiss Lake Lodge is in a perfect position to take advantage of that growth. It has great potential.”
For more information on this property, visit HardyRealty.com or call Hardy Realty agents Tom Sipp (706-346-4077) or Larry Cagle (770-241-0772).
