The Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour (SMLCHT) is a fundraising event held on the shores of Smith Mountain Lake near Roanoke, Virginia. During its 22 year history, it has raised well over $3.5 million for charity.  

Eight beautiful lakefront homes are opened for touring by the general public on Columbus Day weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 11, 12 and 13 in 2013).  Uniquely, all Tour homes are accessible by road and by water, and a significant number of residents and visitors travel from home to home by private or rented boat. Volunteers staff the homeowners’ docks to assist boaters with docking and departure.

Volunteers also act as hosts and hostesses at each home to welcome guests, point out construction features, furnishings, décor, and collectibles of special interest, mention sponsor names, and make sure traffic moves smoothly.  Some 1200 volunteers assist with the planning, administration and hosting of the SMLCHT each year. Homeowners typically are on hand to interact with Tour goers and answer questions about the construction, remodeling, decorating, landscaping, collections and/or antiques that make each home special. . 

Proceeds from ticket sales ($20 in advance; $25 on Tour days, available at www.smlcharityhometour.com after July 1, and at the homes on Tour weekend) and from sponsor and patron donations are divided among eight participating charities, each of which supplies volunteers to help staff Tour homes. Participating charities are selected by committee from among 501c3 organizations that apply, and must serve needy people in the SML area to be eligible.

The event, which can accommodate over 3,000 ticket holders, began in 1991 as the “MS Home Tour,” with the Blue Ridge Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Charlottesville, VA, as the sole benefactor. After six years, the Tour was incorporated as the “SML Charity Home Tour” to involve charities serving a broader spectrum of human needs. The Tour was named the Most Innovative Volunteer-Driven Fundraiser in the nation by the National Multiple Sclerosis in 1993, and in 1992 it was honored as the largest per capita fundraiser in the nation by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. About thirty different 501-C(3) charities in the region have received funds from the event, and 198 homeowners have graciously opened their homes to visitors during the Charity Home Tour’s first 22 years of operation. 

Attractions in the area include Smith Mountain Lake, with over 500 miles of both developed and pristine shoreline and spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains; the Booker T. Washington National Monument; the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford; the Bedford Wine Trail (5 wineries); the eastern end of the Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail (bluegrass music, instrument makers and history); and the Roanoke Transportation Museum (Norfolk and Western Railroad historical displays).  

• Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/charityhometour
• Visitor info on Smith Mountain Lake: www.visitsmithmountainlake.com