A table by the lake
Holmes Bend Marina & Resort, Columbia
HOMEMADE PIMENTO CHEESE on toasted bread is a good choice any time. Paired with hot french fries, an ice-cold can of Ski and an immaculate lake view at Holmes Bend Marina & Resort in Columbia, it becomes something greater than the sum of its parts—an ideal of summer, perhaps. Or maybe just the promise of a great weekend on the water.
Kelly and Joey Caldwell, consumer-members of Taylor County RECC, have run the marina for 25 years, after taking it over from Kelly’s dad, David Butler, who had operated it since 1986. Kelly worked at the marina during summers throughout high school and college, and after graduating, decided to help expand the business through cabin and houseboat rentals.
Today, the marina is a destination on Green River Lake, offering pontoon boat and houseboat rentals, boat slips, cabins with full amenities, a playground, convenience store, hiking trails, restaurant and more.
Serving breakfast and lunch only, the restaurant is nothing fancy, Kelly says—and it doesn’t need to be. Bookending a day on the water are breakfast options like biscuits and gravy, country ham and hash browns; for lunch, locally famous hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, fish, corn dogs and more, with a selection of hand-dipped ice cream and slushies for dessert.
Kelly enjoys the seasonal nature of the business—the marina is open April 1–October 31—and connections with customers.
“I’m seeing generations of children come back that I’ve watched grow up here,” she says. “We watch them grow up and have families of their own, and they bring them back.”
Located at 5380 Holmes Bend Road in Columbia, the Holmes Bend Marina restaurant is open 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday–Sunday.
