Town Profile

Small Town

Silver Lake

by Deborah C. Gerbers photos by Mike Deak

Located at the southern part of Kosciusko County is the quaint town of Silver Lake. Since 1859, Silver Lake has been home to many charming attractions and its small-town vibe makes everyone feel welcome.

Bock Nature Preserve, Wildwood Nature Preserve, Silver Lake’s Memory Park and Rambler Park offer outdoor fun and recreation to kids of all ages. The Silver Lake Youth League, established in 1930, continues to be the place to go for America’s pastime: baseball. And while the season for this year was cancelled due to COVID, check out silverlakeyouthleague. org to learn more for next year’s season.

The Silver Inn Tavern is a fun, smalltown tavern with delicious food, a great atmosphere, and terrific customer service. Be sure to check out the live music performances and karaoke as well! Located at the corner of SR 14 and SR 15, The Silver Inn Tavern offers a wide variety of food and beverages to satisfy just about any craving.

Another must-visit is the famous Igloo Ice Cream Shop, where you can get oldfashioned, hand-dipped ice cream and other tasty treats. The Igloo also features soft serve flavors, shakes, and malts, sundaes, and irresistible “avalanches” in countless flavor combinations. Having company? Grab a few pints to-go of your favorite flavors—you won’t be disappointed!

Whetstone Woodenware is a neat place to visit for unique, handmade wooden goods. The Whetstone family-owned business features Whetstone Woodenware™ made by skilled craftsmen. Products are created from kiln-dried hard maple, which is grown and milled locally mainly from Pike Lumber, just ten miles from the shop. After hand turning, the wooden products are polished and treated with mineral oil for a beautiful finish. Visit whetstonewoodenware.com for more information.

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The west side of town borders Silver Lake itself, a small fishing lake with two smaller basins, North Little Lake and South Little Lake. Longtime resident Ann Sibray says Silver Lake is a lovely, peaceful place to be. “It’s a smaller lake, so no speedboats,” she said. “It is a fishing lake that’s not too big or busy.”

At 102 acres in size, Silver Lake has a maximum depth of 31 feet, averaging about 15 feet in depth. There are several inlets that flow from Little North Lake and an outlet to South Little Lake, called Silver Creek. With a fairly sandy bottom, Silver Lake is a great place to fish for bluegill and largemouth bass. The Bait Station of Silver Lake can help you get set for a day of fishing fun.

Looking for some boating fun on the waters of Kosciusko County? Check out Splendor Boats for service and sales. Certified marine professionals offer personalized service and high-quality repair and maintenance. Visit splendorboats.com for more information.

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