Favorite Tennessee Waters

[southkogs]

Hey Y'all: Where's your favorite place to boat in Tennessee? There are bunch of great places to go, and I'm convinced that even on the waters I know relatively well there are things I'm missing. I'm near Nashville, so I know Percy Priest Lake (mostly the southeast end), and I've been in several places on Center Hill Lake and two spots on Normandy.

I'm also interested to know of spots of interest that are fun places to go. For example, a couple of years ago we spent an afternoon trip out to Center Hill to boat over to Fanchers Waterfall (36? 0.054'N, 85? 37.122' W) and it was a nice destination (but watch out for the snakes). We'd like to try Burgess Falls from the water, but I hear that's more difficult.

So where are the cool boating destinations in Tennessee?

 

[brumbyvet]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

Cherokee Lake, up near Morristown/Jefferson City. It's a large lake with plenty of places to get lost .

 

[Cincyrunner]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

You live in TN...I'm jealous! We just returned from a week at Lake Norris and absolutely fell in love with the place! I couldn't imagine having more places like that at my every whim.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

The most beautiful Tennessee lake is Dale Hollow--north of Cookeville on the KY line. Google "Dale Hollow" for details. It's a mountain lake--and very large--with deep clear waters. It's more of a nature type lake--not a residential home lake.

I grew up in Nashville, and am very familiar with Percy Priest and Old Hickory Lake. They're both big assets to the Metro area.

Tims Ford-- 5 miles south of Lynchburg and 1 mile west of Winchester--is a TVA lake, so they have houses right on the water.
It's also a good recreational lake.

I have been on all of the lakes in Middle TN, and Wilson Lake (Florence/Muscle Shoals) is where I retired--on the Tennessee River. We're 2 hrs. south of Nashville and 65 minutes south of Columbia. It's a great deep water lake, with absolutely magnificent houses on the water. This lake is in the middle of 4 cities with 140,000 people, so we have good shopping, groceries and fine hotels. Closeby is the Joe Wheeler State Park on Wheeler Lake--another great fishing lake.

Savannah's Pickwick Lake is very popular with Memphis folks, and it has the largest inland marina in the U.S. Pickwick's 60 miles long, with 2 state parks and incredible condo developments. Fishing is triple top notch, but for recreation--Wilson's got it beat.

Lake Guntersville is another incredible lake within close proximity to Nashville--over the mountain south of Winchester, TN @ Scottsboro, AL. They also have a city (Guntersville) in the middle of the lake with state park and hotel accommodations right on the water. The sunset on a beautiful evening is a sight to behold from the Guntersville State Park Hotel (on top of a mountain.) Like Pickwick, Guntersville fishing is about as good as there is in the U.S.

What I like about the Tennessee River system is that you're not land locked. You can take day/weekend trips--stopping along the way to do interesting things, and staying in hotels or state parks if you desire. The scenery gets better the farther you go east toward Knoxville.

 

[hog88]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

We spend most of our time on Old Hickory (live 1/2 mile from a ramp) which is a good lake, just need to get to know it. But my favorite TN lakes are Norris and Dale Hollow. We will be back at Norris at Flat Hollow Marina next summer in one of the floating houses and can't wait.

 

[HollieMac]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

Thanks Bamaman for the list of lakes to go..i'm heading back to the Holler this week--wish y'all were coming!
i'm taking my Classic Glastron Carlson and it will be her first time on the water for many years.

 

[Chuck1a]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

IMHO - Does not get any better than the TN River.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

um................... Jack Daniels ?

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

You live in TN...I'm jealous! We just returned from a week at Lake Norris and absolutely fell in love with the place! I couldn't imagine having more places like that at my every whim.

Norris is really pretty. I have a friend who lives in Norris, but I haven't been out on the lake yet ... just standing on the edges drooling.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

The most beautiful Tennessee lake is Dale Hollow--north of Cookeville on the KY line. Google "Dale Hollow" for details. It's a mountain lake--and very large--with deep clear waters. It's more of a nature type lake--not a residential home lake.

I grew up in Nashville, and am very familiar with Percy Priest and Old Hickory Lake. They're both big assets to the Metro area.

Tims Ford-- 5 miles south of Lynchburg and 1 mile west of Winchester--is a TVA lake, so they have houses right on the water.
It's also a good recreational lake.

I have been on all of the lakes in Middle TN, and Wilson Lake (Florence/Muscle Shoals) is where I retired--on the Tennessee River. We're 2 hrs. south of Nashville and 65 minutes south of Columbia. It's a great deep water lake, with absolutely magnificent houses on the water. This lake is in the middle of 4 cities with 140,000 people, so we have good shopping, groceries and fine hotels. Closeby is the Joe Wheeler State Park on Wheeler Lake--another great fishing lake.

Savannah's Pickwick Lake is very popular with Memphis folks, and it has the largest inland marina in the U.S. Pickwick's 60 miles long, with 2 state parks and incredible condo developments. Fishing is triple top notch, but for recreation--Wilson's got it beat.

Lake Guntersville is another incredible lake within close proximity to Nashville--over the mountain south of Winchester, TN @ Scottsboro, AL. They also have a city (Guntersville) in the middle of the lake with state park and hotel accommodations right on the water. The sunset on a beautiful evening is a sight to behold from the Guntersville State Park Hotel (on top of a mountain.) Like Pickwick, Guntersville fishing is about as good as there is in the U.S.

What I like about the Tennessee River system is that you're not land locked. You can take day/weekend trips--stopping along the way to do interesting things, and staying in hotels or state parks if you desire. The scenery gets better the farther you go east toward Knoxville.

Great List Bamaman!! I actually just got back today from Dale Hollow. I get to go up there each year for a company retreat. I get about 4 hours on the lake, but it never affords enough time to explore the more interesting places on the lake.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

We spend most of our time on Old Hickory (live 1/2 mile from a ramp) which is a good lake, just need to get to know it. But my favorite TN lakes are Norris and Dale Hollow. We will be back at Norris at Flat Hollow Marina next summer in one of the floating houses and can't wait.

Have you ever made the run down to Nashville? I've always wondered if that would be a worthwhile day to boat along the riverfront downtown.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

um................... Jack Daniels ?

Hey Paul - if you've not been down here one of the funny things about the JD distillery is that it sits in a dry county. Kind of a funny chunk of trivia ... especially when visitors are all charged up for a visit to the "mother ship."

BTW - I get up to Eagan each year at least once. I design trade show exhibits and our manufacturer is based in Eagan. I have some friends who live about 30 miles west of Minneapolis (completely blanking on the town right now) and got to spend a few days with them. I've gotten to enjoy the area up there. Would love to run some of the lakes up that way.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

Hey Paul - if you've not been down here one of the funny things about the JD distillery is that it sits in a dry county. Kind of a funny chunk of trivia ... especially when visitors are all charged up for a visit to the "mother ship."

BTW - I get up to Eagan each year at least once. I design trade show exhibits and our manufacturer is based in Eagan. I have some friends who live about 30 miles west of Minneapolis (completely blanking on the town right now) and got to spend a few days with them. I've gotten to enjoy the area up there. Would love to run some of the lakes up that way.

I had heard that was a dry town...ironic ! PM me when your coming up. I will take ya out on a river run, weather permitting, of course !

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

Rog-O ... I'll settle for a ride in the Thundercraft, but if you can pull out the Spruance Destroyer that'd be awesome

Next time you head this way, you set up the visit to see them make JD - I'll get you a list of places you can actually drink it!

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

Rog-O ... I'll settle for a ride in the Thundercraft, but if you can pull out the Spruance Destroyer that'd be awesome

Next time you head this way, you set up the visit to see them make JD - I'll get you a list of places you can actually drink it!

Ya gonna have to settle for the T - craft. Last time I put fuel in the destroyer, the meter was reading $285.000.00 and the gas gauge was barely off empty. Besides that the NAVY used it as a target and sunk it off the coast of Hawaii awhile back...:facepalm:

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

That had to be somewhat sad seeing her sunk. I grew up an Air National Guard kid. All of my experiences wrap mainly around air bases and airplanes, even though I never enlisted. I've always had a respect for the NAVY, but it wasn't until a trip to San Diego a few years back that I really GOT how incredible those ships are. Last year I took my family to Williamsburg, and we spend a day going down to Newport News to the USS Wisconsin - it was amazing.

So, I'll probably tease the NAVY pilots here or there (just for tradition sake) but I've got nothin' but resect for the sailors on the overall - especially now-a-days when they can tag my house in TN with a Tomahawk without even crankin' up the engines in Virginia.

 

[chris.j.marshall]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

I have to agree that Cherokee lake is the place to go. When I was a kid my dad would rent a cabin down there. We went there three times for a week and spent another long weekend on the lake. There's still a ton of lake I've yet to cover.

 

[hog88]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

Have you ever made the run down to Nashville? I've always wondered if that would be a worthwhile day to boat along the riverfront downtown.

No, we keep talking about it. Was going once last year but they had a barge going through the lock and we didn't want to wait. One of these days we'll make the trip.

 

[paultjohnson]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

That had to be somewhat sad seeing her sunk. I grew up an Air National Guard kid. All of my experiences wrap mainly around air bases and airplanes, even though I never enlisted. I've always had a respect for the NAVY, but it wasn't until a trip to San Diego a few years back that I really GOT how incredible those ships are. Last year I took my family to Williamsburg, and we spend a day going down to Newport News to the USS Wisconsin - it was amazing.

So, I'll probably tease the NAVY pilots here or there (just for tradition sake) but I've got nothin' but resect for the sailors on the overall - especially now-a-days when they can tag my house in TN with a Tomahawk without even crankin' up the engines in Virginia.

My ship was based in San Dog [ Diego] when i got on board.. Heck yeah it brought a tear to my eye when I heard that it had been decommissioned and sunk. When I got on it in 1981, it was only 2 yrs old and still had some of the new car [destroyer]smell. Everything was state of the art. We were in the public eye alot and very high profile being the Tomahawk test ship. Had the Russians out following us alot to try to watch our missle testing. They would be flanking us by a few hundred yds and would often get the view of many full moons in the middle of the day,[mine included] If ya know what I mean. Sorry WAY off topic here..

 

[southkogs]

Re: Favorite Tennessee Waters

No, we keep talking about it. Was going once last year but they had a barge going through the lock and we didn't want to wait. One of these days we'll make the trip.

When you do - post details. We've been toying with the idea too, but it'd make for a LOONNGGGG day.