If you’re wondering how beaches in Tennessee exist, considering the state is completely landlocked, you might forget about the lakes. Tennessee has numerous beautiful lakes that are home to many stunning beaches.
Granted, they are not your typical tropical paradise with white sand and palm trees lining the beach; they are pretty impressive in their own regard. They are the perfect getaway for anyone looking for a scenic escape by the water. Here’s a roundup of the 15 best beaches in Tennessee.
1. Big Ridge State Park
Big Ridge State Park boasts 3,700 acres of dense forest with fertile valleys, narrow ridges, and picturesque scenery. It comprises the Appalachian Ridge and the Valley Range, both adding to the park’s aesthetic and area topography.
Big Ridge State Park has a vast network of hiking trails that extend 15 miles through ancient settlements, lush hollows, dried-up ridges, and stunning lake shores. The park is also home to Big Ridge Lake, which provides the perfect location for swimming, particularly if you need to cool off during the hot summer months.
There are plenty of amenities, including tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts, and a small playground for young children. If you plan to visit, schedule your trip for August to enjoy the annual Bluegrass Festival held in the park.
Recommended nearby stay in Gatlinburg: View listing
2. Cheatham Lake
Cheatham Lake isn’t an actual lake in the strict sense of the word. Instead, it’s a wider portion of the Cumberland River that looks like a lake and offers lots of recreational opportunities in the area. Cheatham Lake resulted from the construction of the Cheatham Lock and Dam located in Nashville and is an excellent site for boating, fishing, camping, and wildlife watching. It is also popular for water sports, including windsurfing, wakeboarding, water skiing, sailing, and tubing.
Cheatham Dam Right Bank has a massive recreational spot that hosts close to a hundred picnic sites, two marinas, 18 docks, 14 children’s playgrounds, and two campgrounds equipped with essential amenities.
A great way to explore the lake would be to rent a kayak and visit the little coves and hidden sand patches.
Recommended nearby stay in West Nashville: View listing
3. Cordell Hull Lake
About 40 miles east of Nashville is the grand Cordell Hull Lake. This massive 12,000-acre water basin, which sits on the Cumberland River, resulted from the construction of the Cordell Hull Dam in 1963-1973. It was built for recreation, navigation, and hydroelectric power generation.
Cordell Hull Lake offers several recreational activities for outdoor enthusiasts. You can camp, fish, boat, picnic, hike, bike, ride horses, and watch birds and wildlife. If you want to camp, you can do so in one of two campgrounds: Lick Creek and Defeated Creek.
If you just want to spend the day there, there are plenty of children’s playgrounds, picnic sites, and beaches at Cordell Hull Lake.
Recommended nearby stay in Campbell County: View listing
4. Chickamauga Lake
Chickamauga Lake is another hidden gem at the heart of southeast Tennessee. Located about 15 miles from Chattanooga, the lake boasts over 800 miles of pristine shoreline. The manmade lake was originally built to generate hydroelectric power and control flooding in the region.
Today, Chickamauga Lake is a popular spot for relaxation and recreational activities, including water sports like swimming and sailing. It is also an excellent fishing, biking, hiking, camping, and golfing site.
Chickamauga Lake hosts 15 marinas and 35 docking ports. It also has two state parks – Harrison Bay and Booker T. Washington Park – with several campgrounds, picnic sites, and well-maintained swimming zones. Harrison Bay State Park has an impressive 18-hole golf course if you need a change of scenery from the waterfront.
Recommended nearby stay in Rhea County: View listing
5. Cherokee Lake
The base of the Clinch Mountains in east Tennessee is home to the 30,000-acre Cherokee Lake. It is located approximately 45 miles from Knoxville, TN, and has quiet, still waters against the gorgeous backdrop of rolling hills and farmlands with rich pastures.
Cherokee Lake is one of Tennessee’s largest water basins and boasts nearly 500 miles of pristine shoreline with numerous docking ports. The lake has a park with several campgrounds and picnic sites equipped with barbecue grills, pavilions, restrooms, shower facilities, and swimming beaches.
The lake is a paradise for anglers. You can rent a boat or canoe and fish for stripers, white bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and crappie, all of which are abundant in the lake. If you need a break from the water activities, the park has several trails you can hike or bike.
Recommended nearby stay in Campbell County: View listing
6. Center Hill Lake
They say everything is big in Tennessee. This is true for the 18,000-acre Center Hill Lake in the Eastern Highlands, 72 miles from Nashville. The clear, blue lake waters are set against a backdrop of lush, green foliage and have a clean-cut shoreline that extends for 400 miles.
The lake has seven marinas, 20 docking ports, and several beautiful sandy beaches, ideal for sunbathing, picnicking, beach volleyball, swimming, and various water sports. Center Hill Lake is surrounded by three parks that offer well-equipped campgrounds and hiking trails.
While you’re there, make sure to visit the nearby waterfalls. They are massive and absolutely magnificent.
Recommended nearby stay in Cumberland County: View listing
7. Douglas Lake
Located at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, 40 miles east of Knoxville, TN is the 28,000-acre Douglas Lake. The lake boasts nearly 500 miles of pristine shoreline, mainly used for residential construction and farming.
Douglas Lake is a manmade water basin on the French Broad River and resulted from the development of the Douglas Dam for hydroelectric power generation. Today, the lake is a scenic site for a wide range of water sports, including kayaking, swimming, and wakeboarding. It is also popular with birdwatchers and anglers fishing for catfish, crappie, bluegill, and largemouth bass.
If you want to camp overnight, you can do so at Douglas Dam Headwater Campground. It has essential amenities and even a stunning sandy beach extending to the dock.
Recommended nearby stay in Wears Valley: View listing
8. Dale Hollow Lake
Dale Hollow Lake is another gorgeous manmade creation that boasts more than 600 miles of lush, untouched shoreline. It was created by constructing a dam on the Obey River to control flooding in the region.
The crystal clear lake waters are fed by pure springs, making the reservoir a popular recreation destination for the counties in the area. Dale Hollow Reservoir is best known for its stunning houseboats. Visitors can also enjoy a wide range of water sports, including tubing, wakeboarding, water skiing, and swimming.
Although there are no dedicated lifeguards, there are specific, well-marked, designated swimming areas with pristine sandy beaches, ideal for sunbathing and picnicking.
Recommended nearby stay in Cumberland County: View listing
9. Rock Island State Park
At the point where the Collins River and Caney Fork River converge is a peninsula home to the Rock Island State Park. From the moment you set foot here, the park’s serene ambiance and rugged beauty are breathtaking. Its crown jewel is the magnificent 30-foot-high Great Falls from the Great Falls Dam directly above.
Visitors are prohibited from swimming in the areas between the boat ramp on the main beach to the powerhouse due to the possibility of encountering treacherous hidden currents. Anywhere else beyond that is fine for swimming, fishing, and kayaking. There’s even a fun whitewater area you can go on if you crave an adrenaline rush.
Recommended nearby stay in Cumberland County: View listing
10. Old Hickory Lake
Old Hickory Lake is a 23,000-acre water basin 30 miles from Nashville, Tennessee. It is also a manmade lake that resulted from the construction of the Old Hickory Lock and Dam on the Cumberland River.
The lake has over 40 docking ports, four marinas, and two campgrounds. There are designated beach areas along the shoreline for swimming, sunbathing, and picnicking. You can also go kayaking, sailing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, and fishing.
Old Hickory Lake has plenty of amenities, including restrooms, barbecue grills, and picnic tables, to make your visit enjoyable.
Recommended nearby stay in Wilson County: View listing
11. Norris Lake
Norris Lake is a reservoir that resulted from the construction of Norris Dam in 1937. This old lake is located 60 miles from Knoxville, TN, and is surrounded by the Big Ridge State Park.
The most popular recreation spot on Norris Lake is the Loyston Point Recreation Area, which provides a scenic location for sunbathing, camping, fishing, and water sports like swimming and water skiing.
Recommended nearby stay in Campbell County: View listing
12. Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is massive. It is the largest manmade water reservoir in the world and extends over 160,000 acres. It resulted from damming the Tennessee River in 1938 to create the Kentucky Dam.
It is a popular recreation spot for residents and out-of-state visitors, particularly those who enjoy boating, hunting, and fishing. It is worth noting that aside from the campgrounds, there are no designated beaches or dedicated lifeguards on duty.
The most popular spot on the lake for swimming and picnicking is the Moss Creek Day Use Zone, between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. You’ll find several amenities here, including public restrooms, barbecue grills, and picnic tables.
13. Percy Priest Lake
Percy Priest Lake resulted from the construction of the Percy Priest Dam on the Stones River. It has stunning beaches along the shoreline, great for sunbathing and picnicking. It is a 12-mile drive from Nashville, TN, and offers many opportunities for swimming, water skiing, jet skiing, sailing, boating, and fishing.
You can strap on your boots and hit the hiking trails to explore the surrounding area for a change of scenery. If you enjoy bird and wildlife watching, you will feel at home here.
Percy Priest Lake is home to one of the best beaches in Tennessee. The Anderson Road Recreation Area has an expansive stretch of sand and plenty of amenities like picnic tables and barbecue grills.
Recommended nearby stay in West Nashville: View listing
14. Watts Bar Lake
Situated halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville is Watts Bar Lake. Dubbed the “King of all the Southern Great Lakes,” the reservoir is the result of damming the Tennessee River to generate hydroelectric power, control flooding in the region, and navigate.
Watts Bar Lake is massive and encompasses the region between Watts Bar Dam and Loudoun Dam. It means that even when millions of visitors flock to the area annually, it never gets crowded.
The lake has several marinas, which are home to houseboats, sailboats, and other watercraft. The large populations of crappie, white bass, black bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, catfish, and stripers, make it one of the best fishing locations for anglers.
The shores have basic amenities and do not have dedicated lifeguards on duty.
Recommended nearby stay in Rhea County: View listing
15. Grundy Lakes
Gundy Lakes is located about 95 miles from Nashville, TN, at South Cumberland State Park, Tracy City. If you consider yourself a history buff, it is one of the best beaches in Tennessee to visit. You’ll find the ruins of the 1883 furnaces used by the Tennessee Coal, Iron, and Railroad Company to convert mined coal into coke—a fuel with a high carbon content for steel production.
In 1930, the land was reclaimed and converted into the recreational spot you see today. There are plenty of things to do at Grundy Lake, including swimming, sunbathing, picnicking, and hiking. You can explore the gorgeous rock formations, deep gulfs, waterfalls, and streams. The views are spectacular.
Recommended nearby stay in Campbell County: View listing
In the meantime, check out our top picks for the best beaches in Texas.