In East Tennessee, one of the best lakes to visit in Tennessee is Norris Lake is adjacent to Rocky Top. Norris Lake is conveniently located 55 miles north of Knoxville and is reachable from Norris Dam State Park. As a Civilian Conservation Corps project, this 4,000-acre park was created in the first decade of the 1930s. With 800 miles of coastline, you may easily participate in any leisure activities you like, including camping, swimming, hiking, boating, and fishing. Norris Lake can be reached from Big Ridge and Cove Lake State Parks as well.

Go water-skiing and wakeboarding at this reservoir if you enjoy boating and other water sports. At one of the marinas, you can rent houseboats and pontoon boats. There are other rental alternatives, such hydro bikes, and tour services.

Norris Lake, which is stocked with more than a dozen species of fish, is a popular place to go fishing. These fish include different varieties of bass, trout, rockfish, walleye, crappie, catfish, and bluegill. The lake is said to be the cleanest in Tennessee, as evidenced by the crystal-clear water. Moreover, it is the biggest and deepest.

Location: Northern Tennessee

Northwest Tennessee, near to Kentucky and Arkansas, is where Reelfoot Lake State Park is situated. Reelfoot Lake merits your attention despite its isolation. This 18,000-acre expanse of water is Tennessee's largest natural lake, for starters. This lake is unique to the state in other respects as well. It was produced by earthquakes that took place more than 200 years ago and led to the Mississippi River backflowing. The lake and its bayous are dotted with enormous, bald cypress trees, some of which are partially submerged.

Any time of year is a good opportunity to see this beautiful body of water. Enjoy guided canoe floats through thick swamps in March and April and pontoon boat tours from May to September. Keep an eye out for bald eagles at Reelfoot Lake throughout the months of January and February. During their fall migration, thousands of white pelicans can be spotted along the Mississippi River flyway.

By camping at Reelfoot Lake State Park, you may take your time to appreciate the scenery. If tent camping isn't your thing, choose from seven cozy cabins with lake views for rent. Reelfoot Lake is an angler's dream, with about 50 different types of fish.

Location: northwest Tennessee

A magnificent lake called Cherokee Lake may be found close to Knoxville, Tennessee. The fame of this lovely lake is due to its excellent bass fishing, crystal-clear water, and stunning setting on the Tennessee hillsides. 400 miles of shoreline around the area's nearly 28,000 surface acres.

Cherokee Lake's shoreline is a well-liked vacation spot with boat docks, lodges, parks, picnic places, open spaces, a wildlife management area, and campers. Fishermen from all over the country come to the lake to catch crappie, sunfish, black bass, sauger, walleye, and many more common rough-fish species.

Cherokee Lake provides guests with a beautiful holiday location with top-notch fishing and birding habitats. It is surrounded by gently sloping hills and picturesque pastures. The numerous farmlands close to the lake are abundant in the lovely, tranquil country scenery. The impressive Clinch Mountain Range may be seen to the northwest of Cherokee Lake. Clinch Mountain (found on HWY 25E) has a viewing point that overlooks an area of considerable historical significance and offers a spectacular view of Cherokee Lake as you near the summit. Morristown, Jefferson City, and Rogersville are the three communities that surround Cherokee Lake.

A lot of people camp near the lake. One of Panther Creek State Park's most well-liked spots. Some of Cherokee Lake's best hiking and biking paths can be found in this stunning state park.

Location: northeast Tennessee

The site rights of Dale Hollow Lake are asserted across two states. A little more than a quarter of the lake is in Kentucky, while the rest is in Tennessee. The Obey River was dammed above its confluence with the Cumberland River to form the lake. The Wolf River is also covered by some part of the lake.

Renting a houseboat from one of the many marinas and resorts is one of the lake's more unconventional activities. Renting a cabin on a lake is another way to enjoy the peace of being on the water.

The reservoir was constructed to regulate flooding, but it is now used for recreational purposes. At Dale Hollow Lake, fishing and water-skiing are quite popular activities. The best thing to do at Dale Hollow if you enjoy fishing is to go fishing. It is home to the largest smallmouth bass ever recorded. The fish that you have the best chances of catching are crappie, various bass and trout types, muskellunge, and sauger, a fish that resembles walleye. At Dale Hollow Lake, you may also go swimming, wakeboarding, jet skiing, or sailing.

Due to its basic camping, Geiger Island, which is located within the lake, has tremendous popularity in the summer. Around the reservoir, there are a few summer camps as well as a marina that rents out cabins and offers boat storage

Location: on the Kentucky/Tennessee borde

Old Hickory Lake is a reservoir built by the Old Hickory Lock and Dam in 1952, is located in five counties in north central Tennessee, is one of the best lakes to visit in Tennessee. The reservoir is located around 40 kilometers from Nashville at an elevation of 136 meters above sea level. There are many facilities at Old Hickory Lake for the benefit of boaters. You have the option of launching your own boat or renting one from one of the numerous operators thanks to the eight public marinas and more than 40 boat access locations. You can rent a variety of watercraft to explore this 22,500-acre lake connected to the Cumberland River, including pontoon boats.

Additionally, you have the option to reserve a lakefront cabin or, if you'd rather, set up camp in one of the two US Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds, Cedar Creek or Cages Bend. The two most popular activities in Bledsoe Creek State Park, which is situated on a tributary of Old Hickory Lake, are fishing and boating.

There is an arboretum on the lake, but it isn't called after a hickory tree; rather, it bears the moniker "tough guy" given to previous President Andrew Jackson by his supporters. Old Hickory Lake is the nearest town to Hendersonville.

Location: north central Tennessee

The Tennessee River runs alongside Chickamauga Lake, which is located between Watts Bar and Chickamauga Dams. With 147 square kilometers of surface area, it is dispersed among five counties. More than 1,300 kilometers of the lake's shoreline are home to eight parks and two wildlife refuges. It is a well-liked destination for recreation, especially in the southern end, which is where the majority of the marinas are situated.

For bass fishing, Chickamauga Lake is regarded as one of Tennessee's top lakes. In 2015, a largemouth bass champion weighing 15 pounds was caught. Bass fishing is most productive in the late winter and early spring. In the more than 36,000-acre Chickamauga, anglers can also catch catfish and bluegill.

There are marina facilities available to boaters, particularly at the southern end, where pontoon boating is popular. Camping and hiking are typical lakeside activities, and swimming, water skiing, boating, jet skiing, and fishing are popular lakeside pursuits. When water levels are at their peak, from March through August, the lake is open for business.

Location: north of Chattanooga along the Tennessee River

Tennessee, in the United States, has a reservoir called Center Hill Lake. It is close to Smithville in Middle Tennessee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a dam to create a lake that serves as both a flood control and electricity generating facility in 1948. The Center Hill Dam is 260 feet (79 meters) high, made of concrete and earthen constructions, and has eight 50 feet (15 meters) wide gates. One of the Cumberland River's four main flood control reservoirs, along with Percy Priest Lake, Dale Hollow Reservoir, and Lake Cumberland, is Center Hill Lake.

There are 668 kilometers of shoreline along Center Hill Lake, some of which are dotted with second residences for the upper middle class. State parks Burgess Falls, Edgar Evins, and Rock Island are located along the remaining portion of the coastline.

Though there are many other leisure pursuits to partake in at Center Hill Lake, fishing is a well-liked activity there. The reservoir has a maximum depth of 58 meters and a surface area of more than 7,300 hectares.

Center Hill Lake, which is close to Smithville, was initially constructed for flood control and electricity generation. It still serves as a significant flood control reservoir for the region today.

Location: Middle Tennessee near Smithville

Near Johnson City, in Tennessee's northeastern corner, is where you'll find Boone Lake. Behind Boone Dam, it was created by the South Fork of the Holston River and the Watauga River. Above the dam is a bathing area. On the Watauga River and Boone Dam Reservation, there is a paved ramp at Winged Deer Park.

Boone Lake is a top boating destination because there is so much water to explore there. The popularity of water sports like wakeboarding, tubing, and skiing is comparable. Rentals, storage, and other services are offered by a number of marinas around the lake.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass, white and black crappie, and catfish are some of its game fish. The lake has hosted a lot of bass tournaments over the years.

If you want to unwind, lie back on New Boone Beach's beaches and enjoy the breathtaking scenery. You will never run out of things to do at Boone Lake with all of the activities available there. Get a piece of real estate on the lake for unending access to this beautiful area.

Location: Sullivan and Washington counties in northeastern Tennessee

Watauga Lake, which is located in the Cherokee National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains, is well known for its breathtaking scenery, and it is one of the best lakes to visit in Tennessee. It also boasts the distinction of being Tennessee's highest-elevation lake. Watauga Lake, in the northeastern portion of the state close to Elizabethton, is 45 miles south of the Virginia state line and 10 miles west of the North Carolina border.

The woodland that surrounds the lake creates a gorgeous setting that enhances its beauty. Swimming, water-skiing, boating, fishing, and camping are all very well-liked recreational pursuits in this area.

Boat launches and marinas improve recreational opportunities on the lake. They consist of kayaking, water-skiing, floating, and cruising. At marinas and resorts, you may hire stand-up paddleboards, speedboats, and pontoon boats, among other watercraft. The lake is 6,340 acres in size and has 105 miles of shoreline, allowing everyone to indulge their love of boating.

Location: east of Elizabethton, Tennessee

Percy Priest Lake, sometimes known as J Percy Priest Lake, is a reservoir located about 16 kilometers east of Nashville. The 5,700-hectare reservoir, which has three campgrounds, eleven picnic places, twelve boat ramps, and eight marinas, is a well-liked destination for relaxation. Boating, camping, fishing, horseback riding, picnics, wildlife viewing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, water-skiing, hiking, and biking are among the recreational activities available at the lake.

Boaters may easily reach Percy Priest Lake's waters thanks to the numerous marinas and boat ramps scattered across the lake. The lake is open to all kinds of watercraft, including sailboats, power boats, houseboats, paddle boards, canoes, and kayaks. Most marina locations provide boat rentals, including everything from pontoon party boats to ski boats.

There are many campgrounds, from constructed campgrounds to undeveloped camping on authorized islands. Camping grounds and recreational access points rent out picnic shelters. Water and power hookups, bathrooms, showers, fresh water, and dump stations are among the amenities found in most established campground areas.

One of the most popular activities for lake visitors at Percy Priest Lake is fishing. A current Tennessee State fishing license is necessary for all fishers. The lake has striped bass, large-mouth bass, small-mouth bass, white bass, Cherokee bass, sunfish, catfish, bluegill, and trout among other fish species. There are several different bank fishing areas as well as boat fishing chances.

Percy Priest Lake receives more than 5,000,000 visitors each year. With 5,700 hectares of water, the summer is when it is busiest.

Location: north central part of Tennessee