Outdoor Adventures: State Parks

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Tennessee State Parks • TNStateParks.com • 615-532-0001

The state’s department of parks manages 56 state parks throughout Tennessee, each brimming with natural beauty, historic sites, and cultural resources. Tennessee State Parks do not charge an entrance fee; however, fees may be charged for various park activities and rentals. Here are a few nearby parks you may want to explore.

Photo: TN Tourism Henry Horton State Park is home to the Buford Ellington Championship Golf Course, touted as one of the finest courses in the state. This challenging course measures 5,625 yards from the Forward tees and 7,060 yards from the Championship tees. The park has camping (RV and backcountry), a 68-room inn, and rental cabins. Other amenities include an Olympic sized swimming pool, a trap and skeet range, and an 18-hole disc golf course, plus hiking, biking, and fishing in the Duck River. Henry Horton is located southwest of Williamson County in Chapel Hill.

Radnor Lake State Park is located four miles north of Brentwood. This 1,368-acre park is a favorite for hiking and wildlife viewing. At the Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center, visitors can observe non-releasable birds of prey and attend educational programming.

Photo: Holly Eaves

Long Hunter State Park has a two-mile paved trail where visitors can walk around Couchville Lake, perfect for strollers and wheelchairs. Couchville is a 110-acre tranquil lake and is great for fishing and all types of paddle boating. Park amenities include picnic tables and pavilions, seasonal kayak, jon boat, and canoe rentals, primitive camping, and mountain biking at the Bryant Grove Recreation Area. Long Hunter State Park borders J. Percy Priest Lake, a 14,000acre reservoir and one of the area’s favorite recreational boating and fishing lakes.

Photo: TN Tourism

Montgomery Bell State Park is located off I-40 in Dickson, with three lakes nestled into the 3,850-acre park with a swim beach and seasonal paddle boating rentals. The newly renovated Montgomery Bell Lodge overlooks Lake Acorn and has 117 guest rooms and a full-service restaurant and bar plus 6,000 square feet of event space. There are also eight modern rental cabins near Lake Acorn. The park’s campground has 94 campsites with several sites offering electric hookup and sewer. Other park amenities include an 18-hole golf course, hiking and mountain biking trails, playgrounds, picnic pavilions, and a gift shop.