Water Activities in Nashville (Hendersonville, Gallatin: rental car, rental, how much)

[po-boy]

I have a question for all of you Nashville natives. It is a bit vague, but hopefully you will understand what I'm trying to get at:

How much of a connection does Nashville have with the water? I know it is on the banks of the Cumberland River (I remember the flooding last year), but I don't have a feel for how much of a factor the river is in daily life. Are there many lakes around the city? For a lot of cities, some on the ocean (beach cities) and some on rivers (New Orleans) the water is very ingrained in the local culture. Is Nashville that way? I visited once and it seemed like a nice place, but I didn't get a feel for that part of the city. In the summer do people go out on the water to tube, sail, fish, swim, etc? When you just drive around the city can you see the river from a lot of places and do people place value on views of the river?

I love the water and I am looking at larger Southern cities for possible relocation and Nashville is on my list, but it concerns me a little that it is so far from the ocean.

Sorry if I've been a little vague, but I'm just trying to get a feel for the city. Thanks.

[IngleDave]

It's not that far from the ocean. A cheap flight on Southwest and a rental car does the trick nicely. But, yes, getting home from work and walking over to the beach isn't going to happen here. I doubt seriously if the ocean were a mile away, I still wouldn't get to it very often. People on vacations at the beach and people living life full of responsibilities are two different things. Even driving to the beach isn't that far. But, if you really want an ocean, you should look more coastal.

There's lots of water culture around here, but it's on the lakes primarily, not the river.

[spatty99]

Nashville has two huge lakes very close by, Old Hickory Lake and Percy Priest Lake. I live on Old Hickory Lake and am in absolute heaven. The lake (which is the Cumberland River) runs for miles and miles, and is considered to be 22,500 acres. Every Saturday and Sunday all summer long there are "redneck yacht clubs", a total water party. And there is tons of space to tube, wakeboard, etc, not to mention the beautiful shoreline (50% of the lake is natural/undeveloped shoreline!). And when I want to see the city, I'm only 20 minutes away.

[ExIslander]

For most of Nashville, I would say the water isn't a big influence on daily life. The Cumberland is mostly just something you drive over on a bridge. The "water people" tend to head over to the aforementioned Old Hickory and Percy Priest lakes. Lots of waterfront property, marinas, recreation areas, boat owners etc. in Hendersonville, Mt. Juliet, Hermitage, Gallatin and other areas near the lakes.

[po-boy]

Thanks for the replies. So it sounds like Nashville isn't a "river city" per se but that there is opportunity for lots of fun on the lakes if someone is so inclined.

[DonCorleone]

That's exactly the way I'd describe it. We were a river city 100+ years ago, but now we're a city that happens to be on a river. Lakes are definitely big though...Mt. Juliet and Hendersonville are 2 great lake communities.

As IngleDave said, it's an easy drive to the beach. You can be at the Alabama/Florida panhandle beaches in an easy 8 hour drive, or Southwest flies from Nashville to Panama City.

[Mazzum]

I was reading some older threads and found this.

So why isn't Nashville more of a river city as it once was?

Just curious...

[po-boy]

Originally Posted by Mazzum

I was reading some older threads and found this.

So why isn't Nashville more of a river city as it once was?

Just curious...

I'm not really sure why the city seemingly turned away from its river, but there are apparantly some big plans to make the river more of a focus in the future. Check out this website:
Riverfront

It shows a LOT of long-term plans and some of the stuff is under construction now, such as a new Cumberland Park for kids. Maybe some of the locals can give us more info about the timeline on when some of the other things will be done.

[Mazzum]

Well we finally moved to Nashville and have been here about three weeks. I see a boat launch is being created here in Donelson, by Heartland Nursing center and the pedestrian bridge, giving access to the Stones. My family is dying to take advantage of all the water fun one can have here. We lived in Austin Texas where the rivers and Lakes are taken full advantage of. I look forward to the residence of my new fair city to see the glory of the water too!

[groovamos]

Originally Posted by Mazzum

We lived in Austin Texas where the rivers and Lakes are taken full advantage of. I look forward to the residence of my new fair city to see the glory of the water too!

Since I lived in Austin and Nashville, I'll chime in, the water activities in Nashville are quite different from Austin, there's nothing like Barton Creek greenbelt in Nashville, but then there is nothing like the Harpeth in Austin. You can go tubing down the Harpeth and canoeing also and it's pretty close in. I think in Austin if you wanted to go river canoeing you have to go to the Llano 70 miles away, or the San Marcos river 30 miles away, unless dodging boaters on Lake Austin is acceptable. The Harpeth is not as far. I don't know much about this stuff going on the Stones river, maybe someone can fill me in? I went to summer camp (YI) on the Stones when I was ten, I remember some of the counselors doing a canoe trip from there to downtown Nashville. BTW I remember going on one tubing trip on a long slow stretch of the Harpeth, it was murder by sunburn. Check with knowledgeable persons before tubing for the fast moving water. If you like the Harpeth you might want to get a copy of The Bell Witch.