Located just minutes from Nashville, Sumner County offers different ways to plan a stay: recreation on Old Hickory Lake, outdoor activities, and homes and sites with regional history. If you’re looking for a place to stay, you can first decide whether water recreation or culture should be the focus.

Water Recreation on Old Hickory Lake

Old Hickory Lake covers 22,500 acres of water and offers opportunities for a range of recreational activities. Recreational boats, sailboats, personal watercraft, and fishing boats use the lake.

There are four designated swimming beaches on the lake, with picnic tables, grills, restrooms, and boat ramps. Fees and conditions may change; check the latest information before visiting a beach.

Trails, Cycling, and Fishing

The Old Hickory Lake Nature Trail is 1.1 miles long in total and consists of three loops: Willow Swamp Loop, Wildlife Loop, and Woodland Loop. The trail is currently closed due to tornado damage. Check its status before planning a visit.

At Bledsoe Creek State Park, a fishing pier is accessible from the parking lots via paved paths. For a different activity, Lock 4 Park has a mountain biking course in Middle Tennessee. Check trail conditions before riding.

Historic Homes and Sites

Rock Castle is a historic home on the shore of Old Hickory Lake, built in the Federal and Georgian styles. Cragfont was the home of General James Winchester and was built between 1798 and 1802. It represents the late Georgian period and is furnished with Federal antiques.

Wynnewood is the largest surviving log building in Tennessee and one of only 31 National Historic Landmarks in the state. A. R. Wynne, William Cage, and Stephen Roberts built the main building in 1828 as a stagecoach stop on the Nashville-Knoxville Road.

Bledsoe’s Fort Historical Park preserves the site of Isaac Bledsoe’s frontier station, early settler buildings, a pioneer cemetery, and a landscape associated with the early years of settlement in Sumner County. You can explore the park grounds, trails, interpretive areas, historic buildings, and cemetery landscape. The park also includes Hugh Rogan Cottage and Nathaniel Parker Cabin. Some areas may be uneven.

At Historic Mansker’s Station, you can experience life on the Tennessee frontier in the 18th century. The Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center is a historic mansion that has been transformed into a creative center. In Gallatin, the Palace Theater opened in 1913 as a silent movie theater; the South Tunnel General Store was built in 1859.

Choose a Focus for Your Trip

When planning your trip, the main question is what you want your stay to center on: water and boating recreation, or historic architecture, settlement history, and cultural sites.

Discover more destinations: Gallatin, Hendersonville, Cottontown, Hawkins County, Maury County, Jackson County, Grainger County, Scott County

For the broader travel overview: Tennessee.