Cummins Falls State Park is located 10 miles north of the town of Cookeville, in Central Tennessee…read more Can you go swimming at Cummins Falls??? Of course you can! It's a 1 mile hike down to the bottom of a gorge to reach a swimming hole Travel and Leisure Magazine rates...as one of the "10 Best in the United States"! It's $7 to gain access to the gorge. You can purchase passes online ahead of time at tnstateparks.com. Or, you can buy passes inside the Visitor Center the day of, but they allot only 200 tickets per day so depending upon the time of year, passes can sell out quickly especially during peak summers. Now...there is a waterfall overlook to check out but I think it'd be more worthwhile to get to Cummins Falls ASAP before the crowds arrive and you can always visit the lookout on the return trip back up towards the trailhead. Once you reach the river area, it's 6/10th's of a mile remaining until you arrive at the falls. Also, make sure to hang towards the left while hiking beside the river and (imo) it's imperative to be wearing water shoes as the creek is filled with sharp rocks and water levels reaching shin high. While hiking to Cummins Falls, you really get a sense for being in the heart of nature. I enjoyed the setting. Approaching the falls, it's 75 feet of cascading waters flowing down the cliffside and ideal for swimming. Best of all, visitors can climb the rocks and explore at their leisure making for an adventurous experience. Of course, it's a rite of passage to finish the experience in style by going swimming. The park opens at 8am. I'd suggest arriving as early as possible before it gets busy. The park closes at 6pm but there's a clearly stated sign that visitors must exit the gorge area by 5pm. One extra note...lifeguards are on duty at Cummins Falls throughout the day. When returning back up towards the trailhead, now head over to the lookout platform getting to admire Cummins Falls from high above. It makes for a photogenic perspective and is a clear reminder of why the great outdoors can be so special. Right nearby Cummins Falls SP are more local waterfalls to check out including...Fall Creek Falls, Burgess Falls, Ozone Falls, Virgin Falls, Piney Falls and Stinging Fork Falls, just to name a few.

Highly recommend so beautiful here. We hiked here from the water side. I guess some other easier…read moreway was shut down. They do not allow people to go here at certain times so make sure to check before you go. It is a major hike so being lots of water and charge your battery for pics

I've been going here for the last 8 years and every year since I've started going nothing has…read morechanged for the most part. I prefer this side of the lake anyway so you don't have a ton of options but for what you pay, improvements should be made. They redid the dock story last year after new ownership and that's about it. The steps to the parking lot are over grown with weeds and unusable, and the overnight boat slips are always filled with trash, nothing to tie up to, and half of the slips are unusable. I won't stop coming here, but this place has a lot of work to do.

best cabins and view. me and my family have been going here for the last 15 years and nothing but…read moregood things have come out of it. they recently went under new management and changed the name to lake cumberland marina and the renovated the dock and marina. still miss the old marina but it was a much needed improvement. the cabins were remodeled this year 2021 and the updated the couch added a coffee maker which is a keurig so make sure you bring k cups and added a few more new kitchen appliances. the bathroom had a new shower head and a new curtain. the bedrooms are moved around and better beds. the only down side is that the new couch does not fold out into a fold out bed which is what my family heavily relied on before the renovation. it is still a nice couch dont get me wrong but it is one less bed for one or two less people. you can call the marina and ask for an air mattress which was a pretty good size. the beach is still the same with the old swings and playground but it is still a lot of fun. we always go with our other family and rent the double decker pontoon boats with the slides and they never fail to make my family happy. the boats did get new motors which is nice so at least you can go a little faster than before but not as fast. overall it is always a great stay at this marina.

I've hired fishing guides across the country for over 30 years and David Knapp of Trout Zone…read moreAnglers is one of the best. He's a fly fishing expert with both stocked trout in tailwaters and wild fish in the mountains. More importantly, at least to me, he demonstrates ethics and values toward both people and nature. Finally, he has a teaching background that equips him to effectively coach clients in fly fishing skills like casting, line mending and landing big fish. If you want a great day on the water without worrying about how the fishing guide is going to behave around your family, you can't do better than David Knapp of Trout Zone Anglers.

From the owner: Trout Zone Anglers offers guided fly fishing trips for trout in the Great Smoky Mountains and for…read moretrout and smallmouth bass on rivers across middle and eastern Tennessee. In the mountains, we offer walk/wade trips and on the larger rivers we offer both walk/wade trips as well as float trips from half days to full days.

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is a wonderful location for getting away for the…read moreweekend, or linger. They have individual campsites and group campsites with a pavilion and restrooms with showers, and a group campfire area. It is a beautiful area and perfect for people traveling with horses that line to camp and ride. Follow me on Yelp for more things to see and do in East Tennessee.

If you like the Red River George?this it's Big Big brother…read more We spent 3 days hiking & enjoyed ever bit of it. Place is well known for white water rafting. Only drawback was, We here early April & lots of stores were open for season yet.

Rustic and no distractions, nice place for a break from all the noise. The perfect place to enjoy…read morehuman interaction, games and dinner with no phones. Give yourself a couple days to get over the awkward silence. Takes that long to wake up from our Technology induced coma

I love this place. Most relaxing place anywhere, if here in the summer, there's a swimming pool…read morevery close to the cabins for the kids. Also a lake at the bottom

Very cool place awesome hike. Dipping in the water on a hot day was amazing. All kinds of beautiful…read morenature and sounds. Brought a publix sub from florida to enjoy out here

Rock Island State Park has a strange layout but is jam-packed with interesting sites. If you stop…read morein the Visitor Center, they have maps and written directions on how to hit the highlights easily. You can view different falls, cascades, flow stones, and more from short distance strolls to overlooks, or delve deeper into the gorge for a closer view. Swimming is not permitted except in certain areas, so take notice, people have drowned here. Be careful when hiking and exploring the floor of the gorge as the dam can release water with limited warning. That being said, the Twin Falls and Great Falls are lovely, and the diverse landscape keeps the walk extremely interesting! Me and the dog did the Upstream and Downstream trails on the Twin Falls side, and the Gorge Trail on the Great Falls side, and while Dianne, they are steep and slippery, so wear proper shoes!

Love going here to get drinks or munchies. They have really good hot sloppy joe sandwiches and BBQ…read morepulled pork.

I was taking a break from driving home and I wandered into Harper's Ridgetop market. It's a bait…read moreand tackle shop and deli in Cave City, KY. This place has a lake/pond in the back that fish are dumped into (watch the slow mo video on Facebook) so people can fish near mammoth cave almost all year round. My sandwich was basic - turkey on wheat bread with pepper jack cheese for just under $4. This place comes complete with moon pies. Chris (owner) is one of the nicest guys you are ever going to meet. Chris' wife Laura has a needlepoint shop in the back of his shop. The lake looked so peaceful that I've already made plans to return to sit, drink some beer, and fish with the locals. The store itself is not big and not glamorous- you go for the people and the scenery. This place is what road tripping is all about.

Beautiful state park! Highly recommended for a relax hike and for great scenery. Parking is limitedread more

This is Burgess Falls, another state park located in Central Tennessee sitting 12 miles northwest…read moreof the town of Sparta, TN. There's a 3/4 of a mile out and back hike called the River Trail that leads to 4 different waterfall lookout points comprising Burgess Falls SP. Waterfall #1 - The Cascades. Sort of the introduction area to the park. Waterfall #2 - First Falls. A quick glance at a 30 foot high waterfall section. But nothing special, imo. When Continuing on the trail, you'll cross over a wooden bridge and follow up a staircase. Now at... Waterfall #3 - Middle Falls... Middle Falls is 80 feet high and partially obstructed by trees and branches having grown over time. *Side Note*.... I wish park services would do some forest cutting for everyone to enjoy clearer views of the park's waterfalls. Entrance right now is free. I'd suggest charging a small fee and using that money to pay for some grooming. A lot of the observation points can't be fully appreciated. Just me venting a little, lol. Waterfall #4 - Burgess Falls... Burgess falls is the centerpiece highlight of the park. Standing at 136 feet from top to bottom, Burgess Falls can absolutely be dramatic, but still natural excess forest maturation disrupts full visibility of the falls. I did read that kayaking at the bottom of Burgess Falls is the most interactive way to come face to face with this statuesque waterfall. You can rent kayaks at Cane Hollow Recreation Area, located at the end of Cane Hollow Road. It's about 10 minutes from Burgess Falls. You can end the River Trail hike at the Top of Burgess for a panoramic overlook of the rugged gorge the falls splash down into from high above. It's another quick stop and go area before returning back towards the trailhead. Overall, Burgess Falls was a muted experience for me, but still has potential to be a rewarding visit if park authorities can maintain the inevitable growing forest hindrances that negate special moments at the waterfall overlooks.

Restaurant review, not the marina…read more We went to Mitchell Creek Restaurant to visit some friends who had just bought a houseboat. We showed up a full hour before their posted closing time, only to be told the restaurant was "on a break." Five minutes later, that story changed now they were suddenly "closing early because they ran out of food." Honestly, that sounded like a lazy excuse. It felt like the staff just didn't want to work. The worst part? The marina had actually hired a band to play that night, but all the customers left because the restaurant basically shut down. Completely ridiculous. This was hands down one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had. There are far better places around Dale Hollow Lake, and we definitely won't be back. We usually try to give new places a fair shot, but this one blew it completely.

We rented a newly renovated houseboat this past week for 5 days / 4 nights and it was THE BEST! I…read morehave camped and been on the lake my entire life and I can say this was the best lake experience of my life. If you are on the fence about renting a houseboat from here, don't be. Just rent the houseboat! You won't regret it! The houseboat itself was amazing, it was in GREAT shape for a rental, newly renovated, everything worked flawlessly! The staff and crew are 5 star peeps! Nicest most southern charm people you can find on the lake! They do all the work for you, they can pick you a nice spot or you pick your own.. they will drive it out.. tie it up.. bring you more gas for the generator if you need it.. anything.. they are on it! I actually have made friends with some of the crew just by chatting and sharing stories. The Marina itself is awesome!! Come relax in some chairs, get a bite to eat, do some shopping, play some cornhole, large jenga or even large connect 4... lights... music... I can't say enough great things and I have zero negative things to say. We are already booking it again for next year and a full week!! If you have thought of or dreamed of trying out a houseboat, don't wait anymore I promise you will make the best memories you can make with you loved ones!

My husband and I stayed in the A frame and it was perfect. We even hung out on the dock for an…read moreafternoon and it was perfect! The place is comfortable. The air conditioning kept up. We did bring our own food in (don't forget coffee). He has everything you need to make your meals! Will definitely be back someday!

From the owner: Two rentals offer 1 or 2 bedrooms sleeper sofa's and daybed with twin pull out trundle ,1 bath with…read morewasher and dryer. Fully furnished glassed in patio or a patio up in the trees featuring gas grill, wooded canopy and fire pit overlooking the lake. Just walk down the well kept wooded back yard along the cart path to the boat dock. Great fishing or swimming from the community dock. Room to set-up camping or keep trailer and boat lighting is good for night or kill the lights and enjoy the stars. (Boat rentals available) **15 minutes from Mammoth Cave National Park **30 min Beech Bend and National Corvette Museum Western Kentucky University