Day trips from Nashville · Town
Cookeville
79 miles from downtown Nashville · about 1 hour 25 minutes
Putnam County, TN
Cookeville is the Upper Cumberland’s regional hub and home to Tennessee Tech, but the reason to drive out is that four significant waterfall parks sit within a short radius of it. If you are chasing waterfalls, this is where you base the day.
- Cummins Falls
- 390 Cummins Falls Lane, Cookeville. Gorge permit required
- Burgess Falls
- 4000 Burgess Falls Drive, Sparta
- Rock Island
- 82 Beach Road, Rock Island
- Fall Creek Falls
- 2009 Village Camp Road, Spencer
Permits, fees and access
The town itself is free to wander and has a restored depot district. The parks around it each have their own rules, and Cummins Falls in particular requires an advance gorge permit that cannot be bought at the gate.
One thing to know first
Do not try to do Cummins, Burgess and Rock Island in one day. They are each further apart than the map suggests and each deserves a couple of hours.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.