Day trips from Nashville · Lake
Kentucky Lake
97 miles from downtown Nashville · about 1 hour 50 minutes
TVA, Henry County, near Paris and Buchanan, TN
Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi: 160,300 acres, 2,064 miles of shoreline, and 184 miles long. Paris Landing State Park on the Tennessee end is the nearest major public access from Nashville.
- Surface
- About 160,300 acres
- Shoreline
- 2,064 miles
- Length
- 184 miles
- Access
- Paris Landing State Park, 16055 Highway 79 N, Buchanan, TN
Permits, fees and access
Paris Landing State Park has a lodge, marina and campground, and entry is free as with all Tennessee state parks. Land Between the Lakes forms the entire eastern shore.
One thing to know first
This is genuinely open water with a long fetch, and wind builds dangerous chop on the main channel faster than people expect from a lake. There is also commercial barge traffic in the navigation channel.
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I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date.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.