Day trips from Nashville · Lake
J. Percy Priest Lake
11 miles from downtown Nashville · about 20 minutes
US Army Corps of Engineers, Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson Counties
Percy Priest is a 14,200-acre Corps of Engineers lake that starts ten miles east of downtown Nashville, with nearly nineteen thousand acres of public land around it. It is the closest real lake to the city and the one most Nashvillians mean when they say they are going to the lake.
- Surface
- 14,200 acres at summer pool
- Public land
- 18,852 acres surrounding
- Marinas
- Five commercial
- Day use fee
- $5 per vehicle
Permits, fees and access
Managed by the Corps of Engineers. Campgrounds at Anderson Road, Poole Knobs and Seven Points run seasonally, roughly spring through October, plus a set of primitive sites. Day use is five dollars a vehicle.
Swimming
Yes, at designated beaches: Anderson Road, Cook Recreation Area and Seven Points Campground. There are no lifeguards.
One thing to know first
The Corps states plainly that water release schedules change without notice and that large volumes can be discharged at any time. Separately, when the lake is drawn down, submerged cedar stumps and rock humps sit just under the surface in places boats normally run. Local boaters hit them every year.
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.
The neighborhoods closest to it
If this is the kind of Saturday you want a short drive from your front door, these are the parts of Middle Tennessee that put you nearest to it.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date.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.