This is the best lake in TN hands down! One of the cleanest in the United States and very deep…read more It's not filled with debris like some others in the middle Tennessee area and it has quite a few wonderful campgrounds/RV parks, for those who would like to travel here. The "city" of Smithville isn't exactly a booming place to be... Mostly closed or old buildings - very small, and unless you're camping, I wouldn't stay in the immediate area. But once you get to the lake, it's amazing! The campgrounds are well kept and fairly large. The lake itself winds around, snake-like, with cove after cove to play in or soak up the sun in. You want privacy? You got it! You want wakes? You have that too! The fishing must be outstanding considering the many tournaments they have there. My husband and I live closer to two other lakes, but we drive just over an hour to come to this one. We can't say enough great things about it!

You need a permit to walk all the way down to the falls and it is a very challenging hike. They…read morelimit the amount sold so it does sell out. The gorge does flood so def watch the safetyvide. we wouldn't have made it without out hiking poles. It was my first time using them but theybare game changer for hills and uneven terrain. We had to cross a river ... not creek. Climbing over rocks and boulders. River rocks are sooo slippery. Shoes should have good tread. This was challenging and truthful doubt I'd do it again. Water was cold. But falls are beautiful.

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.

This was a beautiful State Park. Lots of amenities, picnic areas, bathrooms, camping spots. The…read morecabins were restricted to guests only so I didn't see them. The trails were perfect. A mixture of easy and not so easy. But this almost 63yo made it! The falls were gorgeous to behold. Would definitely return.

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

Restaurant is nice food ok. Food is a. It over priced for the quality. Its not fresh but its ok…read more Nice ambience. I would return

This is a fabulous marina with new, clean and awesome rental boats. Golf carts were ready and…read morewaiting to haul all of our stuff from the parking lot to the dock where the boat was. The staff was very helpful - they ensured we had a fun day on the lake! Live music and good food at the restaurant completed our fun, summer day.

We had the best time. There were 10 of us. Some in kayaks and some in canoes went two different…read moredays. It was awesome. Will be back next year.

We were in town from Jacksonville, Florida visiting family and wanted to explore so we booked our…read morekayaks the day before to ensure we wouldn't miss out on time slots. The family owned operation was extremely helpful and kind. I would definitely recommend this business to anyone and everyone. We look forward to returning soon to do it again. The views were amazing and the water was perfect for a nice swim in the middle. We also stumbled upon some cows about half way through as well. Super awesome! After we were done with our kayak trip we went next door to have lunch and the food was also amazing and no complaints. Thanks guys!!

David (owner) has a really impressive inventory of live bait and some good artificial lures as…read morewell. Crickets, minnows, worms, etc. He also has affordable prices for the average fisherman. Good place to stock up on stuff - and my grandkids love the crickets!

From the owner: We provide live and artificial bait for all your fishing needs at a convenient location.read more

Is your ideal July 4th spent on a cool, mountain river? Are you looking to cool off on a hot summer…read moreday? The Caney Fork River is about 1 hour east of Nashville, TN and is the perfect spot for a quick day trip. We used the CanoeTheCaney.com service from JBeez Watercraft in Silver Point, TN and were very pleased. This is not the closest place to the river, but it is conveniently located one mile from I-40 at Exit 273. JBeez has modern, air conditioned buses that take you from their location to the drop-off point just below Center Hill Dam. They also pick you up 5 miles down river and shuttle you back to your vehicle. The staff is very friendly and their process is fairly efficient for a "laid back" canoe rental service. The Caney Fork River is just an awesome place to spend the day. Since the water is generated from the bottom of Center Hill Lake, the river stays a cool 54 degrees year round. This makes it perfect for place to cool off on those hot summer days and a great place for trout fishing. If you arrive early to the Happy Hollow pick-up, it is not a problem. This is a nice shallow spot on the river for you to spend a few minutes splashing around while waiting for your ride. We really enjoyed our family visit to the Caney Fork on July 4th this year...Thank you JBeez!

Worst boating experience EVER!! Don't waste your money but more importantly, do NOT waste your…read moretime. When we called to get rental pontoon boat I asked how old their boats were.... was told they were new. Well, yes -- they are new.... NEW TO THEM. We were put on the most ridiculous boat EVER, it was AT LEAST 30 years old. Manager came out to show us how to start the engine and had to show us "important" features of the boat. That pretty much included..... start the boat every 30 mins so it will keep running. What to do if it doesn't start....etc. etc. After numerous times of the owner trying to get the boat to start at the rental place, it wouldn't start -- we should have known then to RUN!! My husband was ready to leave after our tutorial, but said he didn't want to ruin our day since we were there to celebrate birthdays. Anyway, we followed them down to the boat dock, got it loaded and away we went..... unbeknownst to us, in a boat that took over 45 mins to start on several occasions AND without an anchor AND with zero ropes to tie off to a dock! After spending over an hour at the marina trying to get it to start, we called them to come pick it up after spending less than 3 hours on it and over 3/4 of the time was spent trying to get it to start. So if you want to rent a jalopy and look like Clark Griswold on Center Hill Lake, then this is the boat place for you to go.

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

This was a beautiful park. The falls were spectacular. The hike was an easy one and didn't take…read morelong to get to the falls outlook. I'm almost 63 and had no problem. The trail to the bottom was closed unfortunately.

Great experience! My family took me for Father's Day and it…read morewas perfect. The staff, the shuttles, and gear were A+. I wouldn't change a thing. Thank y'all for the awesome memories and we'll definitely be back soon!

This was a great time. We live outdoor activities so the nature was great. Let me explain why the 3…read morestars then... They are not really on time with their check in and dropping off schedules. We were told we needed to be there 30 minutes before our 11am departure. We got on the bus after 11:15 and it's a 20 minutes drive to the drop off area. Jennifer was great. It was her first day and she was killing it like a pro. They get us to sign the release forms if you didn't do it online then you go inside to get your wristbands and make you payment if needed. They offer boat and other water toys for rent. Once we were inside, McKenzie was nice and helpful. She took our payment and gave us our wrist bands. After that we wait till the groups are ready and things where they need to improve. People that are ready and came on time should not have to wait and lose time on the river. Specially when they are VERY on time to pick you up at 5pm sharp. ... They need improvement, they know it... they are trying. They have an app you can download but good luck with service IMPORTANT warning information given in the "training": It's illegal to operate a canoe while drinking alcoholic drinks. They will give you a BUI (Boating Under the Influence) so be safe and always bring a designated captain or a pirate or both! Whatever floats your boat So, overall it's not a bad spot but definitely come as they open so you don't feel rushed or shorted out of time. Stay safe!