Tennessee State Parks Are FREE... Here Are Our Favorites

Written by Lynnette on July 25, 2006 | Comments (0)

Supposedly, wherever you are in Tennessee, there's a State Park within an hour's drive.

Hmmm... ok.

Well the good news to report is that all of Tennessee's state parks are now FREE!

Most used to charge anywhere $3 or so (per vehicle) just to enter the park and enjoy nature at its finest... plus a few cool amenities provided by the state.

So, if you haven't been to one of Tennessee's state parks in awhile, this might be something you want to add to your Summer "To Do" list.

Tennessee's state park system was recently ranked by the National Recreation and Parks Association as one of the top four state park systems in the country. Florida was No. 1, and Tennessee was tied with North Carolina and Missouri for second place. Source

Our personal favorites:

1. Fall Creek Falls

This "resort park" is known as one of the most spectacular recreation areas in the country. It's the most visited state park in Tennessee. Its waterfalls (the highest waterfalls east of the Rocky Mountains -- at 256 feet) are viewable from the main auto route. Plus, there are lots of streams & gorges. It's the perfect place to spend a day with a camera. And there are lots of fun things to do there too: biking (3-mile paved bike trail, plus 20 miles of mountain biking trails), hiking (50 miles of hiking trails!), boating (pedal boats, canoes and aluminum fishing boats can be rented on site). The all-u-can-eat buffet at the Fall Creek Falls Inn & Restaurant is to die for. And the view while you eat is amazing, as you're overlooking the scenic Fall Creek Lake.

2. Tim's Ford

Tims Ford State Park, located on the Tims Ford Reservoir in the rolling hills of southern middle Tennessee. The 10,700-acre Tims Ford Lake is one of the most picturesque in Tennessee and is regarded as one of the top bass fishing and recreational lakes in the Southeast. There are 5 miles of paved trails for biking, plus the wide open "main road" itself is conducive to bicycling as well. The cabins are plentiful, yet the atmosphere is quite peaceful here. It seems there is rarely a crowd at Tim's Ford Lake. We also like that you can rent pontoon boats here (...and they'll let you take your dog on board!).

3. Paris Landing

We like this one because of its close proximity to the Land Between The Lakes (170,000 acres of undeveloped, uninhabited land situated on a peninsula plus 300 miles shoreline, 420 miles of country roads, and an OHV park) Kentucky Lake (184 miles in length, with 2,064 miles of shoreline). This is where we camp and swim whenever we're in the area.