We are thinking of taking a vacation down at this lake towards the end of July or beginning of August and just wanted to hear some opinons about it before we commit, since I've never been to it. Furthest I've been with the boat is Norris.

We are thinking of getting a house that has a covered slip so if I bring the boat it should be safe and secure and easy to get to ( I don't know where at right off hand). Somewhere near Drakes Marina is approx where we are looking.

It looks like the lake is pretty decent size, but is there areas where its possible to get away and do the skiing, tubing wake boarding thing?

Is there any marinas that are good to go to for places to eat or hang out at?

I think we may go out and do stuff around the Nashville area in the morning and then hang out on the boat in the evenings or vice versa.

It looks like I may miss the poker run at the end of July as of now, but thats yet to be determined. The Sea Ray cant run, but it likes to watch.

Any other tips or opinions of here would be great. Just like to research before I drag the boat from Cincy and it turns out to be a bust.

Add- I've seen that it looks like there is channel markers in spots for the river. Is the lake that shallow where you can't go off course without worrying, or is it alright to go wander into coves.

Thanks.

It is a pretty long lake. However, you do have to be careful about where you go. There are TONS of coves that you can go into and hang out, tube, ski, etc., but there are quite a few shallow areas. There are several restaurants and bars to go to to eat, drink, and be merry. Black Jack Cove, Anchor High, etc. You can also go through the locks and head to downtown Nashville. There is a place to tie up while you wander around downtown. It's a really nice place to boat. That time of year will be busy, so there will be a ton of other boats to keep you company. My shop is only about 2 miles from the Shutes Branch boat launch. Be sure to give me a shout if/when you come down. We can meet up for refreshments on me.
Eddie

During the week does it get pretty busy on the water? How far of a ride is it to downtown Nashville?

We do the Music City Poker run every year in July and we Cumberland boaters find Old Hickory a fun place to spend a long weekend. Locking thru and running the 30 or so miles to downtown Nashville is the highlight of the trip for us. Hendersonville is a lovely city and the people are very friendly and being so close you have access to the nightlife in downtown Nashville. They do have many choices for eating on the water and enjoying an adult beverage.

Having said that it is not a care-free body of water like Cumberland. The water is dirty, and shallow in many places, and you do have to watch the markers in places or you will run aground, and in July the water in the popular coves is almost too warm to be enjoyable - except at the far end of the lake it is cooler there.. Don't know what you are looking for in a water vacation but if you enjoy spending a lot of time "in the water" I would not recommend Old Hickory. Most of the lake is lined with homes but at the far end of the lake it is less developed and you might think you are on a creek on Cumberland - but the water quality is no where near that of Cumberland. There would be plenty of room to ski and tube up there I would think. It's just that if you have spent much time on Cumberland you get spoiled by the clear water and we have found Old Hickory to be a nasty brown color in July.

Overall it's a really neat body of water with plenty of eating/drinking spots that has pretty dirty water. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info. I'm thinking we are going to be spending half the time in and around Nashville. Like golfing, go to the minor league baseball, or I may bring my shotguns and go over to the trap club and do some shooting. So we are thinking an odd evening or morning will be out on the boat just to pass some time here and there. Go cruising , skiing or whatever. The lake won't be a full out dedicated activity. More so just a time killer.

If that's the case then by all means I would recommend Old Hickory. And I would highly recommend you do the run to downtown Nashville and eat at Joe's Crab Shack. I think you may need to get a permit to park at the city pier downtown but you can ask the local guys and they an fill you in.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/t...boat-club-230/

The lake is a little stained, especially late in the summer, but there are a few spring fed coves that the locals know about so give me a shout and I'll give you the heads up on where to go! Anchor High Marina is probably the nicest one on our side of the lake. Thats where both my boats are and the owner is a really good guy. The Rudder is a fun place to be on weekends too with a good crowd.

The Downtown Nashville tourist stuff is fun and Lower Broadway is great with all the country bars and live music. Again would gladly give you all the information where to go and where no to go.

I am the organizer of the TN Powerboat Club's Fun Run on July 26-27 so check out our website at tnpowerboat.com and get all the details. It will be a fun event with the Saturday portion of the run locking through the dam and running downtown to Riverfront.

PM me with your contact information and I will help any way I can to make sure you have a great time here in Nashville and on Old Hickory.

Chad

Gofastlvr

Thanks for the info and thanks for the offer to help. We are all still debating on a location. Destin, Fl, Virginia Beach, or Nashville. If we seal the deal on Nashville, I will let you know.