For our latest outdoor adventure, my wife, Jamie, and I decided to head up to northeastern Tennessee to enjoy the water and fall colors. We stayed at Norris Dam State Park which sits on Norris Reservoir. Construction of the dam started in 1933 and was the first project by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and many of the facilities at the park were constructed by the CCC enrollees. The lake is about 4,000 acres in size and has more than 800 miles of shoreline.
In route, we made two stops on the way. (1) Calhoun’s on the River was a nice restaurant on the water’s edge of the Tennessee River, and (2) Lenoir Museum which featured the history of the area and had a nice collection of artifacts ranging from Indian cultures to the arrival of the Europeans.
For our first full day we rented a pontoon boat and took off. The weather was a little cool and the skies were clear. The Fall colors were beautiful and with the water being flat calm the reflections on the water were something you’d see on a postcard.
On our next day we ran up to see Cherokee Lake and stopped by a local winery on our way back to the cabin.
For our last full day, we ventured up into Kentucky to Cumberland Falls State Park. Known as the Niagara of the South, this dramatic waterfall is well worth the trip. The falls, lodge and trails made for an incredible day.
These two signs greeted us at the entrance to our last trail of the day and we began to question whether or not we wanted to continue!
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to this part of Tennessee and encourage any outdoor adventurer to do the same.