1. Seven Points Campground
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (615) 889-5198
Address: 1810 Stewarts Ferry Pike
Description: Seven Points has 60 sites with water and electricity for RV or tent camping. A dump station is available. Prices are $18 to $24. Amenities include hot showers, laundry facilities, a swimming area, and public telephones. This is one of the Corps’s busiest campgrounds in the country; draws include the day-use area, which offers a beach and group picnic shelter, plus nearby attractions such as the Hermitage and the Grand Ole Opry.
2. Summit Medical Center
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Health Care
Telephone: (615) 316-3000
Address: 5655 Frist Blvd.
Description: This community hospital, in operation since 1970, moved in 1994 to its current 188-bed medical and surgical facility. With more than 300 physicians on staff, it provides emergency care, diabetes management, and obstetric services, as well as laparoscopic and other same-day surgeries, psychiatric care, neurosurgery, and pediatric services. Summit, a part of HCA’s TriStar system, also has a women’s health center and orthopedic care.
3. Long Hunter State Park
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (615) 885-2422
Address: 2910 Hobson Pike, off I-40 and I-24 on H
Description: The 2,600-acre Long Hunter State Park, situated on the east shore of J. Percy Priest Lake, is a popular site for boating, swimming, waterskiing, and fishing. If you prefer to stay dry, there are plenty of activities on terra firma too, such as hiking, bird-watching, picnicking, and backcountry camping. The park offers boat rentals, playgrounds, a gift shop, and more. Spanning more than 14,000 acres, the US Army Corps of Engineers’s Percy Priest Reservoir is one of the largest lakes in the state. The 110-acre, landlocked Couchville Lake is part of Priest and is surrounded by a 2-mile paved trail. That barrier-free area also has a fishing pier. Nonsupervised swimming is permitted at Bryant Grove but not at Couchville Lake or in the 2 boat ramp areas on Priest Lake. Stop by the visitor center for more information on the park or to check in if you plan to camp. If you want to camp, come prepared. You’ll hike 6 miles and spend the night at a backcountry camping area. Long Hunter State Park was named for the hunters and explorers of the 1700s who stayed in the area for months or years at a time. Among them were Uriah Stone, for whom nearby Stones River is named. The park is open daily 7 a.m. to sunset year-round.
4. Long Hunter State Park
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (615) 885-2422
Address: 2910 Hobson Pike
Description: At Couchville Lake, a 110-acre lake off Percy Priest, you can rent 14-foot johnboats as well as canoes.
5. Nashville Shores Yacht Club And Marina
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (615) 883-0413
Address: 4001 Bell Rd.
Description: The Nashville Shores marina is one of several attractions offered by this popular water park. Facilities include boat and Jet Ski rentals, lake cabin rentals, picnic areas, restrooms, water hookups, restaurants, and minigolf and arcade. An added attraction is the water park’s water slides and swimming pools, open under separate admission.
6. Hermitage Lanes
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (615) 883-8900
Address: 3436 Lebanon Pike
Description: Hermitage Lanes has 32 lanes with automatic scoring, 6 pool tables, and about 120 video games. The bowling alley also has a full-service restaurant and bar, where you can watch sports on TV, listen to live music, or play darts. Hermitage Lanes is known for its great birthday parties and also has daily specials, including cosmic bowling on Sat.
7. Long Hunter State Park
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (615) 885-2422
Address: 2910 Hobson Pike
Description: Located along the shores of J. Percy Priest Lake, east of Nashville, this 2,315-acre park has 28 miles of trails for day hiking and overnight backpacking. Trails include the Lake Trail around Couchville Lake, a self-guided barrier-free nature trail; the mile-long Deer Trail, which takes you through old fields and new forests; and, for shorter walks, the Nature Loop Trail and Inland Trail. The more strenuous Day Loop Trail and Volunteer Trail wind along the lake, climb overlook bluffs, and travel through hardwood forests and cedar glades.
8. Nashville Shores
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (615) 889-7050
Address: 4001 Bell Rd.
Description: Nashville Shores, a water park, features a private white-sand beach on Priest Lake. There’s also a lot more for your wet and dry amusement. For 1 price you can spend a day swimming in the lake or pool, cavorting on various water slides, getting soaked by the Bucket of Fun Waterfall, or cruising the lake in paddleboats or the 100-passenger Nashville Shoreliner, and more. Nashville Shores is open from late spring through summer. Admission is $28.99 for adults and $23.99 for children 3 to 12 and for seniors. Season passes are available.
9. Mckendree Village
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Retirement
Address: 4347 Lebanon Rd.
Description: McKendree Village, a nonprofit continuing-care retirement community, has been serving the area since 1963. Offerings range from total independent living in the Cottages and the Towers to varying levels of assisted living in the Manor and the Health Center. Residents, who must be 55 or older, can choose from a variety of programs. The 42-acre complex includes an indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, an exercise room, a woodworking shop, an activities/crafts room, and a chapel with a full-time chaplain and various Bible study classes throughout the week. McKendree Village is affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and has a “covenant relationship” with the Tennessee Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, which essentially means that the church provides money through offerings but is not involved in daily management or operations. Residents do not need to be church members.The Village has various residential options from which to choose. Residents can lease a studio apartment or deluxe unit in the Manor, purchase cottages ranging from 1,100 to 3,000 square feet, or lease an apartment in the Towers. The Manor is designed to bridge the gap between total independent living and nursing care, providing such services as help with medication and assistance with bathing and dressing. The Cottages and the Tower are designed for more active, independent living; residents must be able to care for their own personal needs. Residents of the Village can either lease their apartments or take advantage of a refundable use fee agreement, which allows them to pay a specific amount upon entering the Village and have a discounted monthly service charge. Charges for the Manor (supportive living) and the Health Center are on a monthly basis. The Rehabilitation/Subacute Unit of the Health Center has daily rates. Rates start at around $800 for independent living and at $2,100 for assisted living.
10. The Hermitage: Home Of President Andrew Jackson
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (615) 889-2941
Address: 4580 Rachel’s Lane
Insider Pick:
Description: More than 250,000 people visit this attraction each year, making it the third most visited presidential home in America, behind only Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and George Washington’s Mount Vernon. A tour of the Hermitage offers insight into one of America’s most interesting presidents, as well as a look at life on a 19th-century plantation. Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States and hero of the Battle of New Orleans, lived and died here and is buried next to his wife, Rachel, on the grounds. The Hermitage was first built in 1821 as a Federal-style brick home. It was enlarged in 1831, then rebuilt in Greek Revival style, as it appears today. A National Historic Landmark, managed since 1889 by the Ladies’ Hermitage Association, the mansion has been restored to the period of Jackson’s retirement in 1837. It contains a large collection of original furnishings and personal belongings, including furniture, porcelain, silver, and rare French wallpaper. Jackson filled the house with elegant and sophisticated pieces from the same dealers who supplied the White House. Among the many notables Jackson welcomed to the Hermitage were Revolutionary War leader the Marquis de Lafayette; Sam Houston, former Tennessee governor, hero of the Alamo, and Texas’s first governor; and Jackson’s presidential successors, Martin Van Buren and James K. Polk. The Hermitage is surrounded by hundreds of acres of rolling woodlands. On the east side of the house is Rachel’s Garden. The flowers and shrubs you see here are typical of the early 19th century.At the north border is the original “necessary house.” The southeast corner of the garden contains the Jacksons’ tomb. Rachel died December 22, 1828, weeks before Jackson was inaugurated as president. Jackson is said to have visited the tomb every evening while he lived at the Hermitage. Jackson died in his bedroom on June 8, 1845. Per his directions, he was buried next to his wife. Other members of his family are buried next to the Jackson Tomb. On the other side of the tomb is the grave of Alfred, a slave who lived at the property all his life and was Jackson’s devoted servant. Other historic structures on the grounds include the original cabins where the Jacksons lived from 1804 to 1821, the Old Hermitage Church, an original slave cabin, a smokehouse, a springhouse, and a kitchen.The Hermitage has occasional special events. Each summer the Hermitage director of archaeology leads a 10-week excavation of the property. This work has unearthed thousands of artifacts yielding insights into the lives of the slaves who worked here. Your tour of the Hermitage will begin with a short orientation film, followed by a tour of the mansion and grounds. At the visitor center you can get a quick bite at the cafe and browse for gifts at the Hermitage Museum Store. The Hermitage is open daily. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the third week of Jan. Admission is free on Jan 8, which is the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. On Jackson’s birthday, Mar 15, admission is reduced.
11. Nashville Shores
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (615) 889-7050
Address: 4001 Bell Rd.
Description: Sandy shores, luscious palms, cool breezes—Nashville’s answer to a beach vacation is definitely here. Located on Percy Priest Lake, Nashville Shores offers a wealth of water fun. Seven giant water slides with thrilling names like the “Tennessee Twister” and “Tsunami Raft Ride” beckon the adventuresome; for sunbathing and pool play there are 3 pools, each targeted to a different age group (so teenagers needn’t worry about sunbathing with the kiddies). There’s a real beach—white sand is hauled in to the Priest lakeshore—and lake cruises, even cabins on the shore available for rent. New in 2010 is the 25,000-square-foot wave pool Breaker Bay. Dry fun activities include minigolf, games like Frisbee and horseshoes, volleyball, and live entertainment. Personal watercraft and boats are also available for rent at the marina. With all this to do, it’s no wonder Nashville Shores is a popular birthday party and company outing location. Season passes are available. Children 2 and under are admitted free. Nashville Shores opens in early May and runs through mid-Sept.
12. The Hermitage: Home Of President Andrew Jackson
City: Hermitage, TN
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (615) 889-2941
Address: 4580 Rachel’s Lane
Description: Andrew Jackson was a brave and adventurous man who was influential in the early expansion of our country. In addition to being seventh president of the United States, he was a military hero, lawyer, planter, statesman, and true romantic (he once shot a man who said bad things about his wife). The Hermitage, 12 miles east of Nashville off Old Hickory Boulevard, is where he made his home. The 1800s mansion, a mixture of Federal and Greek Revival styles, is open daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the third week of Jan). A family admission package is available, and students and senior citizens receive a discount.