J. Percy Priest Lake is a 14,200-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir just 10 miles east of downtown Nashville — making it the most accessible big-city lake reunion destination in the mid-South. The Stones River backs up to create a sprawling 213-mile shoreline of wooded coves, limestone bluffs, and recreation areas just minutes from Nashville International Airport (BNA). For families flying in from across the country, Percy Priest solves the logistics problem that plagues most lake reunions: you can be on the water within 20 minutes of landing.
Percy Priest is Nashville's day-use lake — it draws enormous weekend crowds from the city, which means its infrastructure is excellent and its vacation rental market, while smaller than distant lakes, is conveniently located. Most reunion groups treat Percy Priest as a hybrid: rent a vacation home in the Smyrna, Lavergne, or Mt. Juliet area for $1,800-3,500/week (typically 3-5 BR), use the lake for boating during the day, and leverage Nashville's full restaurant, entertainment, and catering infrastructure for group meals. This is the lake for reunions that want water access but don't want to be isolated from city conveniences.
Several Corps of Engineers recreation areas ring the lake — Cook Recreation Area, Seven Points Campground, and Anderson Road Recreation Area — providing public beaches, boat ramps, and picnic facilities. Hamilton Creek Recreation Area has one of the best public swimming beaches near Nashville. For larger reunions combining a lake experience with access to Nashville's incredible food scene (hot chicken, live music, Germantown restaurants), Percy Priest is the obvious choice over any other Tennessee lake.
Where it is
Things to do (with the family)
Hand-curated. Every entry links to its official source so you can plan without guessing.
Pontoon boat rentals at Adventure Science Center Marina / Percy Priest Boat Rental
Percy Priest Boat Rental at Seven Points and other outfitters rent pontoon boats. Pontoons $350-500/day. The lake is best for leisurely cruising rather than wake sports. Reserve 30+ days ahead for summer weekends.
Official source ↗Hamilton Creek Recreation Area beach
One of the best public swimming beaches near Nashville — sandy beach, picnic tables, volleyball, and a swim area. $4-6/car parking fee. Pavilion reservations available for group picnics.
Official source ↗Seven Points Campground and beach
Corps of Engineers campground with a public beach, boat ramp, and picnic area on the south shore. The most spacious public use area on the lake; pavilion rentals for group events.
Official source ↗Kayaking and stand-up paddleboard rentals
Multiple outfitters rent kayaks and SUPs from launch points around the lake. The quiet upper Stones River coves are ideal for morning paddles. Good option for active family members who want exercise over motorized boating.
Official source ↗Nashville Predators / Broadway night out
Nashville is 20 minutes west — Lower Broadway honky-tonks, hot chicken (Prince's, Hattie B's), Ryman Auditorium tours, and the National Museum of African American Music. The obvious group night-out from a Percy Priest base.
Official source ↗Radnor Lake State Natural Area
30 minutes west of the lake — 1,368-acre wildlife sanctuary with no motorized boats, 6 miles of hiking trails, and regular wildlife sightings (deer, osprey, beaver). The best nature-hike day trip from a Percy Priest base.
Official source ↗Fishing — crappie, bass, catfish, sauger
Percy Priest is a well-stocked multi-species fishery. Crappie fishing in the creek arms is particularly productive. Local guide services available; some public fishing piers at recreation areas are accessible for older relatives.
Official source ↗Hiking trails at Poole Knobs and Cook Recreation Areas
Several miles of wooded trails on the north shore — easy to moderate loops through cedar glades and lakeside forest. Good option for the non-boat morning.
Official source ↗Smyrna and Lavergne shopping and dining
The towns of Smyrna and Lavergne on the south shore have full retail — Walmart, Kroger, Publix, and dozens of chain and local restaurants. Easy daily supply runs.
Official source ↗Day trip to Franklin, Tennessee
40 minutes southwest — walkable historic downtown with indie shops and restaurants, the Carter House and Carnton Civil War sites, and the Factory at Franklin event space. Good heritage half-day.
Official source ↗Find more things to do for your Percy Priest Lake reunion
The picks above are general. Inside the Reunly app, Rosi tailors local activities, meals, and printables to your actual dates, group size, ages, and budget — and saves them straight to your reunion plan.
Good for
- Fly-in reunions — 20 min from BNA airport
- Hybrid lake + Nashville city experience reunions
- Groups wanting city conveniences with lake access
- Urban Nashville families and diaspora reunions
- Smaller to medium groups (10-50 people)
Practical logistics
- Nearest airport
- Nashville (BNA) — 20-30 min drive — the most convenient airport access of any lake in Tennessee
- Best rental platform
- VRBO and Airbnb; also search Mt. Juliet, Smyrna, and Lavergne neighborhoods
- Peak season
- Memorial Day through Labor Day; summer weekends are crowded (Nashville day-trippers)
- Group home sizes
- 3-6 BR homes dominate the local inventory; $1,800-3,500/week peak season; larger groups should supplement with Nashville hotel blocks
- Groceries
- Publix, Kroger, and Walmart within 10-15 minutes on all sides of the lake
- Boat rentals
- Percy Priest Boat Rental, Blue Water Sports; pontoons $350-500/day
- City access
- Nashville is 20-30 min — use for catered delivery, group dinners, live music, airport pickups
- Cell service
- Excellent throughout — suburban Nashville coverage
When to go
May through September. The lake is crowded on summer weekends — plan your boat day for Tuesday-Thursday if possible. Late May and September are the best shoulder months. The lake is also accessible in April for early-spring paddling.
Best for your group size
Small group · 10–25
Groups of 10-25 fit in a 4-6 BR Smyrna or Mt. Juliet rental with one rental pontoon and easy city access.
Medium group · 25–60
Groups of 25-60 — combine 2 vacation rentals with a Nashville hotel block; rent 2-3 pontoons; plan 1-2 group Nashville dinners.
Large group · 60+
Groups of 60+ — primarily based in Nashville hotels with a lake day-trip using rental boats and the public recreation areas.
Sample 4-day Percy Priest Lake family reunion
A starter agenda you can copy into Reunly's Schedule and customize for your group.
Day 1 — Arrive (Fly In)
- Fly into BNA — pick up at baggage claim, 20 min to the lake
- Stop at Publix or Kroger on the way to the rental
- Check in by 3 PM
- 5 PM welcome walk to the lake or beach
- 7 PM welcome dinner at a Smyrna restaurant or catered BBQ at the rental
Day 2 — Lake Day
- 8 AM breakfast at the rental
- 9:30 AM pontoon pickup
- 10 AM lake cruise and Hamilton Creek beach swim
- 1 PM picnic lunch at Seven Points
- 3 PM kayak or SUP rentals
- 5 PM return boat
- 7 PM cook night dinner at the rental
- 8:30 PM games and family trivia night
Day 3 — Nashville Day
- 9 AM breakfast at the rental
- 10 AM caravan to Nashville (20 min)
- 10:30 AM Ryman Auditorium tour or Country Music Hall of Fame
- 12:30 PM lunch on Broadway — hot chicken and honky-tonks
- 3 PM Germantown walkabout or shopping
- 6 PM family group photo on the Pedestrian Bridge over the Cumberland
- 7 PM group dinner at a Nashville restaurant (reserve 30+ days ahead for 15+)
Day 4 — Slow Morning & Depart (Fly Out)
- 8 AM big breakfast at the rental
- 10 AM Radnor Lake hike (optional — 30 min from rental)
- 11 AM pack up and clean
- 12 PM final group photo
- 1-5 PM depart for BNA
Reunion organizer tips
The lake is crowded on summer weekends — schedule boat time on a Tuesday or Wednesday and use the Nashville nightlife for Friday and Saturday evenings.
Combine the lake with a Nashville night out — Lower Broadway is 20 minutes away and works for all ages (yes, kids can go to honky-tonks before 9 PM in most cases).
For large reunions (40+), supplement vacation rentals with Nashville hotel blocks — the city has infinite lodging options for overflow.
Use Nashville catering services for group meals rather than cooking every night — the city has excellent BBQ caterers (Peg Leg Porker, Martin's Bar-B-Que) who deliver.
Book pavilion reservations at Hamilton Creek or Seven Points at least 2-3 months ahead for large group picnics on the public beach.
How Reunly helps you plan it
Reunly is the all-in-one app made for family reunion organizers. Free to start. No credit card. Cancel anytime.
Smart guest list
Drop in any spreadsheet — Rosi (our AI) reads multi-sheet, color-coded family groups, even handwritten exports. RSVP, dietary, T-shirt, paid status all in one row.
Open in Reunly →Public RSVP link
Share one link with the whole family. They RSVP per event (Friday BBQ, Saturday dinner) without making an account. You see live counts.
Open in Reunly →Budget that adds up
Track estimated vs. actual, who paid, who still owes. Auto-creates per-guest fee rows from your registration cost.
Open in Reunly →Day-by-day schedule
Friday welcome BBQ, Saturday photo, Sunday brunch — with location, meal flag, and per-event RSVPs.
Open in Reunly →Name tags + printables
Avery 5160 sheets color-coded by family, programs, welcome packets, packing lists — auto-filled from your data.
Open in Reunly →Rosi the AI helper
Stuck on a reminder email? A budget? A timeline? Click Rosi anywhere in the app — she drafts it from your live data.
Open in Reunly →Plan your Percy Priest Lake reunion with Reunly
Free to start. Build your guest list, share an RSVP link, track payments, and print name tags — no spreadsheets.
Frequently asked
What size rental homes are available at Percy Priest Lake?
Most homes near Percy Priest range from 3-6 bedrooms — it's a suburban Nashville lake with more residential than vacation rental character. For groups over 30, supplement with Nashville hotel blocks. Prices run $1,800-3,500/week for peak summer in a 4-5 BR home.
Is Percy Priest Lake good for kids?
Yes — Hamilton Creek beach has a supervised swim area, kayaks and SUPs are easy for teens, and Nashville's kid-friendly attractions (Adventure Science Center, Nashville Zoo, Country Music Hall of Fame) are 20-30 minutes away.
How far is Percy Priest Lake from Nashville airport?
About 15-25 minutes from Nashville International Airport (BNA) — the closest lake to a major Southeast airport. Flying-in family members can be picked up and at the lake in under 30 minutes.
When is the best time to visit Percy Priest Lake for a reunion?
Tuesday-Thursday works best for lake days (less weekend city traffic). May through September for warm water; water reaches 78-82°F in July-August. Late May and September have ideal weather with less crowding.
Other reunion-friendly spots nearby
Helpful planning guides
The complete family reunion checklist
12-month, 6-month, and day-of checklists organizers actually use.
Read the guide →Family reunion budget guide
How to estimate, track, and split costs without spreadsheets.
Read the guide →Family reunion on a $2,500 budget
A real budget breakdown for a destination reunion under $2.5K.
Read the guide →