Boating in Tennessee continues to grow in popularity.

Recently we took a trip up river from Lake Old Hickory to Green Turtle Bay in Kentucky. Many people do not realize that from Nashville, you can take your boat on the great loop. This means that you can travel from the gulf, up through the rivers and go back down the eastern cost of the U.S. The trip that we took would have been the first leg of such an adventure, but since we only had five days, we enjoyed the nearest part of the river.

Anchor High Marina is on Lake Old Hickory in Hendersonville,TN. It is close to the Old Hickory dam and has a great lakeside grill with boat access. The Blackened Grouper sandwich is always a tasty choice. The marina also offers a small store, dry storage and gas (and diesel) as well as a pump out station. For questions call 615.826.boat (2628) or visit their web-site at http://www.anchormarinalllc.com . We began and ended our journey here.

Once leaving Anchor High, we went through the Old Hickory lock and dam. We hailed the lock-master on the radio. You can hail them on channel 14 (or 16) and request a lock through or get information. Let them know which channel you are on and remember that channel 16 is reserved for hailing and emergencies only. Switch to another channel after hailing. Or you can call 847-3281. Watch for the amber or red light ot turn green. Wait for the horn to sound and enter the lock at no wake speed. Tie your boat off to the floating mooring posts inside the lock chamber. DO NOT TIE to ladders or other fixed points at water level. You may need to tie to another boat if the lock is busy. Larger ships should be tied to the wall. If you rush in and tie off in a smaller boat, you could get crushed against the wall should a much larger boat tie to you.This process takes 45-60 minutes and barges have the right of way, so plan your trip accordingly. Do not untie until the gates are opened and the horn has sounded. Also, you must wear a PFD while in the lock. The lock master is always helpful if you need to ask any questions. This is at mile 216 on the river.

We spent thenight downtown in Nashville. The Nashville municipal Dock 615.862.8472 is right in the heart of the city. We walked one block to The Big River Grill 615.251.4677 and enjoyed great food. The Hummus salad is a great fresh option. The Frist Museum is also within walking distance and well worth a visit. The dock is located at mile 190 on the river.

We locked through at Cheatham lock where the employees were really nice. 615.792.5697

We stopped briefly at the Clarksville Municipal dock. Our dog appreciated the open dock rigt on the water. It made his access to shore much nicer. Soon Clarksville will have a a beautiful new marina, The Clarksville Marina at Liberty Park will be state of the art. The flood of 2010 pushed the time table back a little, but I think that it will be worth the wait.931.591.2700 or http://ww.clarksvillemarina.com for more info.

After a beautiful day of boating, our next stop was at Lake Barkley Marina at mile 59. The phone # is 800.498.0428. We were delighted when we were given a covered transient slip. There is a small restaurant and a  gas dock. The "crew" at this public park was very helpful. With nature trails and so much natural beauty, it was hard not to extend our stay. Go to http://www.lakebarkleymarina.comfor more info. This marina does require proof of insurance…so don’t forget to take it.

Our next stop was Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, KY. it is located at mile 31. 800.498.0428 for reservations or golf cart rentals. Golf carts are street legal in Grand Rivers. We rented one and went to Patti’s for a huge dinner with mile-high desserts. 270.362.8844 or http://www.pattis-settlement.com. The marina has a fuel dock with pump-out, as well as Boat Works 270.362.8364. They pulled our 48 Sea ray and cleaned it for us. Dockers Bayside Grill is also worth a visit. Good food at good prices 270.362.5377.

After two days we startes our jourey back towards Nashville. We stayed our final night at Rock Harbor Marina, mile 175. Arch Kelley greeted us and made us feel more than welcomed at the marina. They have a great service department and have several transient slips. Go to http://www.rockharbormarine.com for more info.

What a great week. For questions on boating contact Julie at [email protected]. For info on real estate in Nashville or Brentwood go to http://www.juliemcleland.com . As a side note, we used the I-Pad with the Navx app. to help with navigation. I could not be more pleased with the accuracy.