Sumner County: Old Hickory Lake and Historic Places

Sumner County combines Old Hickory Lake with historic homes, cultural sites, and scenic trails. The lake covers 22,500 acres of water and offers opportunities for a range of recreational activities. The county is just a few minutes from Nashville. When planning your visit, you can focus on different interests: days on or by the water, insights into the state’s history, or cultural themes. Historic sites range from homes dating to the late 18th century to a former silent movie theater.

Water, Trails, and Activities

Recreational boats, sailboats, personal watercraft, and fishing boats travel on Old Hickory Lake. Four designated swimming beaches have picnic tables, grills, restrooms, and boat ramps. Fees and conditions may change; check them before your visit. At Bledsoe Creek State Park, a fishing pier is accessible from the parking areas via paved paths.

The 1.1-mile Old Hickory Lake Nature Trail has three loops: Willow Swamp Loop, Wildlife Loop, and Woodland Loop. It is currently closed due to tornado damage; check its status before visiting. Lock 4 Park has a mountain biking course in Middle Tennessee. Check trail conditions before riding.

Historic Homes and Sites

The historic Rock Castle house sits on the shore of Old Hickory Lake and is designed in the Federal and Georgian styles. Cragfont was the home of General James Winchester and was built between 1798 and 1802. Its architecture represents the late Georgian period; its furnishings include Federal antiques.

Wynnewood is the largest surviving log building in Tennessee and one of just 31 National Historic Landmarks in the state. A. R. Wynne, William Cage, and Stephen Roberts built the main structure in 1828 as a stagecoach stop on the Nashville-Knoxville Road. Wynnewood’s significance therefore lies not only in its construction but also in its former role along an important road.

Bledsoe’s Fort Historical Park preserves the site of Isaac Bledsoe’s frontier station, early settlers’ buildings, a pioneer cemetery, and a landscape associated with the early years of settlement in Sumner County. Visitors can explore the grounds, trails, interpretive areas, historic buildings, and cemetery landscape. The park includes Hugh Rogan Cottage and Nathaniel Parker Cabin. Some areas may have uneven ground. At Historic Mansker’s Station, visitors can experience life on the Tennessee frontier in the 18th century.

Culture and Unique Stories

Monthaven Arts & Cultural Center is a historic mansion that has been transformed into a creative center. In Gallatin, the Palace Theater opened in 1913 as a silent movie theater. According to Sumner County, Oak Grove Farms was the first farm in Tennessee to grow pineapples. South Tunnel General Store was built in 1859. Together, these places reveal different facets of regional history—from architecture and early settlement to culture and agriculture.

Discover more destinations: Cottontown, Gallatin, Hendersonville.

Discover more destinations: Grainger County, Bedford County, Johnson County, Polk County, Marshall County.

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