Percy Priest Lake
J. Percy Priest Lake is a reservoir in north central Tennessee. Visitors find it in Nashville. 1967 is when its story starts.
A lake inside Nashville
You can stay in Nashville
Percy Priest Lake is inside Nashville, which has 415 places to stay, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Best months: Apr, May, Sep and Oct
April, May, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 72–83°. When to go ↓
An airport 4 miles away
Nashville (BNA) has airline service, about 4 miles from Percy Priest Lake.
Established in 1967
Percy Priest Lake dates from 1967. About ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
When to go
Pick a month for Percy Priest Lake from the weather below.
Percy Priest Lake
J. Percy Priest Lake is a reservoir in north central Tennessee. It is formed by J. Percy Priest Dam, located between miles six and seven of the Stones River. The dam (easily visible from Interstate 40) is located about 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown Nashville and impounds a lake 42 mi (68 km) long. The lake and dam are named for Congressman Percy Priest.
The lake covers portions of Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson counties and consists of 14,200 acres (5,700 ha) of water at summer pool elevation 490 feet (150 m) above mean sea level. The water is surrounded by 18,854 acres (7,630 ha) of public lands; 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) are devoted to wildlife management. The site of the former town of Old Jefferson was inundated by the reservoir; the community was demolished in the early 1960s for the building of the dam.
- Type
- Lake
- Established
- 1967
- Area
- 22 square miles
- Wikipedia readers
- 20K a year
Nights near Percy Priest Lake
Nearest for a night are Nashville (415) and Goodlettsville (28).
- 1Nissan Stadium
- 2Ryman Auditorium
- 3The Hermitage
- 4Parthenon
- 5Bridgestone Arena
- 6Geodis Park
- 7FirstBank Stadium
- 8Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Percy Priest Lake | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | in town | — | 415 328 hotels · 29 motels · 20 inns & B&Bs · 13 lodges & cabins · 4 hostels · 15 campgrounds · 6 RV parks | 745,904 | $417K | D− |
| Goodlettsville | 13 mi north | 20 min | 28 20 hotels · 6 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 1 RV park | 17,506 | $382K | B− |
| Mount Juliet | 7 mi northeast | 10 min | 13 12 hotels · 1 RV park | 45,172 | $460K | B+ |
| Lebanon | 15 mi east | 25 min | 35 24 hotels · 4 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 3 campgrounds | 53,412 | $378K | C+ |
| Brentwood | 14 mi southwest | 20 min | 24 22 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs | 45,313 | $1,031K | B+ |
| Franklin | 21 mi southwest | 30 min | 57 49 hotels · 2 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins | 90,226 | $705K | B |
| Smyrna | 14 mi south | 20 min | 21 17 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground | 63,321 | $358K | C− |
| Hendersonville | 10 mi north | 15 min | 11 7 hotels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 64,266 | $431K | B+ |
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Next door to Percy Priest Lake
Each of these is within 11 miles.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaNissan Stadium
25 mi TheatreRyman Auditorium
34 mi MuseumThe Hermitage
411 mi MuseumParthenon
59 mi Stadium & arenaBridgestone Arena
69 mi Stadium & arenaGeodis Park
711 mi Stadium & arenaFirstBank Stadium
89 mi MuseumCountry Music Hall of Fame and Museum1.3M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Nissan Stadium: Kaldari, CC0 · Ryman Auditorium: Unknown, CC0 · The Hermitage: Jim Bowen from Zhenhai, China, CC BY 2.0 · Parthenon: Mayur Phadtare, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bridgestone Arena: EVula, CC BY 3.0 · Geodis Park: CheckeredYeti, CC BY-SA 4.0 · FirstBank Stadium: Mhar564, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: Sean Russell from Knoxville, TN, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers on Percy Priest Lake
Is Percy Priest Lake in Nashville?
Yes. It’s inside Nashville, TN.
When is the best time to visit Percy Priest Lake?
April, May, September and October, with highs of 72–83°.
What is the closest airport to Percy Priest Lake?
Nashville (BNA), about 4 miles away.
Where should I stay near Percy Priest Lake?
Nashville (in town, 415 places to stay), Goodlettsville (13 mi, 28 places to stay) and Mount Juliet (7 mi, 13 places to stay).
Locals’ advice in Nashville
Share what you know in Nashville’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.