Anyone Local to Nashville/Cumberland River?

[2kwik4u]

The wife and I are looking for a place to get away for a few days for our 9th wedding anniversary. We don't want to be gone long, don't want to spend a ton of cash, and have a general idea of "what" we want to do.

General theme is Travel Friday night to destination, activity Saturday during day, massage Saturday afternoon, Dinner Saturday night, travel home Sunday.

We've found that we have enough Mariott points to cover a night at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Seems like a neat place, and it's only about 2.5hrs from home. Easily driveable on a Friday after work.

Saturday thoughts are to put the boat in at a small ramp near the Gaylord, and boat around on the Cumberland River during the day. Here's where I need some local help to verify my plans before we drag the boat down there for the day.

Can anyone confirm that the ramp located at these coordinates is for public use?
36.217048, -86.705367
Google maps sure looks like it's a public ramp, but would like to check first. If that one isn't available are there any other ramps in the Nashville area, near the Gaylord preferrably, that are public?

What about the docks in downtown. It looks like there are some public docks on the city side, just under the walking/pedestrian bridge. Do I need to reserve space here? Can I just show up and park for a few hours to have lunch on Broadway? How does that work? I don't even know where to begin searching for this information.

I think I have the massage figured out. This place (https://thelotusroomnashville.com/) has great reviews and is close the Gaylord. We're thinking Jack Daniels inside the Gaylord for dinner. Any tips/tricks/ideas from the locals would be welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

 

[spatty99]

I used to live on Old Hickory and have cruised the Cumberland River, but I've never heard of that ramp. My guess is that it isn't public, and the only google info I found said it was permanently closed.

Regardless, I would highly recommend taking the short drive and putting the boat in directly on Old Hickory (there are a ton of great ramps/marinas) and either exploring the lake or locking through the dam and cruising to downtown (or both).

The lake has beautiful homes, party coves/sand bars, marinas with food and music, cliff jumps, etc (my map pic is ~5 years old but gives you an idea). The lock is a 50 foot elevation change and is an experience on it's own (just call the lock ahead of time for barge schedules so you don't wait too long for your turn). Downtown has public docks, and you are supposed to call ahead (I don't have the number, but I think it was posted on a Nashville thread at some point), although in practice I don't think that actually happens and people just raft up.

So if you can handle a full water day, (since you can get a massage anywhere, anytime), I would explore Opryland (huge place) Friday/Sunday, but put the boat in Old Hickory Saturday am, lock through, cruise the river to downtown, grab lunch, cruise back, lock back through, check out the lake, grab a sunset dinner at a marina, then trailer back for the evening.

 

[2kwik4u]

Thanks for the input. Any reccomendations on places on the lake to visit/eat in the evening?

Looks like the distance from the locks to Downtown Nashville is around 24 miles by water. Does that sound about right? What kind of time does that take? Do the locks have a phone number to call, or do I have to have a VHF? If by phone is there acceptable cell service from the water? Only been through locks once and it was as a passenger on another boat, is this something I can do on my own, or should I have a guide help with the first time through?

We have a similar run from Downtown Louisville to a favorite cove on the Ohio River that takes us about 45 minutes (18miles). Just want to make sure I have my timing down as I'm planning the day.

 

[spatty99]

Two great spots for dining and entertainment are Sam's Sports Grill at Blue Turtle Bay and the Rudder at Anchor High Marina. Both are within a marina, so you could presumably launch there (guessing a small fee) early in the day and pull the boat out before a sunset dinner (so you don't have to cruise at all in low light).

Sam's is a big floating bar/restaurant with lots of waterfront seating, and as of several years ago they had bands during popular hours (it was bought out by a chain restaurant since then, but I would guess they kept the entertainment going). https://samssportsgrill.com/locations/blue-turtle-bay/virtual-tour-sams-blue-turtle-bay/

The rudder has a floating bar/restaurant, but the stage is on shore (still waterfront, just not floating). They have bands listed every day- https://www.therudderahm.com/event-calendar.

The river trip to Nashville sounds about right at 24 miles, since if I recall correctly we spent between 30 minutes to an hour each way. The river is fairly narrow, really calm (but strong current), with almost no traffic, so basically plan to cruise comfortably (around 30 mph) with some stops or slow downs along the way to check things out. There is a cool scenery mix- nature, industrial, agriculture, residential, then city.

You will want to call (by phone) the lock ahead of time to figure out when is a good time to go through (and where to line up while waiting), since huge barges transit several times daily and they can take an hour or so to get through (they often move the cargo in sections). You should have excellent cell reception everywhere, since you are surrounded by residential area. Going through the lock is really easy, pull in, grab the rope and hang on for the ride. It does help to have someone assist with holding ropes while you descent/ascend, but it is no more challenging than docking. Without waiting, going through the lock takes about 15 minutes.

 

[spatty99]

"Two Foot" cove is the main party spot (there are several), on any given relatively warm weekend there will be a lot of boats (and alcohol).
https://goo.gl/maps/MXdwBRGCmb72

 

[2kwik4u]

WOW, that is awesome information. Thank you so much for the help.

I think this is shaping up to be the plan:

Friday:
Travel to Hendersonville area and stay at an inexpensive somewhere (any recommendations here?)
Saturday:
Launch early
Boat most of the day with a trip through the locks and down to Nashville for lunch
Remove boat and travel to Opryland for the evening
Dinner somewhere fancy
Uber into Downtown Nashville for nightlife (depending on how we feel after boating)
Sunday:
Sleep in like adults with no responsibilities
Possibly hit spa
Travel home to Louisville Area

 

[spatty99]

Looks like an awesome agenda, you guys should have a blast.

Anywhere in Hendersonville (my old stomping grounds) should be good. One of the chains (Hampton, Fairfield, Holiday Inn, etc) off of 386 or 31 are nice and convenient.

Nashville has become a real foodie town, too many seriously excellent places to name. One of our favorites is Rolf and Daughters, a trendy spot with fresh hand made pasta. Jeni's has the best ice cream ever (and I know my ice cream).

 

[2kwik4u]

Been awhile since I've updated this. Plans changed around a little. Got two nights free at the Marriott in Goodlettsville. Drive down Friday night with a stop in Bowling Green at this little roadside BBQ place we like for dinner.

Saturday the plan is to launch early and explore the lake a little. Lock through and head to downtown Nashville for lunch, back up river and through the locks before nightfall or sooner. Then find a place somewhat local to eat dinner. Sunday morning there is a furniture store on the south side (LoveSac) that we don't have in Louisville she wants to visit. Then a quick drive home.

Anyone have any tips/videos/instructions for going through the locks? I've only ever been through locks once before on a small boat and I was a passenger not the captain. I called the locks on Friday and was told to just call ahead on the day that we want through and that lock master would give us instructions and timing to avoid barge traffic.

Anything else I should know?

 

[spatty99]

Going through the lock is super simple. Just call ahead, wait to go in the lock (I think there is a sign indicating where to wait), cruise in, motors off, hang on to the rope in the lock, wait as the water drops/rises, then cruise out.

 

[2kwik4u]

Going through the lock is super simple. Just call ahead, wait to go in the lock (I think there is a sign indicating where to wait), cruise in, motors off, hang on to the rope in the lock, wait as the water drops/rises, then cruise out.

Thanks for the info. We're both a little nervous about the locks, however think it will be an interesting and neat thing to do as part of the trip.

 

[BigAbe75]

@2kwik4u sounds like so much fun. Can’t wait to hear about your trip when it’s done... and see a couple pics.

 

[2kwik4u]

@2kwik4u sounds like so much fun. Can’t wait to hear about your trip when it’s done... and see a couple pics.

We're cautiously optimistic. We know full well it might be a complete bomb, might be the best time ever as well. We'll defeintiely take a ton of pictures, and I'll report back on how it went.

We've been having thoughts of involving the boat more in vacation style trips, and this is kind of a close/easy way to test the waters so to speak. We're only about 2.5hrs from Nashville, so it's not an overly long tow. If things don't go well (we get rained out, etc) there is plenty else to do around to salvage the weekend. And it's a good first test of the equipment in a "foreign" environment.

We have a tentative trip to Douglas Lake next year with the neighbors. They have a 23ft TriToon and 4 people. We've got the 190 and 4 people. Found a couple AirBnB type rentals that have a dock and enough beds to accommodate the whole crew. If that goes well, there is talk of Destin, FL either later that year, or maybe the next summer. Obviously a much longer tow, and a move to salt water, however the idea of doing what we love (boating) in new places sounds very interesting to us.

 

[2kwik4u]

Trip is getting closer. Doing some planning, and want to check my math/thoughts with some other boaters.

Fuel burn questions.....Looks like I'm about 25 miles on the water from the locks to downtown. That puts me at ~50 miles round trip. Boattest.com shows about 7.8GPH at 6500 (32mph) I usually set the cruise at 30mph and 6200 rpm. That has me running 50 miles at 30mph or 1.6hrs of run time at 7.8gph. To make these conservative numbers, lets say I need to go 60 miles, at 30mph, and 8gph. Thats 16gal of fuel. Should make the trip no problem on a 30gal tank. Even with some stopping/starting/docking/etc mixed in there. We intend to launch with a full tank. I'm negating current since I don't have that data, and figure it will help one way and hurt the other. It's also a flat, narrow, inland waterway, so I don't expect that I will have to vary the throttle much once up and going. Do those numbers and assumptions sound reasonable?

Here is the route from the lock to downtown, and how I used Google Maps to estimate the distance.


Weather questions......Looks like Florence could very easily have an impact on this trip. We've decided that 50% chance of rain is acceptable risk for the trip by boat, depending on how the radar looks the morning of launch. I know this isn't an open water crossing in the Bermuda Triangle, but is there anything else I should be aware of while on the water in this area? I don't currently have even a handheld VHF, should I get one just in case? How is cell coverage on AT&T in this area in case something does go awry? I assume the locks still operate in the rain. Any chance of us getting stranded on one side of the locks if a thunderstorm comes up? How does that work?

I still haven't found any info online about needing to get permits or permission to use the docks in Downtown Nashville. Anyone have any info on that?

What about security while at the dock. I have a stainless cable and lock setup that I've used in the past to lock a generator to a structure. Think I should take that with me and lock the tower to the dock or something like that? Are there any concerns with theft of the boat itself, or any of the gear in it for the few hours we'll be away from it at lunchtime? Anyone know what the "neighborhood" is like in that area? We've left our boat at the docks in Downtown Louisville a few times to catch a baseball game without locking it, but have thought me maybe should have a time or two upon return with some less than reputable looking characters hanging around when we got back.

Thanks to all that are helping plan this portion of our weekend. I know it's nothing compared to something like the bimini trip, but it still a new experience for us and we have some nervousness mixed with excitement surrounding this portion of the weekend.

 

[2kwik4u]

Well the forecast isn't looking stellar. Pretty much a 50% chance of rain all day. We talked it through last night, and will still take the boat, then plan our day Saturday based on radar evaluation the morning of. If it's looking pretty clear, we'll head out and take our chances. If it looks rough, or if there is obvious rain on the radar we'll leave the boat at the hotel and hit some other land (and under-roof) based attractions.

Everyone keep your fingers crossed for us.

 

[2kwik4u]

Truck is packed. Boat is loaded and attached to the truck at the office. Camera/phone mount repaired. Leaving town around 4pm to head south.

Forecast is bouncing between thunderstorms and light showers and partly cloudy. High temps in the mid-low 70's. Not sure we'll get in the water. If it's storming or actively raining we might just leave the boat on the trailer and go sightseeing instead. Sure hope not

Here's the current forecast. Few showers, with totals of less than 0.1 in most hours. Hope it all blows through tonight and is gone in the morning.


Everyone cross your fingers for us.

 

[2kwik4u]

On the water. Found Kelly Clarkson's mansion while waiting for the locks. Waiting to lock through now.

Fingers crossed the weather holds out for awhile

 

[2kwik4u]

Made it to Nashville. Broadway side docks are closed. Docked on Nissan Stadium side.

 

[2kwik4u]

 

[2kwik4u]

Just now back to the hotel.

Had to wait for almost 3 hours to lock through coming back........in the rain

 

[BigAbe75]

Just now back to the hotel.

Had to wait for almost 3 hours to lock through coming back........in the rain

Ouch!!