Hornsby Hollow, TN

 

Hornsby Hollow is a favorite campground of ours. We first visited back in 2016 when we had our Cargolite Xtreme.

Cargolite Xtreme Toy Hauler by Watts Bar Lake

This time we were on the opposite side of the campground and I have to say that I prefer the side we were on before. It just seemed a little more crowded than the last time we were there. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Where is Hornsby Hollow? It is in Ten Mile, TN between Chattanooga and Knoxville. It's right on Watts Bar Lake (one of the largest lakes in the south) which makes it a favorite for fishermen and water enthusiasts. TVA created the lake when it built the dam. 

Hornsby Hollow is easily accessible from I75 or I40

The sites are spacious and absolutely gorgeous. I would argue that every site has a view of the lake. We were lucky enough to snag a site right on the water.

View from Campsite

The sites will cost you, though. It's definitely not the least expensive place we've camped, but it's not the most expensive either. Their website indicates that the average site will cost $40-$43/night. We were told that the reservation system is going to change, but for now, you have to call the morning of and reserve a spot then. 

Cell service is okay but not great. Wifi is available but only at the entrance. Water and electricity are available at the sites; the dump station for gray and black water tanks is located at the entrance. Each site has a picnic table, lantern post, and a firepit/grill.

All of the sites are equipped with a grill/fire pit

A very small store is at the entrance with a book-lending library and a residential washer/dryer. When we arrived, we were able to go directly to our site since Robert paid online. I was surprised at the great site he was able to get, but even more surprised that there were so many sites available on the weekend. The bathhouses are plentiful and the shower pressure is good. 

The bathhouses are energy efficient

Spacious shower with good pressure and warm water

Nice big bench in the shower far enough from the water to keep your things from getting wet

2 sinks with paper towels!

More pictures of the campground:

Boat ramp with more sites

The sidewalk leading to swimming section

Stairs to the swimming section

Playground

Like I said at the beginning of the post, I prefer the other side. I'm sure it's not, but it feels like there's more room over there. Luckily, we didn't have anyone in the site next to us so it felt like we had more room than we actually did. 

Would we stay here again? Absolutely. It's not far from home so it's good for a quick getaway. It's peaceful hearing the water lap against the shore and watching the fishermen out on boats. Not to mention watching the water birds.  We aren't water people but we do enjoy being close to it and watching others enjoy it. 

The Maiden Voyage with our Entegra Launch

First night in Maeve Anne

For Maeve Anne’s maiden voyage (which we have dubbed “Maeveanne voyage”) we drove about an hour from home to a campground where we have stayed a couple of times. This is a campground that you have to call the day of to see if there are open sites, then you can reserve a site. Not only did we reserve a spot, but there were several that were open. This is definitely a hidden gem…right on Watts Bar Lake with every site having a view of the lake.

Robert had no trouble backing her into the spot. Once there, I put some groceries away and Robert got out our chairs. Then we started figuring things out. We got out the covers for the windshield and the cab windows. That’s where we encountered a problem. The shades are supposed to have magnets in them, and I think they do but they are so weak that they won’t hold up the shades. Fortunately, we didn’t have anyone right beside us so it wasn’t a huge concern this trip. Buying magnetic shades quickly went to the top of the list of things we need to purchase...or heavier magnets and some glue.

I managed to get the side cover up but it didn't last long!

Now for the bed. I’m 5’9” and Robert is 6’3” so we aren’t small people. We weren’t completely sure how comfortable we would both be since the bed is a little on the small side. Size-wise, it turned out to be fine. As with most RV mattresses, the comfort level left something to be desired. We watched videos of people recommending different toppers or mattresses. I ordered the one recommended by a guy who is about our age and at the time of this writing, it's on the bed, all made up, ready to go.

Pre-topper

We used the portable induction cooktop for the first time to make breakfast. It worked great but getting the sticker off it was fairly time-consuming. It’s going to take some time to get used to the controls and how the heat works, but it’ll come. I like that it is stored under the pantry instead of taking up a whole drawer. It has its only little place so it will be protected.

First meal! Another thing on the list...outdoor rugs!

Coffee...a must-have

We hooked up the water without incident. Robert checked everything inside to make sure there were no leaks and that everything was working as it should. No problems there. When I washed the dishes I put a collapsible bin in the sink, filled up one with soapy water and one with just water for rinsing, and washed outside. Thankfully, we have a lot of camping supplies from our years of camping so the only things we’ll need to buy are things specifically for the van (like the window coverings). 

Now...why "Maeve Anne"? As mentioned in the previous post, our Ireland trip inspired this purchase. While we were in Killarney, we walked into a crowded pub and asked a young couple if we could join them because there were absolutely NO seats available. They said yes and we ended up talking and laughing with them for a few hours. (Okay, truth be told, since we were in a pub, of course, drinks were involved!) Her name is Maeve...she was absolutely beautiful and extremely nice. And to top it off, she is a special education teacher of high school students with autism. That's why we named her "Maeve". Robert said that since she's southern (the van, not the Irish lady) she needs a second name, and "Anne" just popped out. I didn't think about how it sounded when both names are put together but we think it works.

We can't wait to see where Maeve Anne takes us!

Norris Dam State Park (Tennessee)

Mid- to late- May is a good time to go camping in East TN: it's not too hot & humid yet and the nights are still cool. The problem we have is that we usually decide at the last minute to go, and with COVID, camping sites are hard to come by. I looked at our usual campgrounds but every place was full at the beginning of the week. There was a campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that we hadn't been to but there is no electricity at National Park Campgrounds (at least around here). My next step was to look for state parks around us. I found Norris Dam State Park, which is just north of Knoxville. At the beginning of the week, there were plenty of spots available. So that made me a little nervous. I figured it was either going to be a hidden gem or a really crappy campground. 

When we arrived at our site, we weren't sure what to do: Where were we supposed to put the tent? There is, what appears to be, a double parking space with one side a bit longer than the other. 

There is a grassy area with a grill, table, and fire pit but the grass appeared to have just been sown and it wasn't level. 

We saw a State Park Employee so asked him where to put the tent. He was very nice and radioed the office since he had only been working for 2 weeks and didn't want to tell us the wrong place. The Campground Hosts ended up walking over and gave us a couple of suggestions. They said that most people use the asphalt, which was fine since we have cots. 

The site we had (46) had 2 picnic tables and 2 grills...one on either side of the drive. We put our Gazelle gazebo over the newer picnic table. We weren't sure if it was going to fit since this table was a little larger than your average picnic table. It was a tight fit, but it worked. 

I should add that our site was on the outer ring of the West Campground. The inner ring had longer drives and a place to put a tent in the grass, but there was a big water tower in the middle of the area next to the playground. Some of the outer sites on the other side of the campground were conducive to putting the tent in the grassy area.

We drove over to the East Campground. As soon as we drove in we knew we were in the better part.

This campground has fewer sites and (as you can see in the picture) a big tower in the middle of it. I didn't take a picture of the playground, but the one in the West was newer and bigger.

The brown building in the last picture is the bathhouse. A few years ago the State of TN updated the bathhouses. In this building, there are 4 separate showers/toilets. The first impression was "prison toilet".

Having the shower & toilet in one room is a great idea unless you have to use the restroom and all of the rooms are occupied with people taking their showers at night. Then it's a little problematic.

The bathhouses were clean and well maintained. I can only speak for the water pressure in one of them: it was okay. Not as good as home, but that's to be expected. There was plenty of toilet paper and each room was supplied with hand soap. There were no paper towels...only a hand dryer that worked pretty well. 

Once again, one of our complaints is that there isn't a washing station to wash dishes. We ended up washing dishes in the bathroom because there was nowhere else. 

The sites have water and electricity. Dump stations are available at each campground. Even though one of our past governors wanted the internet to be available at every State Park, it is not available here. We had a decent cell signal; enough that we were able to turn on the hotspot and watch a movie on Saturday night. There is a "canteen" with basics in case you need it. It's a walk-up building and is open until 8:00 pm. 

Around the Park

The park has quite a few hiking trails with varying lengths and levels of difficulty. The sign below lists some of them.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) had a camp on this site while building the dam. The cabins used by the workers are available for rent.

There is also a "Tea Room" that is available to rent for gatherings. A wedding reception was being set up the day we were there.

In the Area

If you're looking for things of interest in the area, here are a few ideas:

Norris Dam was the first dam built as part of FDR's New Deal. There is a marina with a restaurant. There's plenty of fishing and boating to be enjoyed.

Rice Grist Mill. It is a working mill; flour and meal are available for purchase in the gift shop, which is on the top floor of the mill.

The Caleb Crosby Threshing Barn is right beside the grist mill. After their land was scheduled to be flooded with the building of Cherokee Dam, the family donated the barn to the National Park Service, who apparently forgot about it. It wasn't put back together until 1978, 34 years after it was dismantled on its original site on the Holston River.

Walk up the hill from the grist mill and you can visit Lenoir Museum. This is a very small museum, but it houses some interesting artifacts.

The Museum of Appalachia is also in the area, not far from the Lenoir Museum. This Smithsonian Affiliated Museum is a living history museum of life in Southern Appalachia. 

There is an Orchard Trail near the dam. It looks like a great place if you want to walk, run, or take the dog for a walk. There are signs to identify what orchard you're walking through.

If you're thirsty and/or hungry, you won't want to miss Clinch River Brewing. It has a small menu with a Louisiana flair and a great atmosphere. You can dine inside, outside on the front porch, or in the back around a pond with some good-sized rainbow trout swimming around.

Hidden Gem? Or Crappy?

Overall, we didn't think it was a bad park. Will it rank high on our places to camp? No, but if we can't get in anywhere else, we'd rather camp here than nowhere at all. If you have kids, this would be a great spot with the playground. There is a swimming pool for those hot summer days as well. Mary didn't feel it was as relaxing as other places we've stayed. She usually sleeps really well while camping but didn't sleep so great this time. Maybe it was because of the proximity to the road. Robert slept well, but he usually does anyway!

To answer the question: Hidden gem or crappy? we'd have to say somewhere in the middle.

Panther Creek State Park (Tennessee)

Panther Creek is a Tennessee State Park northeast of Knoxville. It's easily accessible from 11E. This was not our first visit, but it was the first visit since renovation. 
All 50 sites are paved and are level. Some sites have full hook-ups, but all of them have electricity and water. In addition, the sites have picnic tables, grills, and fire pits.

The sites are spacious; you don't feel like you're right on top of your neigbor.

There are 2 bath houses: 1 for the top and 1 for the lower.

The lower bath house has 3 bathrooms; the upper has 4. Each bathroom is large with a toilet, sink, and shower. 

There is a laundry room in each bath house with 1 washer & 1 dryer. Compared to other places we've camped, these were quite the bargain at $.75/load!

There are 2 pavilions that adjoin the bath house.

A huge plus for us is the trails that are all over. There are hiking and mountain biking trails all around the state park, as well as behind the campground.

As you come into the park, there is a swimming pool, outdoor basketball/volleyball (maybe tennis, too...we didn't drive up to them, so I'm not real sure.) courts, and a playground. Campers get a break on using the pool during the summer.

There is an amphitheater at the top of the campground; it's a short hike to get there.

 The steps are a nice addition since the renovation; it makes it easier to get to the trail in back of the campground:

As far as cell service, 4G was spotty; there were times it was good, but there were times it wasn't very good. There was supposed to be wifi but we weren't able to get it to connect. I was under the router and tried to connect but wasn't able to connect. 

We went without a reservation; however, it is better to have one. Unlike other campgrounds, signs are not placed on the poles to indicate which sites have been reserved. We looked online the night before to make sure there were some open, then talked with the Park Ranger after we got there. 

Panther Creek is one of our favorite campgrounds, and with it being about an hour away from us, it is perfect. There is a WalMart and Aldi not far away, so if you forget anything it's convenient to run out and get what you need. 

Even though it is close to Morristown, you'll feel like you're out in the middle of the wilderness.