Places at the lake

The one restaurant on Watauga Lake you can pull a boat up to, hosted at Lakeshore Resort & Marina on the south shore.

The oldest marina on Watauga Lake, open since 1949, with pontoon rentals, 24-hour fuel, and an on-site campground.

The bigger marina on the south shore, with 30 cabins, a 107-site campground, slip rentals, a pool, and the lake's only on-water restaurant.

A 20-acre USDA Forest Service swim beach, picnic area, and Appalachian Trail access point on the south shore of Watauga Lake.

8,600 acres of state-protected mountain land outside Mountain City, with over 100 miles of multi-use trails for ATVs, dirt bikes, mountain bikes, horses, and hikers. About 25 minutes from the townhouse.

A 318-foot earth-and-rock TVA dam that closed its gates on December 1, 1948, drowned a town, and made the lake we live on. The Appalachian Trail crosses the top.

A 134-foot covered wooden Howe-truss bridge over the Doe River in downtown Elizabethton, built in 1882 and still walked across every day.

The site of the Watauga Association (1772), the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (1775), and the 1780 Overmountain Men muster. A reconstructed Fort Watauga, a visitor center, and a flat riverside walking path, 25 minutes from the townhouse.

A one-building museum in (new) Butler that holds the photos, ledgers, and oral histories of the town that flooded in 1948. Open weekends, May through October.

A 40-acre Tuscan-style farm winery five minutes from the townhouse — eight acres of grapes, a hilltop tasting room, brick-oven pizza, and a converted historic schoolhouse for events.

The small local store on Dry Hill Road, five minutes from the townhouse. Groceries, bait, beer, deli, and the Friday fish fry locals plan their week around.

A 2,006-acre Tennessee state park in the valley below Roan Mountain itself, with 30 cabins, 107 campsites, the Doe River running through it, and the Rhododendron Festival every June. 30 minutes from the townhouse.

The free, state-park side of Grandfather Mountain. Twelve-plus miles of trails including the Profile Trail to Calloway Peak. Trailheads off NC-105. About 50 minutes from the townhouse.