Where Do Tennessee National Residents Run Errands?

Lake communities sell the weekend. The better question is about Tuesday. Where is the grocery run? How far is a pharmacy, a hardware store, a flight?

Tennessee National is a private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee. Here is the practical map of an ordinary week.

Where do you buy groceries and run quick errands?

In Loudon and Lenoir City. Loudon is about 5 minutes from the gate and Lenoir City is about 15. Between them they cover the weekly basics: groceries, gas, a pharmacy, a bank and a hardware store.

This is the no-planning ring. You go, you come back, and the ice cream is still frozen.

We do not name stores here, because stores change. Drive both towns on your visit and see what is there now.

How far are the big stores?

About 20 minutes. Farragut and the Turkey Creek shopping area sit on the west side of Knoxville. They hold the big stores, more restaurants and the hotels that visiting family can use.

Knoxville itself is about 30 minutes away. That is where you go for the things a city does best: hospitals and specialists, the university, concerts and games, and a wider choice of restaurants.

Think of it as rings around the gate.

I-75 is about 10 minutes from the gate. That is why the outer rings stay short.

What can you do without leaving the gates?

A lot of the week, though not the shopping. Tennessee National is a golf cart community on 1,492 gated acres. Inside the gates you have:

• The clubhouse with Kendall's restaurant.
• A Greg Norman Signature golf course.
• A full-service marina with 140+ boat slips on Watts Bar Lake.
• A pool, a fitness center, pickleball, tennis and walking trails.
• 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year.

So dinner, exercise, a round of golf and a night out with neighbors can all happen without a car. Groceries, prescriptions and doctor visits are the short drives above. See amenities for the full list.

How far are the airport and the hospitals?

McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is about 35 minutes away, and Knoxville's hospital systems are about 30.

The airport sits south of Knoxville. At that distance a flight does not eat a whole travel day, and family can fly in for a long weekend. Our guide to flying into McGhee Tyson has the details.

For healthcare, the map is only half the answer. If you are moving from another state, check that your insurance and your doctors line up before you move. Healthcare near Tennessee National explains how to do that.

Where do guests stay?

Around Farragut and Turkey Creek, in most cases. The area is about 20 minutes from the gate and has a wide choice of hotels, with restaurants close by.

That matters if you buy a homesite and build later. There is no deadline to build at Tennessee National, so you may be a visitor to your own land for a while. The guide to where to stay covers the area.

What does an ordinary week look like?

Mostly short trips, with one longer one. Here is an example, not a schedule.

• Monday. Groceries in Loudon. Home in time for lunch.
• Wednesday. A bigger grocery run in Lenoir City, with a stop at the pharmacy.
• Friday. Farragut and Turkey Creek for the big stores, then dinner out.
• One day a month or so. Knoxville for an appointment, a show or a game.
• Everything else. Inside the gates, by golf cart.

Your own week will look different. The point is that most of it stays within about 20 minutes of home.

The honest trade-off

You will drive for groceries. Not far, but you will drive. Nothing outside the gates is a walk. If you want a corner store at the end of the block, a lake and golf community is the wrong fit.

What you get in exchange is a short list of short drives, an interstate about 10 minutes away, and evenings that do not need a car at all.

Drive the errand loop yourself before you decide. Time the trip to the grocery store, the pharmacy and the airport on an ordinary weekday. The area guide maps restaurants, wineries and trails around Loudon and Knoxville, and the drive times guide has the numbers in one place.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.