How Do You Host Family and Guests at Tennessee National?

Ask people why they want a lake home and the honest answer is often the same. They want people to come. Kids in the summer. Old friends for a golf weekend. Everyone at Thanksgiving.

A home at Tennessee National can do that job well. Good hosting still takes logistics. This is the plan, from airport pickup to the last boat ride.

How do guests get to Tennessee National?

Guests fly into McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS), about 35 minutes from the gate, or drive in on I-75, which is about 10 minutes away.

The address for a map app is 8301 Tennessee National Drive, Loudon, TN 37774. Tennessee National is gated, so ask the team how guest entry works and tell your guests what to expect before they arrive. A two-minute text saves a phone call from the entrance.

Knoxville is about 30 minutes away. Guests driving down from the city are at your door in half an hour, which is why weekend visits tend to happen.

Where do guests stay?

You have three choices: your home, a hotel in Farragut, or a hotel in Knoxville. Over time you will likely use more than one.

Farragut is close enough for guests to join you for breakfast. Knoxville works when a visit doubles as a Tennessee game or a show.

If you would like guests closer than that, ask the team whether any lodging is available on or near the property. This post does not list any.

What do you do with guests for two days?

Give the water one day and split the group on the other. That routine fits the place.

Day one is the lake. Watts Bar Lake is a TVA lake with more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline. Pontoon cruises, kayaks and sunset runs are all part of life on the water here. If you keep a boat at the marina, the day plans itself. If you do not own one, see do you need a boat at Tennessee National.

Day two splits the group. Golfers can aim for the Greg Norman Signature course. Everyone else can aim for the pool, pickleball, tennis, the walking trails and the lakefront boardwalk in the Marina District. Check the club's guest rules first. The next section has the questions. This is a golf cart community, and guests tend to find the cart half the fun. Everybody meets up again for dinner. Kendall's restaurant is in the clubhouse, and the area guide maps places to eat around Loudon and Knoxville.

Longer stays get a day trip. Knoxville is about 30 minutes away. The Great Smoky Mountains are about an hour. Chattanooga is about an hour and a quarter.

Can guests use the amenities at Tennessee National?

That depends on the amenity and on the club's guest rules, so ask before your guests arrive. We do not print guest rules or fees here because they can change.

Good questions for the club:

• Can guests play golf with me, and how do I set it up?
• Can guests use the pool, the courts and the fitness center?
• Who is allowed to drive a golf cart?
• Do guests need to be registered at the gate?
• Can guests come to club events with me?
• Can guests eat at Kendall's with me?

Start with the team at (865) 408-9992.

What about a big gathering?

For a bigger gathering, such as a reunion or a milestone birthday, start with the private events page and ask what is offered. Ask early. Dates and spaces are the first things to pin down.

How does hosting change by season?

East Tennessee has four seasons and mild winters, so the visits change through the year.

• Summer is lake season and the obvious peak.
• Fall may be the easiest: cooler air, color on the shoreline and football Saturdays in Knoxville.
• Winter is quieter. Holiday parties are part of the 180+ events a year.
• Spring brings the golf course and the trails back to full green.

For more on the weather, read what the four seasons are like. To see what is coming up, check events.

Should you design the house around guests?

Yes, if hosting is a big reason you are buying. Homes here are custom built, and there is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite, so you have time to plan.

• A bunk room sleeps a crowd of kids without adding bedrooms you heat all year.
• A porch sized for everyone gets used more than any room inside.
• A guest room with its own bath keeps long visits pleasant.

Building compact is a fair plan too. One good guest room, and a hotel 20 minutes away for everyone else. If several generations will share the house, see planning a multigenerational lake home.

The honest part

Hosting is work. A lake home draws visitors, and that means laundry, groceries and a calendar to manage. Some owners love that. Some find out they wanted a quieter house.

Before you buy for the guests, count how often they would really come. An airport about 35 minutes away helps. So does a city half an hour up the road. The rest is up to your family.

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.