Tennessee National vs Smith Lake, Alabama: How Do They Compare?

If you live in Birmingham or Huntsville, Smith Lake is the lake people talk about. The water is deep and clear, and it is close to home.

Tennessee National shows up when the search widens past Alabama. It is a private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville. These two are not rivals so much as two different ideas of a lake place. One is about the water. The other is about a community built on the water.

What is the main difference between Tennessee National and Smith Lake?

Smith Lake is a lake you buy a home on, and Tennessee National is a community you buy into. At Smith Lake the draw is the water itself, usually from your own dock. At Tennessee National the draw is a golf course, a marina and a full social calendar inside one gate, on a big river lake.

Where is each one?

Smith Lake is in north Alabama, and Tennessee National is in East Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville. One is a short drive from home for a lot of Alabama. The other is a trip.

Smith Lake is north of Birmingham, near Jasper and Cullman. It spreads across Cullman, Walker and Winston counties. Its official name is Lewis Smith Lake.

Tennessee National is in Loudon, Tennessee. From Birmingham or Huntsville the drive is a few hours, and the last stretch is I-75. The gate is about 10 minutes from the interstate. Knoxville is about 30 minutes away, McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is about 35, and Chattanooga is about an hour and a quarter.

Which kind of lake day do you want?

Pick the lake that matches your best day on the water. There are two honest answers here.

If your best day is floating in clear water off your own dock, Smith Lake is known for exactly that. The lake sits on the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River, and Alabama Power manages it. Ask Alabama Power how the level changes through the year.

If your best day is a long cruise and a sunset run from a marina inside your own community, that is Tennessee National on Watts Bar Lake. The lake is a TVA reservoir on the Tennessee River with more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline. It is a 72-mile navigable reservoir, and locks connect it to the rest of the Tennessee River system.

Watts Bar Lake does move with the seasons. Summer pool runs about 740 to 741 feet and the winter minimum is 735 feet, a change of about 5 to 6 feet. TVA posts current numbers on its lake level page.

Where does the boat live?

At Smith Lake the usual answer is a private dock, and at Tennessee National the usual answer is the marina. That one difference changes your weekends.

A private dock means the boat is at your back door. It also means the dock is yours to permit, maintain and insure. Ask Alabama Power and the county what the dock rules are for any Smith Lake property you like.

Tennessee National has a full-service marina with 140+ boat slips. Ask about slip availability. If a private dock matters to you, ask what is possible on a specific waterfront homesite and what TVA requires. Do not assume. Our guide to a marina slip vs a private dock on Watts Bar walks through the trade.

How does golf compare?

Tennessee National has golf inside the gates, and around Smith Lake golf depends on where you buy. Tennessee National's course is a Greg Norman Signature design: 18 holes, 7,393 yards, par 72. It is a golf cart community. Golf membership questions go to the club. See golf.

Around Smith Lake, ask how far the nearest course is from the house you are considering and what its terms are. For an occasional round, a drive is no problem. For a weekly game, living where the course is makes it easier to keep.

What drives the cost on each side?

On a lake of private homes, cost follows the water: how the lot meets the lake, the dock, the age of the house and the road in. A local agent can show you the current range at Smith Lake.

At Tennessee National, cost depends on which of the five ways to own you choose: The Timbers (wooded homesites), lake homesites, waterfront homesites, Land & Home packages, or townhomes. Homes are custom built and go through design review. Ask about association dues, club membership and slip fees. Pricing is in the info pack. Get the info pack.

There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite. If you are a few years from moving, you can own the land, keep the Alabama house and build when the time is right. See buy the lot now, build later.

On taxes, Tennessee has no state income tax. Ask a CPA about Alabama and about what a move would change for you before you count on anything. The Alabama to Tennessee moving guide covers the practical steps.

Who should look at which?

Look at Smith Lake if:

• Clear water off your own dock is the whole point.
• You want to stay within an easy drive of Birmingham or Huntsville.
• You want a lake home on your own terms, with rules that vary by neighborhood.
• Golf is an occasional thing.

Look at Tennessee National if:

• You play golf every week and want the course where you live.
• You would rather use a full-service marina than own and maintain a dock.
• You want neighbors, clubs and events built into the place.
• You plan to make Tennessee your home state.

What should you check in person?

Take the same weekend at each and compare notes on Sunday night.

• Swim and cruise. Get in the water at Smith Lake. Take a long run on Watts Bar Lake. Notice which day you want to repeat.
• Look at the dock or the slip. Walk down to the dock at any Smith Lake house. Walk the marina at Tennessee National.
• See the course. Ask the club about membership and about playing it while you visit.
• Ask about events. Tennessee National has 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year. Ask whether you can sit in on one.
• Drive the weekday. Time the gate to Knoxville and to the airport.
• Ask who manages the lake. Alabama Power for Smith Lake. TVA for Watts Bar Lake.

Details change. Confirm current lake levels, dock rules, taxes and neighborhood details with Alabama Power, the county and the community you are considering.

The honest trade-off

Smith Lake is known for its clear water, and if that is the whole point, start there. Tennessee National is not a house by itself on a private cove. It is one community with one set of standards, and homes go through design review.

It is also a few hours from Birmingham and Huntsville. If the people you want at the lake are in Alabama, weigh that drive honestly. If you are ready for a new base with golf and a marina built in, come see it for a couple of days before you decide.

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.