Tennessee National vs Smith Mountain Lake: How Do They Compare?

Smith Mountain Lake has a loyal following, and it has earned it. It is a mountain lake in Virginia with a long list of people who would not live anywhere else. If it is on your shortlist, it belongs there.

Tennessee National sells a similar dream in a different way. It is one private, gated lake and golf community on Watts Bar Lake in Loudon, Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville. The lake life overlaps. The way you get it does not.

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

Smith Mountain Lake is a whole lake with many separate neighborhoods, and Tennessee National is a single community with everything inside one gate. At Smith Mountain Lake you put the pieces together yourself. At Tennessee National the pieces are already together.

Where is each one?

Smith Mountain Lake is in Virginia, between Roanoke and Lynchburg, and Tennessee National is in East Tennessee, about 30 minutes from Knoxville. They are several hours apart by road.

Smith Mountain Lake sits on the Roanoke River in the Blue Ridge region. The shoreline touches Bedford, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties, so the county office you deal with depends on where you buy.

Tennessee National is in Loudon, in Loudon County. I-75 is about 10 minutes from the gate. Farragut and the Turkey Creek shopping area are about 20 minutes. Knoxville is about 30, and McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) is about 35. The Great Smoky Mountains are about an hour away.

Do you want to assemble your lake life or move into one?

This is the real decision, and neither answer is wrong. Around a lake like Smith Mountain Lake, you assemble it:

• The house comes from one seller, in a neighborhood with its own rules.
• The boat goes on your own dock or in a slip at a marina you choose.
• Golf comes from whichever club or course fits you. Some neighborhoods have one. Ask.
• Friends come from the street, the marina and whatever you join.

Some people love that. They get to pick each piece.

At Tennessee National you move into one that is already running:

• One Greg Norman Signature golf course inside the gates. 18 holes, 7,393 yards, par 72. See golf.
• A full-service marina with 140+ boat slips. See marina and lake life.
• A clubhouse with Kendall's restaurant, a pool, a fitness center, pickleball, tennis and walking trails.
• 22 social clubs and 180+ events a year. See social life.

It is a golf cart community. Golf membership questions go to the club.

How does the water compare?

Both are freshwater reservoirs with room to boat. They have different owners and different rules.

Smith Mountain Lake is on the Roanoke River, and Appalachian Power operates the dam. Ask Appalachian Power how the lake level behaves and what a dock permit involves for the property you like.

Watts Bar 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. Summer pool runs about 740 to 741 feet. The winter minimum is 735 feet. That is a seasonal change of about 5 to 6 feet, and TVA posts current numbers on its lake level page.

If a private dock matters to you at Tennessee National, ask what is possible on a specific waterfront homesite and what TVA requires. Do not assume on either lake.

What drives the cost on each side?

Around an open lake, cost follows the house and the water. Is it on the lake? How old is it? What shape is the dock in, and what does the neighborhood charge? A local agent can show you the current range at Smith Mountain 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 there is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite. Finished homes are listed on the properties page. Ask about association dues, club membership and slip fees. Pricing is in the info pack. Get the info pack.

On taxes, Tennessee has no state income tax. Ask a CPA about Virginia and about how a move would change your own return, and ask each county how property tax works.

Who should look at which?

Look at Smith Mountain Lake if:

• Your people, your doctors and your routines are in Virginia.
• You like choosing each piece yourself: the neighborhood, the marina, the club.
• You want a mountain lake you already know.

Look at Tennessee National if:

• You want golf, a marina, a clubhouse and neighbors inside one gate.
• You want to build a custom home, now or later.
• You want Knoxville about 30 minutes away and an airport about 35.
• You plan to make Tennessee your home state.

What should you check in person?

Spend two days at each and ask the same questions.

• Add up the pieces. At Smith Mountain Lake, list where the house, the boat and the golf would each be, and the drive between them. At Tennessee National, ask to see how a homesite, the marina and the first tee connect by golf cart.
• Meet the neighbors. Ask whether an event is on while you visit Tennessee National. Ask people how long it took to know anyone.
• Time the trips. Gate to Knoxville. Gate to the airport. Then the same from the Virginia house to Roanoke or Lynchburg.
• Ask about the dock. Appalachian Power for Smith Mountain Lake. TVA for Watts Bar Lake.
• Read the rules. At Tennessee National, homes go through design review. Around Smith Mountain Lake, rules change by neighborhood.

Details change. Confirm current lake levels, dock rules, taxes and neighborhood details with Appalachian Power, the county and the community you are considering. If you are buying from another state, our guide to buying at Tennessee National from out of state covers the steps.

The honest trade-off

A move to Tennessee takes you away from Virginia. If family, doctors and the lake you know are all there, that is a lot to leave, and Smith Mountain Lake may be the right answer.

Tennessee National also asks you to accept one community's standards. Homes go through design review. In return you get a golf course, a marina and a social calendar you do not have to build yourself. See both, and be honest about which you enjoy more: putting the pieces together, or arriving to find them in 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.