Hales Bar Marina and Resort in Tennessee rent out floating cabins alongside the Tennessee River Valley. If you prefer to stay on land, the resort is located on the old Hales Bar Dam site.
They also offer an option for RV’s. The park has about 80 paved, full hookup sites both on the waterfront and off the water. Hookups include septic, water, electrical 50/30/20 amp, no wifi at this time but they are working on it.
The Hales Bar Marina and Resort is approximately two hours away from Nashville and 30 minutes from Downtown Chattanooga. If you want to venture out for the day.
History
Hales Bar Dam was a hydroelectric dam once located on the Tennessee River in Marion County, Tennessee, United States. The Chattanooga and Tennessee River Power Company began building the dam on September 13th, 1905 and completed it on November 11th, 1913, making Hales Bar one of the first major multipurpose dams and one of the first major dams to be built across a navigable channel in the United States. It began operation on November 13th, 1913.
In 1939, the Tennessee Valley Authority assumed control of Hales Bar Dam after purchasing TEPCO’s assets. TVA spent two decades trying to fix a leakage problem that had plagued Hales Bar since its construction, but after continued leakage, and after it was determined that expanding the dam’s navigation lock would be too expensive, TVA decided to replace the dam by building Nickajack Dam 6 miles (9.7 km) downstream. Hales Bar Dam ceased operation on December 14, 1967. [1]
Paranormal Sightings
Due to the hundreds of deaths in and around Hales Bar Dam during its construction and operation, and the battles here between Chief Dragging Canoe and settlers, Hales Bar Dam is considered by the paranormal community as the number one most haunted structure in Tennessee, number four in the United States, and the most haunted dam in the world. Paranormal investigation teams from around the world have travelled here to investigate the unexplained. It has been featured on the hit TV shows Franko TV, Wrestling With Ghosts, Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters (TV series), and Kindred Spirits (TV series). [2]
Floating cabins
They are not luxurious by any means however, it is quite affordable at $149 a night from April 1 to September 30. You can receive a $25 discount Monday through Thursday. Their offseason is from October 1 to March 31 with a nightly rate of $99 a night. The same discount applies for stays between Monday through Thursday. The land cabins are the same pricing.
What to bring to have a dam good time!
- Linens and towels are provided, however, towels for the pool or lake are not. The housekeeping staff does not enter your cabin after check-in but will replace towels/linens if they are left out to be picked up. The only exception is in the 3 bedroom land cabins because they are equipped with a washer & dryer. Detergent, softener, etc. is not provided so that will need to be added to your things to bring list.
- Our housekeeping staff will have you all set with the necessary items for your first pot of coffee, a roll of toilet tissue, and paper towels. Similar to other cabin or home rentals after initial set up we do not replenish any of those items. So depending on the duration of your stay you may want to put those items on your list of things to bring.
- There are basic outdoor chairs provided for the porches but if you have a favourite chair or expect to have additional visitors you may want to bring a few chairs along.
- The 3 bedroom land cabins are equipped with their own grills but the floating cabins and one-bedroom land cabins grills work on a first come first serve basis. With that in mind if you don’t want to take any chances your best bet would be to bring a small grill with you.
If you want to explore more of Tennessee click here.
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A xenophile at heart, she lives to travel and loves to share her experience on Trip Jaunt (formerly Weekend Jaunt), an online travel community and hub she founded in 2010. She hopes that you will feel inspired to discover the world as well! Helen is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association and the Academy of Canadian Film and Television.
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