Hiwassee RiverGo south of Athens, Tennessee and enjoy a leisurely trip down the Hiwassee River. At around 150 miles in length, the river flows through a sizeable part of eastern Tennessee and eventually makes its way into Georgia and North Carolina on each end.Spend a day trip going from Athens, TN to Chattanooga as you sail south down the river. Find an open spot for fishing along the waterway. Most parts of the river are open for fishing although there may be limits on what you could catch depending on where you go.

Spot the four individual dams around the river as you sail past the City of Athens. These dams were produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority, an organization that dates back to Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Great Depression. The dams were designed to keep the river under control and to promote economic development in the region. Many of the parts used to make these dams are still in use today and continue to work as well as they did decades ago.

Look for where the river connects with the Tennessee River. This key intersection links the Hiwassee River to the central part of Tennessee plus northern Alabama.