Barton Springs Campground

Beautiful!
There are many seasonal campers here with monthly sites, but there is still plenty for those of us passing through.
The lake is RIGHT there. The kids can splash around. You can even bring your boat up to the shore. There is a launch right outside of the campground!

It is a little bit out there on some country roads, so we of course just drove through carefully!

We fit comfortably with room to spare in our 40' fifth wheel and dually :)

Barton Springs is a TVA campground on Normandy Lake in Normandy, TN. It's between Nashville, Chattanooga, and Tullahoma, TN, so close to a lot of population. The setting is absolutely beautiful which should make it a 4 or 5 star campground. Big gravel sites (needing some leveling) with water and 30 or 50 amp. A number of waterfront or lakeview sites. Big trees and grassy areas.

But, there are several drawbacks. First is that the campground has a very high population of seasonal/full-time campers with elaborate setups outside their campers to entertain, etc. There were campers there whose license plates hadn't been renewed since 2015 still occupying spaces. Big crowds were gathered around even though it was supposedly closed to day use or guests of campers due to Corona virus restrictions. The beach was closed, but we were told that it is usually packed with people when it is open.

Second, while this is a good place for fishing or kayaking, there are no trails to hike or walk on close by and nowhere to bike ride except in the campground without driving a distance.

Third, even with the site "closed" except for campers, there was nothing stopping a steady stream of traffic in and out.

Verizon signal was helped greatly with a booster allowing streaming.

We camped here in October, 2014 in a 35 foot fifth wheel. The rate shown is for a waterfront pull through gravel site with water and electric hookups. Barton Springs is a TVA park so you can use your Senior Pass for a discount on the camping fee.

The park is located a few miles off of the interstate in the rolling hills near the town of Normandy, Tennessee. Check in was quick and easy and the camp hosts were friendly and helpful.

The lake level was low when we were there in the fall. During the busy camping season the lake comes right up to the site. Sitting outside watching the lake was a great way to end a long driving day. A doe and a fawn were across the lake grazing. A great blue heron stood on a point out in the lake. A couple launched their canoe and went for a paddle. And we were able to watch a pretty sunset.

There are plenty of things to do in the area. Besides enjoying the water activities on the lake you can tour the Jack Daniels Distillery in nearby Lynchburg, take a hike to see waterfalls and visit the museum at Old Stone Fort State Park, or go antique shopping.