When visiting the Smoky Mountains, people always ask where the nearest lake might be to do boating and water sports. The answer is Douglas Lake. This area also features a historic district, fine restaurants, a hydroelectric dam, several marinas, and the Summertime playground of locals & tourists alike. When visiting Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, or Sevierville, I recommend taking a ride to Douglas Lake for a meal, boating, or wave runner ride. The beauty of the lake and surrounding mountains is a grand sight for people looking to do something different than the Parkway, the Smoky Mountain National Park, or Dollywood.
Located 32 miles above the mouth of French Broad River, this hydroelectric dam was built by TVA in world-record time in the 1940s to meet emergency energy demands during World War II. The project required the purchase of 33,160 acres of land and the relocation of 525 families and 32 cemeteries before the area was flooded, creating Douglas Lake. As the citizens of Dandridge faced the scheduled flooding of their town, they appealed to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, pointing out that the town was the only place in the U.S. named for the country's First Lady -- Martha Dandridge Washington. Mrs. Roosevelt made certain that a saddle dam was built to protect downtown Dandridge, and the town was spared.

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