Gov. Bill Lee will be in Spencer, Tennessee, today (1/04) for a 2 p.m. (CT) ribbon-cutting for The Lodge at Fall Creek Falls State Park. Plug 2536 Lakeside Drive into your GPS or phone 423-881-5241.

The Lodge replaced the almost 50-year-old main building at the park – a state-of-the art, contemporary structure with a huge dining room and buffet. It was probably the first such hotel in the woods built and owned by the state of Tennessee. I was there when it opened. But I will skip today.

The Lodge is not accepting individual room reservations currently, but hopes to book conferences and business meetings. The website says: “The on-site catering, meeting facilities and outdoor recreation make it easy for groups to meet, eat and play. It is an ideal destination for corporate retreats, team-building excursions, weddings and training.”

How did such a neat state park get built in Spencer? Look no further than Shelby A. Rhinehart (1927-2002), my friend and brief colleague, generator of pork for state House District 37.

Shelby A. Rhinehart

If you’ve not been to Fall Creek Falls, it is surely worth the trip. The park contains almost 30,000 acres across the top of the Cumberland Plateau. The primary waterfall is 256 feet high – one of the highest in the eastern United States.

Secondary waterfalls include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls and Cane Creek Cascades. Fifty-six miles of trails wind past gorges, streams and tall timber. And even though you can’t stay at the Lodge yet, the park has 30 cabins and 222 campsites. Backcountry camping is available with a permit.

There’s an 18-hole golf course with pro shop, a swimming pool and a canopy challenge course with 75 wobbly bridges, rope swings, cargo nets, balance beams and zip lines of varying difficulty. And did I mention the on-site dining?

This sounds like a commercial, but Fall Creek Falls is my favorite state park. Scruffy land secured by the federal government for erosion and flood control, then turned over to the state for recreation has become a centerpiece of Tennessee tourism. I’m proud to have been around at the birthing and may drive down there this weekend to see The Lodge. After the governor and his crowd have cleared out.

Sandra Clark is editor/CEO of Knox TN Today.