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Camden and New Johnsonville sit on opposite sides of Kentucky Lake, connected by U.S. Highway 70 and a shared history shaped by the Tennessee River. Camden serves as the county seat and commercial center of Benton County, while New Johnsonville developed along the eastern shore near an important Civil War site and river transportation corridor. Together, the communities provide access to state parks, marinas, historic sites, and some of the quieter stretches of Kentucky Lake.
Use the interactive map below to explore what Camden and New Johnsonville have to offer. Browse places to stay, restaurants, attractions, and more, then filter the results to quickly find exactly what you're looking for.
Camden and New Johnsonville face one another across Kentucky Lake, but each community plays a different role in this part of the region.
Camden is the Benton County seat and the area’s primary center for restaurants, groceries, supplies, and everyday services. The city sits west of the lake near the junction of U.S. Highways 70 and 641, with Interstate 40 a short drive to the south. Visitors staying along Birdsong Creek, near Eva, or elsewhere on the western shore commonly travel into Camden for necessities during a lake trip.
North of Camden, the western shoreline includes marinas, campgrounds, boat access, and Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. The park covers roughly 2,700 acres along Kentucky Lake and includes hiking, camping, boating access, and the elevated views from Pilot Knob. The nearby Patsy Cline Memorial marks the wooded area where Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and pilot Randy Hughes died in a 1963 plane crash.
Across the lake, New Johnsonville is closely tied to the Tennessee River’s industrial and military history. Johnsonville State Historic Park preserves the remains and stories of a Civil War supply depot, battlefield, railroad terminus, and the former town of Johnsonville. Much of the original community disappeared beneath Kentucky Lake when the Tennessee River was impounded during the 1940s. Today, the park includes a museum, preserved earthworks, historic cemeteries, trails, and views across the water.
This is not the busiest part of Kentucky Lake, and that is part of its character. Camden provides the practical services, while New Johnsonville provides a direct connection to the river’s history. Between them are fishing waters, wooded shorelines, state parks, and a landscape that explains how the Tennessee River became Kentucky Lake.
The two communities sit on opposite sides of Kentucky Lake and are connected by U.S. Highway 70. Camden is the commercial and governmental center of Benton County on the western side, while New Johnsonville lies in Humphreys County on the eastern side. Visitors can travel between them without making a long trip around the lake, so they function as two sides of the same local area.
Johnsonville State Historic Park preserves the site of a Union supply depot and the former town of Johnsonville. Visitors can explore a museum, Civil War earthworks, historic cemeteries, portions of an old railroad bed, and trails overlooking Kentucky Lake. Ranger-led programs interpret the 1864 Battle of Johnsonville and the changes that came when the original town site was partly covered by the creation of the lake.
The memorial is located along Mount Carmel Road, about three miles north of Camden. It marks the area where country music performers Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, and Hawkshaw Hawkins, along with pilot Randy Hughes, died when their plane crashed on March 5, 1963. The site includes a memorial stone in the wooded area near the crash location.
Camden itself is several miles west of the main lake, but much of eastern Benton County lies along Kentucky Lake and its embayments. Birdsong Creek, Eva, area marinas, boat ramps, campgrounds, and Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park are all reached through the Camden area. Camden serves as the nearest center for many visitors staying along this part of the western shoreline.
The park offers hiking, camping, cabins, fishing, boating access, picnic areas, and views of Kentucky Lake. Pilot Knob is one of its defining features, rising above the surrounding countryside with a broad view of the lake and Tennessee River valley. The park also interprets the cultural and military history of the lower Tennessee River region.
