FAQ
Questions worth asking.
Answers worth reading.
Everything you’ve been wondering about WindRiver — the community, the club, the real estate, and life in tax-free Tennessee.
The Community — Life at WindRiver
WindRiver is a private, gated lake and golf community on the shores of Tellico Lake in eastern Tennessee. Set on 800 acres, it’s built around an active, four-season lifestyle — championship golf, a world-class marina, tennis and pickleball courts, 30 miles of trails, a pool, fitness facilities, and a new clubhouse. It’s the kind of place that makes you wonder why you waited so long.
Not at all. Our membership skews active and engaged — professionals, empty nesters, early retirees, and full-time remote workers who’ve figured out that life is too short to defer the good stuff. About 80% of our owners live here full-time, so the community is genuinely alive every day of the week.
“We call it getting in shape for retirement — with 400 new friends. Though there’s nothing retiring about the community here.”
Absolutely. Eastern Tennessee’s four seasons come without the extremes. Winters are mild enough to keep golfers and pickleball courts busy most of the year, spring and fall are spectacular on the trails and lake, and summers are warm and glorious on the water. There’s no off-season here.
Exceptionally so. WindRiver attracts people who genuinely want community — neighbors who organize trail hikes, golf foursomes, lake outings, and impromptu dinners. The club culture is warm and inclusive, not formal or cliquish. You’ll have friends before your moving truck leaves the driveway.
WindRiver sits on the eastern shore of Tellico Lake in Loudon County, about 30 minutes from downtown Knoxville and McGhee Tyson Airport, with daily conveniences just 10 minutes across the bridge. Gatlinburg and the Smokies are 1.5 hours; Chattanooga and Asheville about 2 hours; Nashville 2.5, Atlanta 3. Close enough to everything. Far enough from the noise.
Every property owner at WindRiver is a member of The Club at WindRiver. Social & Yacht membership comes with ownership; golf membership is available by application. Our team walks you through the Membership Plan and current fee schedule on your Discovery Visit.
Real Estate — Homes & Homesites
Custom homesites (lakefront, golf-view, and wooded), move-in ready homes at various price points, and the opportunity to build through Arcadia Custom Homes, our in-house design-build team, or one of our Premier Builders. Whether you want to move in next month or build from scratch, there’s a path for you.
Arcadia is WindRiver’s in-house custom home design and build team, bringing the same standards to residential construction that define everything else here. Working with Arcadia means a seamless, fully managed process from design through final walk-through, with no need to coordinate separate architects, designers, and contractors.
WindRiver works with a carefully selected roster of premiere builders who know the community, share our standards, and have a proven track record here. We’re happy to connect you with them and help you find the right fit.
The HOA covers landscaping and maintenance of common areas, gated security, roads, and community infrastructure. Club membership fees, covering golf, marina, fitness, and other amenities, are separate — our sales team can provide current fee schedules during your Discovery Visit.
Zero state income taxes, a spectacular setting, a thriving full-time community, and a best-in-class amenity package — including the new clubhouse — position WindRiver extremely well. Buyers from high-tax states like New York, California, Illinois, and New Jersey frequently note that the tax savings alone make the move compelling. Add the quality of life and the math becomes irresistible. We encourage you to consult with your financial advisor about your specific situation.
The Club & Amenities
WindRiver’s new 28,000-square-foot clubhouse has three levels above the 18th green and Tellico Lake: fine and casual dining, a full bar, a Full Swing golf simulator, and the Wellness & Recovery Center — fitness, group fitness, treatment rooms with therapeutic massage and red-light therapy, steam, saunas, an experience shower, and hot and cold tubs — plus a party barn and fire pit terraces. The Golf Villas are in design.
WindRiver is a pickleballer’s paradise — you’ll find a game going nearly every day. Tennis is equally well-represented, with beautifully maintained courts and competition ranging from just-for-fun to genuinely serious. Our temperate climate keeps play going comfortably most of the year.
There’s almost too much to choose from. Thirty miles of trails and 28 bridges wind through woodland along Tellico’s shoreline. The lake offers jet skiing, wakesurfing, kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing, and fishing. Add the pool, fitness classes, yoga, spa treatments, and a packed social calendar, and you begin to understand why 80% of our owners live here full-time.
Golf — Championship Golf
Bob Cupp spent 15 years as Jack Nicklaus’s lead designer, with Glen Abbey and Desert Highlands among the Nicklaus courses he helped shape. On his own he designed more than 150, Liberty National among them, and Golf World named him its first Golf Architect of the Year in 1992. WindRiver is among his best.
WindRiver is a private club. While a gated community, the Club welcomes a limited number of tee times each day. Non-property-owner memberships are coming soon — National, Corporate, Tennessee Alumni, and Non-Property-Owner Golf and Social & Yacht.
WindRiver offers several membership tiers to suit different levels of play and participation. Our sales team will walk you through current options during your Discovery Visit or a private conversation.
The Marina — Life on the Water
222 slips, covered to 60 feet, with 90-foot slips for larger boats; floating docks, shore power and water, fuel, private restrooms.
Everything from kayaks and pontoon boats to serious offshore cruisers. Covered slips accommodate vessels up to 60 feet, and the 90-foot slips handle larger yachts. Tellico Lake connects to Fort Loudoun and Watts Bar Lake, so your cruising radius is substantial.
Just about everything. Tellico Lake’s 16,000 acres of stream-fed, crystal-clear water are perfect for wakeboarding, jet skiing, sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, and sunset cruises, with Fort Loudoun and Watts Bar Lake adding to the adventure.
Marina slips are available to WindRiver members — our sales team can provide current availability and pricing. Slip access is among the most prized aspects of membership, so we encourage you to ask early.
Three days at WindRiver.
The Discovery Visit is three days and two nights for two, $750 plus tax: nearby accommodations, a $75 dinner credit at the Clubhouse, a round on the Bob Cupp course, the run of the amenities, and a private tour of homes and homesites. Tax-free Tennessee comes at no extra charge.
Offered to qualified prospective buyers, subject to availability.
Package details confirmed at booking.
Accommodations
Two nights nearby
Dinner
$75 credit at the Clubhouse
Amenity Access
The run of the amenities
Round for Two
On the Bob Cupp course
A lakeside, master-planned community on Tellico Lake — championship golf, a full marina and 30 miles of trails, minutes from Knoxville.
© 2026 WindRiver Tennessee. All rights reserved.