Things to Do in Linden, Tennessee

The Commodore went up in 1939 and sat in ruin until the Dumont family rescued it in 2007. It’s now a boutique hotel on East Main Street with a music cafe serving home-cooked meals and live music. The Dumonts have restored other buildings around Linden too, so the hotel is a good place to start a walk downtown.

★ Good to know The Commodore also runs the town’s kayak trips and the Blooming Arts Festival, so it’s the easiest single call for planning a weekend.

The Buffalo is an easy-flowing, limestone-banked river that runs right past town, and it’s the main reason people come to Linden. Commodore River Adventures rents single kayaks for a 3-to-5-hour route or a full day, and shuttles your own boat if you bring one. Owners Michael and Kathy Dumont also guide small groups and point out wildlife along the way.

★ Good to know Trips don’t go out after heavy rain or when the water is running fast, so have a backup day if the forecast looks wet.

This guided night trip puts you on the Buffalo in a single or tandem kayak lit up for the dark. It starts about two hours before sunset from the Commodore’s riverfront property, two minutes from the hotel, with no more than 10 paddlers per tour. Dinner wraps and s’mores around a campfire are part of it, and you may see herons, owls or bald eagles.

★ Good to know Tours usually run Saturdays, the minimum age is 5, and you’ll want strapped water shoes and bug spray.

This 1,867-acre state park sits west of town on the Tennessee River. Legend says rats fled a burning tannery here in the 1800s, so the first landing became Rat Tail Landing and a smaller one to the south became Mousetail Landing. Today there’s a swimming beach, a fishing pier, kayak rentals and about 11.5 miles of trails.

★ Good to know Entry is free. The 8-mile Eagle Point Trail is rated difficult; the 3-mile Scenic Trail is the better pick for a day visit, and Sunset Point is worth staying for.

This co-op at 110 E. Main St. sells work by hand makers and artists from southern Middle Tennessee. It’s the anchor of Linden’s small downtown shopping, alongside a handful of gift and vintage stores on Main and Mill streets.

★ Good to know It keeps shop hours rather than daily ones, so check before you make a special trip.

The Colonial Revival courthouse on the square was built in 1928 and joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It replaced a wood-frame courthouse that Union soldiers burned in 1863. The square is where Linden’s two big festivals set up.

Each year on a Saturday in late September, thousands of people, many in period clothes, fill downtown for this living history day. Expect two battle reenactments, an army encampment, big band music, vintage vehicles and a recreated 1940s French cafe. Local resident Anthony Courter and his family started it in 2012 to honor World War II veterans.

★ Good to know The daytime events are free; the evening dinner and dance needs a ticket, and Commodore rooms go fast that weekend.

Linden kicks off spring with this two-day arts festival downtown, held in late March. It brings fine arts, local crafts, live music and food to Main Street. Admission is free.