The lake and environs offer fishing, sailing, waterskiing, canoeing, hunting, camping, and other activities at two state parks. A pleasant walk uptown from the lake reveals abundant delights. A variety of businesses and restaurants serve residents and other people from near and far.
Homes range from rustic cabins to contemporary residences to magnificent mansions.
Some mansions are along the Dan River, a reminder of olden days when Clarksville was the premier tobacco capital of the South. Many homes and churches are on the National Register of Historic Places, including famous Prestwould Plantation, a manor house built between 1790 and 1795.