The county
Rhea County
Two lakes, one plateau wall, and small towns strung along the water.
Rhea County fronts both Watts Bar and Chickamauga along the Tennessee River, with Walden Ridge standing the length of its western edge. Dayton sits at its center, Spring City to the north, Graysville to the south.
- County seat Dayton
- Water Watts Bar + Chickamauga
- Backdrop Walden Ridge / Cumberland Plateau
The lay of the land
What it’s like here.
Rhea County is the rare county with frontage on two major TVA reservoirs: Watts Bar water in the north around Spring City, Chickamauga water in the south around Dayton. Highway 27 ties it together in one straight shot along the valley floor, with Chattanooga under an hour from the south end.
The county's western wall is Walden Ridge, the edge of the Cumberland Plateau, which means gorge hiking, waterfalls, and overlook country begin where the pastures end. In between: farmland, strawberry-festival heritage, and lake communities that range from full-service harbor towns to coves where the loudest thing all day is a heron.
Where it sits
On the Chattanooga–Knoxville corridor.
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Coming up around Rhea County
All events →Places to know
The spots that come up in every showing.
Food & drink Ayala's Grill Mexican on Front Street. 
Campus Bryan College The hilltop college born from the Scopes Trial. 
Shops & services Elder's Ace Hardware The hardware anchor downtown. 
Shops & services SouthEast Bank Spring City Hometown banking on the strip. 
Landmark Nokian Tyres Dayton Factory The Finnish tiremaker's North American factory. 
Food & drink BB's Cafe Breakfast all day, downtown on Front Street. 
Marina Dayton Boat Dock Dayton's front door to Chickamauga Lake. 
Landmark Rhea County Courthouse The 1891 courthouse that hosted the century's most famous trial. 
Marina Spring City Resort & Marina Cabins, slips, and the public fishing dock on New Lake Road. 
Landmark Spring City City Hall The white-columned front door of town government. 
Landmark Spring City Police & Fire The town's police and volunteer fire departments. 
Landmark Spring City Post Office The downtown post office. 
Landmark Grand Hotel Spring City A working hotel in the heart of town. 
Food & drink Monday's Coffee Corner The town's coffee stop. 
Food & drink Spring City Nutrition Shakes and teas on the north end of downtown. 
Shops & services Hassler's Drug The hometown pharmacy. 
Health Spring City Pharmacy The independent pharmacy in the red barn on Clinton Ave. 
Shops & services One Stop Pet Shop Pet supplies without the drive to Dayton. 
Shops & services Village Flower Shop Flowers for lake-town life. 
Shops & services Spring City Coin Laundry The town laundromat. 
Shops & services Our Daily Bread Thrift Store The thrift store doing double duty. 
Food & drink King of Pizza The town's pizza counter. 
Shops & services Family Dollar Spring City Everyday essentials on Clinton Avenue. 
Food & drink Hardee's Spring City The breakfast-biscuit standby. 
Shops & services Sam's Brick and Fig Shop Downtown Dayton's LEGO shop: bricks, minifigs, and finds. 
Shops & services Azbill Jewelry and Repair The downtown jeweler. 
Food & drink Sweet Scoops Ice Cream & Cafe Scoops and cafe plates downtown. 
Shops & services Eclipse Events Downtown Dayton's event space. 
Shops & services Studio 44 Hair studio on Market Street. 
Food & drink The Corner Spot Bakery Cafe The downtown bakery cafe. 
Shops & services The Glamour Hive Beauty studio on Market Street. 
Shops & services Main Street Music Instruments and amps downtown. 
Food & drink Banjo's BBQ Smoked barbecue on Maley Hollow. 
Food & drink Zombie Ice Cream The ice cream stop with the name you remember. 
Food & drink Taqueria Gonzalez Street-style tacos on Maley Hollow. 
Food & drink Bamboo Garden Buffet The Chinese buffet on Locust. 
Shops & services Kut 'N' Up Barbershop The Locust Street barbershop. 
Shops & services 5 Star Laundromat Coin laundry on Iowa Avenue. 
Shops & services We Care Thrift Center Thrift with a mission in the Plaza center. 
Shops & services Discovery Outlet Outlet finds in the Plaza center. 
Food & drink La Vaca Mexican in the Plaza center's corner unit. 
Shops & services Market St. Hair Hair salon at the top of Market. 
Food & drink Cookies & Cream Cookies and ice cream off the square. 
Park & outdoors Dayton Pickleball Courts Public pickleball at Walnut Street. 
Park & outdoors Pendergrass Park Downtown Dayton's front-yard park. 
Food & drink Monkey Town Brewing Company Dayton's brewpub. The nickname made a taproom. 
Food & drink 1st Avenue Pizza, Books & Treats Pizza, used books, and treats under one roof. 
Health Firefly Pediatrics A pediatrician right in Dayton. 
Food & drink Drip Express Drive-thru coffee on its own street. 
Food & drink Mejia's Crazy Burrito Burritos worth the strip-mall stop. 
Shops & services Total Auto Care The local garage on 16th Avenue. 
Shops & services Prime Treasures Treasure hunting on 16th Avenue. 
Shops & services La Hacienda Market The Latin market on 16th Avenue. 
Shops & services Posh Salon Salon in the 16th Avenue strip. 
Shops & services Top Nails Dayton Nails in the 16th Avenue strip. 
Campus Rhea County High School The county's consolidated high school in Evensville. 
Landmark La-Z-Boy Dayton Plant The furniture giant's Dayton operation. 
Landmark Spring City Depot & History Museum The rail-era depot that tells the town's story. 
Food & drink Watts Bar Beer Works Craft beer market on Front Street. 
Shops & services Between the Vines Downtown boutique for clothing, gifts, and home. 
Food & drink China Panda Buffet The Chinese buffet on Clinton Avenue. 
Campus Spring City Elementary School The town's elementary school. 
TVA dam Watts Bar Dam The 1942 TVA dam that makes the lake. Park & outdoors Laurel-Snow State Natural Area Waterfall gorge country minutes from downtown Dayton. Landmark Tennessee Valley Theatre Live theater two blocks from the lake. Landmark Audrey Pack Memorial Library The town library on West Rhea Avenue. Shops & services Ellis Street Dress For Less The Ellis Street bargain rack worth the detour. Food & drink Blondie's Breakfast Burgers & More Breakfast plates and burgers on the 27 corridor. Food & drink Nick's Lakeside Grill Dinner with Watts Bar for a backdrop. Marina Piney Point Resort The old-school fishing resort on the point. Marina Rhea Harbor Piney River water access on the north side. Campus Spring City Middle School Middle school on New Lake Road. Marina Whites Creek Marina & Lakeside Resort Quiet-side marina toward Ten Mile. Pros serving Rhea County
On the water
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Pick your lake
Quieter Watts Bar coves to the north or Chickamauga's record-book bass water to the south, both inside one county line.
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Working waterfronts
Marinas at Spring City and the Dayton Boat Dock scene keep both shorelines usable year-round, for daily boaters and tournament fields alike.
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Valley-floor living
Most of the county sits between the river and the ridge: water on one horizon, plateau on the other.
Worth knowing
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Laurel-Snow State Natural Area
The county's signature wilderness: 2,259 acres of gorges and waterfalls on Walden Ridge above Dayton.
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Rhea County Courthouse
The 1891 National Historic Landmark in Dayton, home of the Scopes Trial Museum.
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Tennessee Strawberry Festival
Downtown Dayton's signature week every May since 1947: parade, pageant, and all things strawberry.
Your agent here
Ivey Hayes is your market expert in Rhea County: Tennessee-licensed, a member of both the River Counties and Greater Chattanooga REALTOR® boards, with the region’s listings at her fingertips.