Take I-24 East from South Nashville, exit at Old Hickory Boulevard, and you're pulling into Long Hunter State Park in under 30 minutes. The plan is that straightforward. What makes it work in the 2026 Venue SEL is a set of things Hyundai made standard for this model year. Dual-zone automatic climate control, wireless device charging, and heated front seats now all come on the SEL, no upgrade package required. Two adults, a cooler in back, and a properly comfortable cabin for a Middle Tennessee August.
How much does the Venue's modest power matter on this route? Not much. The Venue's EPA-rated 121-horsepower, 1.6-liter engine is fine on the flat I-24 approach and relaxed at highway cruise, but a loaded merge on a hot afternoon takes a beat longer than you'd like. The engine strains uphill with a full load. Know that and plan for it. The rest of the day is easy.
What's the Plan at a Glance?
| Stop | What to Do | Best Time | Parking Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Hunter State Park (Baker's Grove) | Day Loop Trail, 4-mile hike with lake views | 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM | Paved trailhead lot; fills fast on summer weekends, 8 AM arrival recommended |
| Bryant Grove Recreation Area | Only swim beach inside Long Hunter, picnic shelter, sunset views | 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM | Separate lot from Baker's Grove; small day-use fee applies |
| Elm Hill Marina | Kayak and paddleboard rentals, waterfront lunch, lake access | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Large boat trailer lot; passenger car spaces go quickly on Saturdays |
| Seven Points Recreation Area | Beach, casual swimming, late-afternoon wind-down | 3:30 PM - dusk | Managed lot; arrive before 3 PM on weekend afternoons |
Long Hunter State Park: Start Here
An early arrival at Long Hunter puts the best part of the day in front of you, and the park rewards it with room to roam, though the shaded parking fills first. It covers 2,670 acres on the eastern shore of J. Percy Priest Lake, with more than 20 miles of trail across four sections. For a day trip, the Day Loop Trail at Baker's Grove is the right call. Roughly four miles, rated easy to moderate, it has restrooms at the park office and a flat, paved lot that the Venue's compact 159-inch length handles without any squeeze. From there it connects to the Volunteer Trail if your group wants to extend the morning and hike toward the lake shoreline.
Cargo room matters here too. The Venue's rear holds 18.7 cubic feet behind the back seats, and that number jumps to 31.9 cubic feet when you fold them flat. A soft cooler, a bag of towels, and a pair of hiking day packs fit without rearranging anything. The rear seats are 60/40 split-fold, so you can carry a third passenger and still get the cooler in.
Bryant Grove and the Afternoon Swim
Bryant Grove Recreation Area sits a five-minute drive from Baker's Grove, and it's a different kind of stop worth planning around. It holds the only designated swim beach inside Long Hunter State Park, with picnic shelters and open water views that are well worth sticking around for. This is also where the Venue's interior starts earning its keep on a summer afternoon.
August in Nashville is legitimately hot. The EPA rates the 2026 Venue at 29 city / 33 highway / 31 combined mpg, and the 11.9-gallon tank translates to roughly 369 miles of range per fill. You won't stop for gas on a Percy Priest day trip. What you'll do instead is climb into a cabin that's been baking in a parking lot while you hiked, and that's where the SEL's dual-zone automatic climate control separates itself from a base trim setup. The driver can run the air cold while a passenger who dried off faster keeps it a touch warmer. The difference is real.
Elm Hill Marina and the Route Between Stops
Elm Hill Marina rounds out the afternoon with boat rentals, kayak and paddleboard access, and a waterfront setup that's easy to drop into without a reservation. Roof rails come standard on the Venue SEL, which is worth knowing if you own a kayak carrier. Between Bryant Grove and Elm Hill, you'll drive two-lane lake roads through the kind of cedar-glade Tennessee scenery that makes the longer route worth taking. The Venue's CVT is genuinely relaxed at these speeds, and the standard sunroof on the SEL (it does not come on the two-tone roof configuration, worth checking if that's the trim you're considering) makes the shaded road sections feel open without the full heat of an open window.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the SEL both go wireless in 2026, which is the change that matters on this kind of trip. Your phone goes on the charging pad, connects, and stays there. No cable, no fumbling, no dead battery by the time you're heading home on I-24.
Why This Trip Fits the Venue
From our time with these cars on the lot, the honest read is that Percy Priest fits the Venue well for a small group, since the park asks nothing extreme of a vehicle, though a full load of five adults will feel the subcompact size on the drive out. Percy Priest isn't a trail-crawling, ground-clearance problem. The park roads are maintained and paved, and the approach from South Nashville is flat. Front-wheel drive is all the Venue offers, and that's completely fine for everything this lake area asks of it.
What the trip actually asks for is a cool, connected cabin for two adults driving in August humidity, enough cargo space to load a real day's gear, and fuel economy that doesn't turn a 30-mile round trip into a worry. The Venue SEL hits all three. There's a real tradeoff, though. Five adults will feel the Venue's subcompact dimensions on the drive out. Two adults, or two adults and one kid, have a genuinely comfortable day.
Come by Hyundai of South Nashville on Bell Road and spend some time in the SEL before you book the trail parking. We'll show you the cargo floor, the charging pad, and the sunroof in real life.
By the Hyundai of South Nashville Team | August 2026
