From Springfield, Hendersonville is roughly 25 miles east on Interstate 65, exit 222, and usually a 25 to 35 minute drive depending on traffic near Millersville. If you would rather not drive back and forth, hotel rates along Vietnam Veterans Boulevard and the Indian Lake area generally run in the budget-to-midscale band, and weekday nights are noticeably cheaper than Friday and Saturday. Book in Springfield itself if you want your own bed each night, or take two nights near Indian Lake if you plan evening time on the water.
Indian Lake is the most convenient base for a short stay: grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants and the lake are all within a few minutes, and you avoid the Drakes Creek bottleneck at rush hour. The Rivergate area, just northwest along the same corridor, has more chain hotels and heavier traffic. I would book Indian Lake for a lake-focused trip and skip Rivergate unless you want the cheapest room and do not mind driving. April through June and September through October are the best months.
Start at Rockland Recreation Area on the lake's north shore, where a paved path, picnic shelters and a boat ramp make an easy first morning; the lake is a Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir on the Cumberland River, so the water is calm and the shoreline is mostly green. Bring lunch. Afternoon options include a rented pontoon or kayak from the marinas around Cairo, or a simple drive to Sanders Ferry Park for a wide view of the water and a playground if you have children along.
Evening dining clusters on the Indian Lake peninsula and along Main Street in old Hendersonville, where local restaurants sit close together and parking is straightforward. The old downtown blocks near City Hall are worth a short walk; the streets are quiet, the buildings are modest and it feels like a working small town rather than a resort. Skip the chain restaurant strip on the highway at least one night. Sunset over the lake is the reason to be here, and it is free.
The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's plantation home, is about 20 to 25 minutes south off Interstate 40 at exit 221A, and it deserves a half day. The mansion, the original 1830s outbuildings and the garden are the core of the visit; the audio tour fills in the enslaved community's history, which is the part most worth your attention. Check seasonal opening hours before you go and allow two to three hours. There is an admission charge, so check the current rate on the site rather than guessing.
Pair it with an afternoon in eastern Nashville, where Opry Mills and the Grand Ole Opry are 15 minutes further west, and the Gaylord Opryland conservatory gardens are free to walk through. If music is not your thing, drive 10 minutes from The Hermitage to the Stones River Greenway instead. I would pick The Hermitage over a Nashville downtown afternoon every time for a Springfield-based trip: less traffic, more substance, and you are home before the interstate backs up.
Use the last day for the countryside between Hendersonville and Springfield. Gallatin is 15 minutes east and has a compact, walkable downtown square with a restored courthouse, a couple of antique shops and lunch spots; it makes an easy two-hour stop. From there, the back roads through Castalian Springs and Bethpage bring you southwest toward Springfield on two-lane highway, with farmland views and almost no traffic. Fill the tank before you leave town because services thin out.
If you have a third full day, consider a longer loop east to Hartsville and the Cumberland River bottoms, or a morning at Bledsoe Creek State Park near Castalian Springs, where short trails and a small campground sit right on the water. Either is a better use of time than another highway shopping center. Three days is enough for Hendersonville if you treat it as a lake-and-heritage base rather than a destination in itself, and I would book two nights near Indian Lake with the third back in Springfield.
About 25 miles east on Interstate 65, exit 222, usually a 25 to 35 minute drive. Traffic near Millersville and Rivergate can add time on weekday mornings and late afternoons, so plan around rush hour if you are commuting between the two.
Late April through June and September through October offer comfortable temperatures and lighter crowds. July and August are hot and humid and the lake gets busy on weekends, while winter is quiet with most water activities closed. Check marina operating hours before planning a boat rental.
Three days covers the lake, The Hermitage and a downtown Nashville afternoon comfortably. I would spend two nights near Indian Lake and one closer to Springfield, using the interstate rather than booking a Nashville hotel, which keeps costs down and avoids downtown parking fees.
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