Fisherville can be explored through a variety of visitor experiences. Bill Dance Lake State Fishing Area combines a 177-acre lake with family picnic areas, a boat ramp, and mountain biking trails. There are also guided tours at Maranatha Farms, as well as adaptive horseback riding and equine-assisted occupational therapy. When choosing a vacation rental for your stay, your planned focus may be the deciding factor: the lake and biking trails offer different activities from a farm tour or a specific equine program.
Location and Names
Bill Dance Lake State Fishing Area is in Fayette County on Fisherville Lake Road, 15 miles north of Collierville. The lake covers 177 acres. A historical name change helps distinguish the areas: on January 26, 2026, the TWRA announced that the 474-acre site would be renamed “Herb Parsons Refuge” and the 177-acre reservoir “Bill Dance Lake State Fishing Area.” The names honor Herb Parsons and Bill Dance; the lake is also called Herb Parsons Lake. Thus, one name refers to the site and another to the reservoir, even though both come up in connection with the lake area.
At the Lake and on the Trails
There are family picnic areas and a boat ramp at the lake. These offer different ways to enjoy your visit: take a break in a picnic area or use the boat ramp as a place to launch a boat. During the season, a concession stand sells drinks and snacks. If you plan to rely on this during your visit, keep in mind that it is seasonal and check in advance whether it will be available at the time of your trip.
The mountain biking trail system at Bill Dance Lake State Fishing Area, also called Herb Parsons Lake, covers just over 10 miles and consists of inner and outer loops. The mileage may vary depending on how the route is defined. When choosing a ride, it is therefore important to distinguish the overall distance from the individual loops: the figure does not automatically represent the length of each loop. Together, the trail distance and loop layout give a concrete sense of the biking options.
Guided Visits and Equine Programs
Maranatha Farms offers guided tours of its working family farm for groups of all ages. The tours cover the 16-acre farm, where participants learn about proven regenerative and sustainable practices. The format differs from biking: trails and loops shape that activity, while here the focus is a tour with agricultural content.
Southern Reins Center for Equine Therapy offers adaptive horseback riding on a 30-acre property in Fisherville. Its services also include occupational therapy that incorporates horses. It is worth distinguishing between the two: adaptive horseback riding is a riding program, while occupational therapy incorporates horses into a therapeutic setting. This equine focus differs from a mountain biking trail or a guided farm visit. If you are interested in this program, you can consider it as a distinct reason to plan your trip.
Discover more destinations: Bartlett, Memphis, Collierville, Brunswick, Millington
For the broader travel overview: Shelby.
