I have never been to Tims Ford but I hear it's beautiful, clean, deep not crowded. Having vacationed in SC before it's hot and humid as most SE states are but they have gnats and big azz skeeters. SC is a beautiful part of the country but the water in the ocean, bay, rivers is murkey.
I live in Chattanooga and the TN river runs through the middle of the city. The TN River is dammed and used for power generation. But all the dams have navigable locks. So I can and have taken my boat from Chatt to Knoxville, TN for football games. I have friends who have taken their boats from Knoxville, TN to the Gulf Of Mexico and then on to the FL Keys. Our River and Lakes are not crowded at all. As long as you stay away from the cities the lake lots / house are still very affordable. The closer you get to the cities the more expensive the lots / houses are.
If they want more info on my side of the state send me a PM and I'll help in any way I can.
Check out this link: www.TennesseeLakeInfo.com