[2] The lake is known for the clean and cold Appalachian mountain rivers that flow into it, keeping its waters cool and clear year-round.

Although most manmade structures were demolished before the lake was flooded, divers recently discovered the remains of a lodge that was left intact; it is now below 300 feet (91 m) of water.

Mount Carmel Baptist Church Cemetery was a setting for a scene in the film Deliverance (1972), starring Burt Reynolds and Jon Voight, produced before the lake was flooded.

As most of the land adjacent to Lake Jocassee is owned by Duke Power and the State of South Carolina, they have kept it undeveloped.

The Eastatoee Gorge Heritage Preserve was transferred from Duke Power Company to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources in 1979 due to the extremely diverse flora occurring there.

Legend says that a young Green Bird warrior, Nagoochee, was not afraid to enter Brown Viper hunting grounds.

In a later battle, Cheochee, Jocassee's brother, killed the Green Bird warrior and brought Nagoochee's head back on his belt.

In 1785, General Andrew Pickens hosted a large gathering of Cherokee chiefs; they signed a treaty ceding all of the Jocassee gorges area, with the exception of northern Oconee County, to the United States.

United States and South Carolina land grants to European Americans in the Jocassee area date to 1791.

Near the Whitewater River, Bad Creek Hydroelectric Station is a 1,065-megawatt pumped-storage facility that started generating electricity in 1991 and is also owned by Duke.