Where to Go in Tennessee

West Tennessee
The land between the Tennessee and Mississippi rivers is fertile territory for exploration, especially as the homes of heroes and icons – Davy Crockett, Alex Haley, Casey Jones and Buford Pusser – are open to the public. Nature lovers will enjoy the bald eagles at Reelfoot Lake, the recreational opportunities of Kentucky Lake or the quiet, sombre atmosphere of the battlefields at Shiloh National Military Park. A visit to the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center in Brownsville, showcasing the region’s heritage, provides a good introduction to the area. Its five major exhibitions include the Tennessee Room, which highlights West Tennessee towns and attractions, the West Tennessee Music Museum, the Scenic Hatchie River Museum, the Cotton Museum, and Sleepy John Estes’ House, a tribute to this big man of the blues.

Memphis
Memphis enjoys a well-deserved reputation among music-lovers all over the world. Critics claim that the Blues were born here on Beale Street and a legendary piece published by the ‘Father of the Blues’, W C Handy, in 1912, successfully proclaimed its power and authenticity. Beale Street includes restaurants, gift shops, boutiques, parks and nightclubs, as well as the Beale Street Police Museum and A Schwab’s Dry Goods Store, a small department store which has been in the same family since 1876 and still offers old-fashioned bargains.
For many, though, the only reason to come to Memphis is to pay respect to the King – Elvis Presley. His beloved home, Graceland, is a mecca to the pilgrims of Rock ’n’ Roll. The impressive Trophy Room effectively documents his impact on the music industry as a singer and entertainer.
Aside from its musical heritage, Memphis’ legendary past as a Delta city and a civil rights center should not be forgotten. It was at the Lorraine Motel at 450 Mulberry Street, that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated and the National Civil Rights Museum housed at the site is an effective reminder of the courage of thousands of African-Americans. In the downtown business district of Memphis, cotton, the ‘white gold’ of the Delta region, is still hand-graded in a century-old warehouse and decorative paddle wheelers still churn their way up the Mississippi.

Special Events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in West Tennessee in 2005:
Feb 1-28 Black History Month, Memphis. Feb 21-22 Beale Street Zydeco Festival, Memphis. May 12 World Championship Barbecue Contest, Memphis. Jun 3-4 Memphis Italian Festival. Jun 18-20 Juneteenth Festival, Memphis Aug 8-14 Elvis Week, Graceland Mansion, Memphis. Nov-Jan 2006 Christmas at Graceland, Graceland Mansion, Memphis.

Central Tennessee


The heartland of the state was a crucial theater of operations during the American Civil War. At Carter House, in Franklin, the bullet-pocked walls bear witness to one of the deadliest battles of the campaign. For those with a taste for military history as well as the macabre, the Tennessee Antebellum Trail offers daily tours to seven historic sites, including the blood-stained floors of Carnton Mansion, where, after the battle at Franklin, the bodies of five Confederate generals once lay. Starting in Nashville, this 145km- (90 mile-) loop drive also takes in the Rippavilla Plantation, dating from 1852, where the five generals ate their last breakfast.
Aside from its martial past, this beautiful and lively region also boasts a musical and entertainment heritage. Country music is alive and well at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. Connoisseurs of bourbon should note that the famous Jack Daniel Distillery offers daily guided tours (0900-1630) and much insight into Mister Jack’s famous distilling process.
Visitors with a passion for open countryside should visit the area where the Tennessee Walking Horses graze or the ancient Cumberland Plateau, which forms a natural boundary between Middle and East Tennessee. Waterfalls, deep river canyons, parks and resorts characterize this historic region.

Nashville
The home of Country music, Tennessee’s capital is known as ‘Music City USA’. The center of Nashville’s music industry is Music Row, around Division and Demonbreun streets. Spanning an entire city block, the Country Music Hall of Fame is located in the revitalized entertainment district of central Nashville.
Nashville has a reputation as the ‘Athens of the South’, and boasts a life-sized replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. It features Athena, the ‘tallest indoor statue in the Western World’, and the celebrated Cowan Collection of American Paintings. In central Nashville, Union Station Hotel at 1001 Broadway has a magnificent arched ceiling of stained glass, whilst the District area features the cast-iron and masonry of its late 19th-century commercial buildings, as well as numerous restaurants and clubs.
Galleries and museums, many of which reflect Tennessee’s Antebellum and plantation history, include the Carl Van Vechten Gallery, exhibiting collections by Cézanne, Picasso and Renoir as well as displays of work by Georgia O’Keeffe and Alfred Steiglitz. Another popular attraction is the Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s manor house. Admission includes a visit to nearby Tulip Grove Mansion. The Bicentennial Mall was built to honor the State’s founding in 1776. The award-winning Opryland Hotel and Convention Center features The Delta, an indoor, quarter-mile river, complete with four 25-passenger flatboats.

Entertainment
The Grand Ole Opry is the setting for the nation’s longest-running live radio show, which moved here in 1976 (the original setting, Ryman, has been renovated and is also open to the public) and is the place to hear Country music on Friday and Saturday nights. Gaylord Entertainment Center hosts concerts, sporting events and conventions while Opry Mills is a new shopping and entertainment resort covering more than 750 acres on the site of former Opryland USA. Good venues for live music include Caffé Milano (jazz, bluegrass and rock), Henry’s Coffee House with acoustic performances and Canyon Country Saloon, which features up and coming artists. Lucy’s Record Shop sells music during the day, but on Friday and Saturday hosts the latest alternative performers, and the funky Radio Cafe, an old pharmacy, features national artists playing Blues, Country, Jazz and Rock. The Nashville Scene or the Tennessean newspapers list all live music events.

Special Events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in Central Tennessee in 2005:
Feb 10-13 Antiques and Garden Show, Nashville. Mar 15 President Andrew Jackson's Birthday Celebrations, Nashville. Apr 4-9 Tin Pan South, Nashville. Apr 11 CMT Music Awards, Nashville. Apr 23 Latin Music Street Fair, Nashville. May 27-Sep 5 Music City Summer Festival, Nashville. Sep 9-18 Tennessee State Fair, Nashville.

East Tennessee


This region was America’s major frontier crossing. Thousands of settlers followed in Daniel Boone’s footsteps westwards through the Cumberland Gap. The three cities of Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport dominate the northeast region, or the ‘First Frontier’, where historic towns like Jonesborough offer self-guided walking tours. The family tourism centers of Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Townsend are also gateways to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Chattanooga
This city began as a trading post in 1815 and has retained its commercial emphasis by evolving into a factory outlet center. The Hunter Museum of Art houses an excellent permanent art collection as well as traveling exhibitions. The city is also notable for the Tennessee Aquarium, which houses one of the world’s largest collections of freshwater marine life. A US$129 million expansion project for Chattanooga, completed in May 2005, encompasses the Creative Discovery Museum, the Tennessee Aquarium and the Hunter Museum of Art. It improves the current facilities of Ross Landing, including a renovated marina and a brand new public pier and riverfront park.
Chattanooga contains another record-holding installation – the world’s steepest passenger railway, the Incline, which propels its passengers up a stomach-churning gradient of 72.7°. The journey is worthwhile, especially on a clear day, when the territories of seven States are visible from Lookout Mountain. Here, at Rock City Gardens, subterranean black-lit gnome dioramas and Mother Goose theme areas are constructed around several interesting rock formations. Ruby Falls, a spectacular 44m- (145ft-) high underground waterfall flows 341m (1120ft) below the surface of Lookout Mountain.

Knoxville
Knoxville, named after Washington’s Secretary of War, Henry Knox, began life as a frontier outpost after the Revolutionary War. Bordered by huge lakes created by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Knoxville offers some eclectic sightseeing. A stroll through the World’s Fair Park leads to the Knoxville Museum of Art, while Blount Mansion, a National Historic Landmark, was the 1792 frame house of governor William Blount. Nearby, the James White Fort still exhibits portions of the original stockade built in 1786 by Knoxville’s founder.
The Farmer’s Market, 24km (15 miles) from the downtown area, offers an authentic taste of Appalachia. The pavilion sells local produce, plants, jams, jellies, arts and crafts. The Museum of Appalachia, in Norris, is a huge village replete with authentic houses, barns and cells.

Great Smoky Mountains
The largest wilderness area in the USA, this national park extends over half a million acres of the Appalachian Mountains, bordered by North Carolina and the Tennessee valleys. The park is home to bears, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and more than 1500 species of flowering plants. Conifer forests are to be found at elevations of more than 1800m (6000ft). The mountains are beautiful in all seasons, but perhaps the best time to see them is in October when they are showered in color. The park has three visitor centers, Cades Cove, Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Sugarlands. There are also 10 campgrounds, each with tent sites, trailer space, water and tables. There are over 1400km (900 miles) of hiking trails and 270km (170 miles) of road throughout the park. Rangers at the visitor centers can assist with trip planning.

Dollywood
Die-hard Country fans will want to visit this all-American attraction in the Tennessee hills, created by the Queen of Country herself – Dolly Parton. Dollywood is usually open between May and October 1000-1800, and in winter for Christmas Specials. The park’s newest attraction is Thunderhead, a US$7 million wooden rollercoaster. Dollywood is located in the city of Pigeon Forge, which has major shopping outlet malls and celebrates the culture of the East Tennessee mountains. Here, craftspeople demonstrate their skills and sell their wares, and Country stars perform.

Special Events
The following is a selection of special events occurring in East Tennessee in 2005:
Feb 26 Fifth Annual Saddle Up, Pigeon Forge. Mar 9-Jun 10 Springfest, Gatlinburg. Apr 6-24 Dogwood Arts Festival, Knoxville. Apr 21 Fifth Annual Gatlinburg Rib Fest. Jul 3-4 Fourth of July Midnight Parade, Gatlinburg. Sep 23-24 Townsend Fall Festival and Old Timer's Day.


Next Page »

Related Tennessee Content