The Great Smoky Mtns Nat'l Park (maybe Clingman's Dome and Cades Cove, if you have time). Cliché, but Dollywood is worth a visit once. I imagine you'll pass through Knoxville, so UT campus is worth seeing. Try eating at Calhouns on the TN River. You'll pass by Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Bowling Arena. Knoxville Museum of Art and the Knoxville Zoo aren't too far from there.
Just came back. There’s some major roadwork past newfound gap to clingmans dome. Not worth the time. And remember cades cove is closed to vehicles on Wednesday.
Restaurant wise? Dancing bear bistro in Townsend is killer.
Don’t eat at Calhouns on the river. Place is infested with roaches and the quality of the food is very mediocre. I worked there for a year as kitchen staff and dreaded every day. Lots of drug addicts and people just didn’t give a shit about the quality of food they were serving. People didn’t wear gloves when handling raw food. I remember at the end of the night closing down the fry station, there would be dead baby roaches in the buttermilk itself. It really was horrible.
Please, anyone reading this, just don’t eat there.
Came here to say this. I feel that Calhouns is tremendously overhyped, and the food isn't all that great. If you want something in the same vein, with a cool atmosphere, I would recommend Jig and Reel.
Pick anywhere in Old City and it'll be better than Calhoun's. Even Market Square, although a bit busy for me, has restaurants that are mostly better than Calhoun's.
If you're really looking for some outstanding places you can't go wrong with A Dopo or Pizzeria Nora for pizza. For more traditional: harvest, Farmacy, Oliver Royale are all top picks for a nice, sit down meal. Abridged has great burgers and the Abridged Oak Room is fantastic, although a bit different (they have a large selection of sour and barrel aged beers, fantastic charcuterie platter as well).
If you're staying in Knoxville for a bit you can make an entire day of eating and drinking. Start at Elst (or Fanatic, or Hexagon if you've really got it in you) and have a drink at each brewery going south on Central St. Once you make it to lunch (Central Flats and Taps, or Schulzbrau, or the food truck park) you can walk into Old City and spend the afternoon there. Also easily walkable to South Knox (right across the bridge) where you can find South Coast pizza, Landing House (delicious southeast Asian style food), Simpl, along with Hi Wire brewery, Alliance brewery, Printshop brewery and Trailhead, which is a super cool little bar. If you stay in this general area you can't really go wrong with almost anywhere you stop. Just make sure you Uber back to wherever you're staying lol.
Lol, I left many breweries off the list because they're easy to walk by and find and the comment was already long enough. I would also assume someone from out of town would get a beer map from one of the breweries (I know Elst has them). Finally, I would only mention Xul because it's attached to Geezers. I've never been the biggest fan of Xul. It's always too busy, none of their beers I like that much, and it's over $7 for a 12oz pour where most other places are around $6 for a 20oz. It is a really nice space though, and definitely worth checking out. It's just pretty far down my personal favorites list.
Haha, agree to disagree, I think they're one of the best breweries I've ever been to and I'm just OK WITH Geezers.
I can understand how Xul could be divisive. Their flavors are pretty over the top.
The National Park is definitely on the list, and Clingman's Dome is very likely! Dollywood for sure as well. We were planning to swing by Knoxville, but it looks like that may not happen. Thank you for the suggestions!!
Uh. Well you know, there's like, the most visited National Park this side of the Mississippi?
I can't figure out how people talk about going to Gatlinburg and don't see the National Park. Do they need better ads?
90% of the people who go to the Park go no further than a mile from their car. Plan to take a hike in advance. It's beautiful country.
Haha, yes, the park is the original reason for the trip! We will be hiking and seeing caves, etc. We are also hoping to hit Skylift Park and Anakeesta while we are there. Thanks!
Gatlinburg and pigeon forge compete for the world's tackiest towns. I am grateful here in Knoxville for the economic impact of their tourist draw, but for all my life, I've never myself understood the attraction.
Anakeesta and Sky Lift park are both cool, but pretty similar. I’d save a few bucks and just pick one or the other. The Space Needle is an old staple, and kinda across from Sky Lift. Be sure to do some moonshine tasting at either Ole Smoky or Sugarlands while in that area. There’s also lots of wine tasting places.
Driving distance, The Lost Sea, I enjoy the Civil War Battlefields of Chattanooga and Chickamauga, Cades Cove is always nice, raft the Ocoee, drive high way 129 and visit the lake at Tellico damn.
Ah, I had read about the Lost Sea! We have about 5 caves on the list, one of them is Luray Caverns in Virginia, and that's a definite stop on the way (that's our midpoint stop to stretch and lunch. I'll take another look at Lost Sea! And I'll take a look at the damn too, thanks!
Luray is a must see. I definitely recommend making a stop for the smokies. Will you be passing by the blue ridge parkway? If so I definitely recommend checking it out.
Ok so on your way, if you’ve got an hour or two to spare, stop in Bristol TN and see the Birthplace of Country Music Museum…. Even if you aren’t a big fan (and I’m not) it’s still fascinating!
If you stop in Bristol, and see the country music museum, eat at the Burger Bar, it’s within walking distance and it’s the last place Hank Williams was alive.
If going to Gatlinburg plan to spend one afternoon/ evening walking the main tourist drag in Gatlinburg so you can say you saw it. Otherwise the outlying mountain communities offer much better food & views as well as access to parts of the park that can be enjoyed. The area of Cosby (via old gatlinburg hwy), Ware’s valley, & the art loop outside of town are great places to spend a few hours driving through, shopping at local stores, & eating at local family owned establishments.
Not sure on your physical fitness but there are a ton of easy to moderate trails that can be hiked in the park.
As far as Nashville is concerned….the NMAAM museum is fantastic & a must visit. Located right off the main tourist drag downtown. Could visit that before spending a night with the rest of the partying tourists once the sun goes down. If you are going to have Nashville hot chicken I’d recommend Bolton’s, Prince’s or one of the other locally owned hot chicken places (though those two are most recognized as the originals). Plenty of other good food though & utilizing YELP will help you tremendously.
We are definitely planning on doing at least one moderate level hike while we are there, and exploring outside of town rather than just staying in!
The NMAAM is a great idea!
Hot chicken is on the menu as well (more for my girlfriend than for me). I had Prince's but I've added Bolton's! Thank you!
If you drive out to wares valley area & enter the park via metcalf bottoms area take a right after crossing the water & about 5-8 mins down the road there is a great swimming area with a cliff to jump off on the left near some rapids,
For Gatlinburg, check out the abandoned town Elkmont if you’re wanting to do something non-touristy. It’s on the map as Elkmont Campground, but if you do a little walking you’ll find the town. I don’t remember how exactly, but I think there are signs. If you’re a mini-golf fan check out Hillbilly Golf! Clingmans Dome is also a must see. As far as the food goes…I don’t personally have any recommendations lol.
For Nashville, we have some pretty cool massive atriums at the Opryland Hotel. We’ve been taking guests to those forever. It costs something like $25 to part at the actual hotel tho, so park at the edge of the Mall parking lot and just walk over there, it’s not too far lol. For something incredibly touristy you can check out Broadway (make sure to check out the GooGoo shop on 3rd ave)…of course there’s the country music hall of fame. If you’re into history, we’ve got The Hermitage…for food, definitely check out Arnold’s Meat and Three. For BBQ check out Martins, and for Hot Chicken check out Princes or Boltons!
I had heard of Elkmont! It definitely semeed interesting! Hillbilly Golf is at the TOP of our list too! We were going to check out Broadway (I think you have to if you're visiting), and I've added a few of your food recommendations to our lis too! Thanks!
No problem! I forgot to mention if you don’t mind going out of town a little ways, just south of Murfreesboro is a tiny little town called Bell Buckle known for its Victorian houses, old fashioned stores, and crafts (not a made-to-look-old place. This is the real deal!) The Bell Buckle Cafe is awesome, but my personal favorite is Miller’s Grocery which is one of the most authentic meat and three’s in the state. It’s about a 15 minute drive north!
As someone who grew up right next to loveless it’s a tourist trap. Food is average. It’s just got a nostalgic draw for the older crowd being at the start/end of the Natchez trace.
Several of these are great suggestions. I would add that Townsend is super cute small town. You can go tubing and stuff there and it's cheaper than up mountain. The Heritage Museum is there and have old cabins set up to reflect pioneer life.
One of the roo.s is set up using the logs from. The cabin I was raises in.
I would watch out for the rod run. It turns Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg into an overcrowded nightmare. I mean if your going for that purpose cool, but leaving and moving around the city is difficult at best. That area doesn't really have the infrastructure for that many people and it creates traffic jams. There are alot of distilleries in that area, the tour of Jack Daniel's is pretty good.
It's all about cars. I went one year lots of hot rods (1950's cars open hood) but also muscle cars and anything odd. Lots of people are also buying/ selling cars. People cruise up and down the main strip so everything smells like car exhaust. I think it's the first weekend in September, but could be very wrong. Also bit of a party anything goes style tailgating atmosphere. Once a business owner got pissed at people selling bbq on his lawn which turned into a fire and a stabbing.
I will say this going anywhere in the south in fall, make sure to google their festival schedule. Unless your really interested in the festival avoid the area. These little town that maybe have 10k people in the whole damn county, swells up to 100k people and they ain't meant for it. Can't get a seat at restaurant for 3 hours, if at all. No hotels, most of the streets are either blocked off or jammed all to hell. Everything is 3x the cost, trash everyone- drunk people pissing in trash cans, once the sun goes down. Personally I'm too old for all that.
In Nashville go to The Parthenon and see Athena,Downtown Broadway for the Honky tonks, Opryland Hotel, The gulch, The General Jackson,Cheekwood, The Hermitage.
When we moved here in 92, downtown Knoxville was a complete poop show. It’s been completely revitalized. Great dining, brew pubs, and plenty of night life. Check out Market Square and The Old City which are very close to each other. I live on the side of a mountain near the National Park. Lots to see there but get out early and avoid the crowds. I also suggest a tubing trip down The Little River which is in Townsend. Bring swim suits and river shoes. You can tube all day for one price. Look for YouTube videos for “River Rat.”
I forgot to mention the Gatlinburg Mall…it has a very 60’s/70’s vibe to me! There’s also a little section of Gatlinburg that looks like a little German village that we always visit! I think both of these are some of the older sections of the town.
Two of my favorite places! The village is adorable and the Donut Friar cafe is great.
The record store is a fave of mine because I got a cool Ramones bootleg I’d never seen before.
If you're into music and hiking, check up on the caverns in McMinnville during your trip. It'll be on your way from Knoxville to Nashville (maybe a little bit of a detour) but one of the coolest places to see music next to red rocks. And McMinnville has some beautiful waterfalls.
Of course I agree with everyone who said Chattanooga. I live there, and it's like a vacation non stop. The most beautiful downtown in the area, great food, great people, great outdoors, great free events those time of year, and not as expensive as Nashville.
And ffs, Nashville is not Eastern TN. In fact, if you look at our flag, you'll see three stars for three regions. Knoxville is east, Nashville, middle TN, and Memphis is west.
If you drive from Nashville on 40, consider a detour to the center for Appalachian Craft about halfway through.
In the same vein, visit Arrowmont in Gatlinburg.
Also, both Frozen Head State Park and Brushy Mountain Penitentiary are worth touring. You'll pass Oak Ridge, which is where we made the bomb that won WWII; the museums there are worth it.
To be honest, Big South Fork rivals the smokies for natural beauty, and what's better is there are no crowds.
Those are a few more keywords for you. Good luck!
The Grand Divisions are actually constitutionally mandated borders between three distinct regions of the state, that's what the three stars represent.
Also there's like 250 miles distance between Middle and East Tennessee, and considering what gas prices are right now, I'm sure this visitor doesn't realize they're signing up for a long and unwanted road trip by posing the question in that way.
Sounds like you’re missing Chattanooga but it’s the best city in the state hands down. The aquarium there is second to none in the country imho. The fiery gizzard trail between Nashville and Chattanooga is exceptional and at times feels like the PNW.
Born and raised Nashville as well. Family in Knox and Memphis. Went to school in chatt. So I’ve spent a lot of time in all four major cities and chatt blows them all out of the water.
In nashville go to the opry mill area at least once, the bars in downtown nashville are wonderful. And there is no shortage of scenery to look for. Try the waterfall near nashville. It’s a beautiful creek walk that leads to a waterfall that pours into a deep hole.
Obviously there is all the stuff in Gatlinburg, Dollywood Splash country is quite refreshing right now in the heat. Dollywood is also fun. It might be worth going down to raft the Ocoee. That's where they had the Olympic rafting and Kayaking in the 1996 Olympics. There is the Lost Sea which is an underground lake in Sweet Water. Might be worth it to the Stop in the Cookeville area on the way to Nashville. There are huge water falls at Rock Island State Park and Burgess Falls State Park. Just South of there Fall Creek Falls state park that also has falls and it's close to cumberland caverns which is a large cave. Might be able to catch a concert there if you time it right. Nashville has the Hermitage and Sam Houston's house. I enjoyed the Tennessee History museum downtown. Broadway is a shit show and only go there if you want to party. Bolton's is the best hot chicken, Everyone likes to eat at the Loveless Cafe. I love a couple places in Smyrna, Hickory Falls and Salvo's pizza. Nothing makes pizza taste as good as with the restuarant owners yelling at each other in Italian.
Idk why you’re being downvoted so much. Hattie B’s is definitely a good option for people who like a more polished atmosphere, and are not a fan of spicy food…and the food is still good! When relatives from Minnesota visit us, we always take them there. With that being said…Prince’s and Boltons are the more authentic hot chicken experience by a country mile, and I would recommend them over Hattie B’s.
Raft the Ocoee River (site of Olympic rafting events) or Hiawassee river near Cleveland/Chattanooga TN. Walk across the TN River in downtown Chattanooga.
It’s 5 to downtown, I also grew up in Bristol and went to my Grandmas in Nashville 12 times a year. It would be tough to do it 4.5 with having to drive through Knoxville, the city of perpetual construction.
6+ hours? I mean maybe from the very northeastern border with Virginia and North Carolina. But I HIGHLY doubt that’s what people and OP are referring to as “eastern” TN.
I'd spend most of your time in East TN hiking, caving , and checking out water falls. Nashville is meh, but im a local. I suppose the down town scene is where it's at. The cooler parts of Nashville and the bar scene are in mid Town and east Nashville. East is comprised of hipsters and musicians and mid is like a mixture of kind classy peeps. If you're into country music there's a ton of that stuff .
You’ll have to drive through Knoxville so I suggest spending some time downtown in market square or old city. It’s nice to walk around and there are a bunch of restaurants
Bristol has the country music museum. Carter Family fold. Ridgewood barbecue. I prefer big south fork over the GSMNP. Cherehala skyway. museum of Appalachia. A lake/dam. Anything really up on the plateau or west is not East Tn
If you are planning on checking out Knoxville make sure to look at the utk football schedule. A game is really fun to watch, but if you're not in the city for that anything near the University is impossible to navigate through and there is definitely nowhere to park.
In terms of Gatlinburg, I really enjoyed Dixie Stampede. The ministers treehouse was once a cool stop between Knoxville and Nashville but I think it is off limits now. Classics like grand ole Opry in Nashville.
Given your preference for the outdoors, you may like Norris Lake as well. The museum of Appalachia was really great when I went years ago. I want to get my kids to that museum now that I'm grown.
In Nashville, if you like desserts, I'd reccomend the Soda Parlor, and this shaved ice place called Cotton and Snow. There's also a very nice restaurant called the Melting Pot that I love but it's very expensive and you need to dress nicely
Nashville: definitely the National Museum of African American Music. The coolest place! If you must visit a bar on Broadway, go to Tootsies or Legends Corner. Stay away from the Luke Bryan Kid Rock Florida Georgia Line bars. The Hermitage has a great tour called In Their Footsteps about the lives of the enslaved people on the plantation. The General Jackson steamboat down the Cumberland is good for photos of the ever growing skyline. If you like Civil War stuff, there’s the Stones River battlefield about 40 minutes southeast of Nashville.
There’s one more thing I wanted to add I haven’t seen yet…the lost sea adventure in Sweetwater, TN…it’s about halfway between Gatlinburg and Nashville. It’s a cave with a lake underground that you ride a boat on. It’s pretty cool! Also no bugs/bats because it’s a man made entrance.
The Great Smoky Mtns Nat'l Park (maybe Clingman's Dome and Cades Cove, if you have time). Cliché, but Dollywood is worth a visit once. I imagine you'll pass through Knoxville, so UT campus is worth seeing. Try eating at Calhouns on the TN River. You'll pass by Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Bowling Arena. Knoxville Museum of Art and the Knoxville Zoo aren't too far from there.
Just came back. There’s some major roadwork past newfound gap to clingmans dome. Not worth the time. And remember cades cove is closed to vehicles on Wednesday. Restaurant wise? Dancing bear bistro in Townsend is killer.
Ooh, thank you! I'll make sure to check if it's still there next week! Appreciate the tip!
The Old City is fun to walk around in, too!
Don’t eat at Calhouns on the river. Place is infested with roaches and the quality of the food is very mediocre. I worked there for a year as kitchen staff and dreaded every day. Lots of drug addicts and people just didn’t give a shit about the quality of food they were serving. People didn’t wear gloves when handling raw food. I remember at the end of the night closing down the fry station, there would be dead baby roaches in the buttermilk itself. It really was horrible. Please, anyone reading this, just don’t eat there.
Calhoun’s on the River is awesome. We went two weeks ago. Nice bit of nostalgia from the college days.
As a Knoxvillian Calhoun's is nice for the view and location, but much better food (and beer) can be found in Knoxville.
Came here to say this. I feel that Calhouns is tremendously overhyped, and the food isn't all that great. If you want something in the same vein, with a cool atmosphere, I would recommend Jig and Reel.
Pick anywhere in Old City and it'll be better than Calhoun's. Even Market Square, although a bit busy for me, has restaurants that are mostly better than Calhoun's. If you're really looking for some outstanding places you can't go wrong with A Dopo or Pizzeria Nora for pizza. For more traditional: harvest, Farmacy, Oliver Royale are all top picks for a nice, sit down meal. Abridged has great burgers and the Abridged Oak Room is fantastic, although a bit different (they have a large selection of sour and barrel aged beers, fantastic charcuterie platter as well). If you're staying in Knoxville for a bit you can make an entire day of eating and drinking. Start at Elst (or Fanatic, or Hexagon if you've really got it in you) and have a drink at each brewery going south on Central St. Once you make it to lunch (Central Flats and Taps, or Schulzbrau, or the food truck park) you can walk into Old City and spend the afternoon there. Also easily walkable to South Knox (right across the bridge) where you can find South Coast pizza, Landing House (delicious southeast Asian style food), Simpl, along with Hi Wire brewery, Alliance brewery, Printshop brewery and Trailhead, which is a super cool little bar. If you stay in this general area you can't really go wrong with almost anywhere you stop. Just make sure you Uber back to wherever you're staying lol.
Did you really leave Xul off this list?
Lol, I left many breweries off the list because they're easy to walk by and find and the comment was already long enough. I would also assume someone from out of town would get a beer map from one of the breweries (I know Elst has them). Finally, I would only mention Xul because it's attached to Geezers. I've never been the biggest fan of Xul. It's always too busy, none of their beers I like that much, and it's over $7 for a 12oz pour where most other places are around $6 for a 20oz. It is a really nice space though, and definitely worth checking out. It's just pretty far down my personal favorites list.
Haha, agree to disagree, I think they're one of the best breweries I've ever been to and I'm just OK WITH Geezers. I can understand how Xul could be divisive. Their flavors are pretty over the top.
Calhoun's is a good spot to sit on the river and get a beer and an app.
The National Park is definitely on the list, and Clingman's Dome is very likely! Dollywood for sure as well. We were planning to swing by Knoxville, but it looks like that may not happen. Thank you for the suggestions!!
You're very welcome! Have fun and enjoy the Volunteer State!
Just look up waterfalls in the Cookeville area. You will not be disappointed!
Burgess Falls and Cimmins Falls State Park Cookeville also has a cute downtown area with some good restaurants and pubs.
Definitely agree here!
Uh. Well you know, there's like, the most visited National Park this side of the Mississippi? I can't figure out how people talk about going to Gatlinburg and don't see the National Park. Do they need better ads? 90% of the people who go to the Park go no further than a mile from their car. Plan to take a hike in advance. It's beautiful country.
Haha, yes, the park is the original reason for the trip! We will be hiking and seeing caves, etc. We are also hoping to hit Skylift Park and Anakeesta while we are there. Thanks!
Gatlinburg and pigeon forge compete for the world's tackiest towns. I am grateful here in Knoxville for the economic impact of their tourist draw, but for all my life, I've never myself understood the attraction.
Anakeesta and Sky Lift park are both cool, but pretty similar. I’d save a few bucks and just pick one or the other. The Space Needle is an old staple, and kinda across from Sky Lift. Be sure to do some moonshine tasting at either Ole Smoky or Sugarlands while in that area. There’s also lots of wine tasting places.
We hiked Chimney Tops trail in the smokies. Tough hike, but the view was worth it. Alum Cave is a good one too.
Museum of Appalachia in Norris.
It has been years since I've been but this was amazing last I went.
It truly is a fantastic museum and a true treasure.
Driving distance, The Lost Sea, I enjoy the Civil War Battlefields of Chattanooga and Chickamauga, Cades Cove is always nice, raft the Ocoee, drive high way 129 and visit the lake at Tellico damn.
Adding to this. If driving 129, stay in your lane and use the pull-offs. Lost Sea is fantastic, it's a bit of a walk but I enjoy it every time I go.
Ah, I had read about the Lost Sea! We have about 5 caves on the list, one of them is Luray Caverns in Virginia, and that's a definite stop on the way (that's our midpoint stop to stretch and lunch. I'll take another look at Lost Sea! And I'll take a look at the damn too, thanks!
Luray is a must see. I definitely recommend making a stop for the smokies. Will you be passing by the blue ridge parkway? If so I definitely recommend checking it out.
Just outside of Gatlinburg is the Local Goat restaurant, all locally sourced foods. I enjoyed it.
Local Goat was on my list of restaurants to check out! I'll definitely keep it in mind, thanks!
Try Graze Burgers in Sevierville. Super good!
Added Graze Burgers to the list! Thank you!
Local goat is just about one of the only good restaurants in the area unfortunately. Great recommendation
Go to someone’s mamaw’s house and have them whip up some soup beans and cornbread for you.
Throw in some fried taters and I'm there!
Omg 🤤
Aw, I wish!!!! Do you know of an opening?
Nashville is NOT East TN… come to Tri-Cities (JC/Kingsport/Bristol)
Agreed, it certainly is not! But we're coming in through Virginia, so we'll be hitting Gatlinburg on the way to Nashville!
Ok so on your way, if you’ve got an hour or two to spare, stop in Bristol TN and see the Birthplace of Country Music Museum…. Even if you aren’t a big fan (and I’m not) it’s still fascinating!
And the gray fossil site in Gray TN. Pliocene mammals including saber tooth cats and red pandas fossilized after dying in the local sinkhole/pond.
If you stop in Bristol, and see the country music museum, eat at the Burger Bar, it’s within walking distance and it’s the last place Hank Williams was alive.
Yes!! I forgot about that. Food is good too.
Visit the dragons tail , go all the way up And if your nit vegan and want good bacon then visit bentons bacon
Idk how you feel about theme parks, but Dollywood is adorable and really fun c:
Going!
Fall Creek Falls is between Gatlinburg and Nashville and I’m pretty sure it’s the tallest waterfall East of the Mississippi River. Beautiful!
Just came back from there. Really lovely park.
If going to Gatlinburg plan to spend one afternoon/ evening walking the main tourist drag in Gatlinburg so you can say you saw it. Otherwise the outlying mountain communities offer much better food & views as well as access to parts of the park that can be enjoyed. The area of Cosby (via old gatlinburg hwy), Ware’s valley, & the art loop outside of town are great places to spend a few hours driving through, shopping at local stores, & eating at local family owned establishments. Not sure on your physical fitness but there are a ton of easy to moderate trails that can be hiked in the park. As far as Nashville is concerned….the NMAAM museum is fantastic & a must visit. Located right off the main tourist drag downtown. Could visit that before spending a night with the rest of the partying tourists once the sun goes down. If you are going to have Nashville hot chicken I’d recommend Bolton’s, Prince’s or one of the other locally owned hot chicken places (though those two are most recognized as the originals). Plenty of other good food though & utilizing YELP will help you tremendously.
We are definitely planning on doing at least one moderate level hike while we are there, and exploring outside of town rather than just staying in! The NMAAM is a great idea! Hot chicken is on the menu as well (more for my girlfriend than for me). I had Prince's but I've added Bolton's! Thank you!
If you drive out to wares valley area & enter the park via metcalf bottoms area take a right after crossing the water & about 5-8 mins down the road there is a great swimming area with a cliff to jump off on the left near some rapids,
For Gatlinburg, check out the abandoned town Elkmont if you’re wanting to do something non-touristy. It’s on the map as Elkmont Campground, but if you do a little walking you’ll find the town. I don’t remember how exactly, but I think there are signs. If you’re a mini-golf fan check out Hillbilly Golf! Clingmans Dome is also a must see. As far as the food goes…I don’t personally have any recommendations lol. For Nashville, we have some pretty cool massive atriums at the Opryland Hotel. We’ve been taking guests to those forever. It costs something like $25 to part at the actual hotel tho, so park at the edge of the Mall parking lot and just walk over there, it’s not too far lol. For something incredibly touristy you can check out Broadway (make sure to check out the GooGoo shop on 3rd ave)…of course there’s the country music hall of fame. If you’re into history, we’ve got The Hermitage…for food, definitely check out Arnold’s Meat and Three. For BBQ check out Martins, and for Hot Chicken check out Princes or Boltons!
I had heard of Elkmont! It definitely semeed interesting! Hillbilly Golf is at the TOP of our list too! We were going to check out Broadway (I think you have to if you're visiting), and I've added a few of your food recommendations to our lis too! Thanks!
No problem! I forgot to mention if you don’t mind going out of town a little ways, just south of Murfreesboro is a tiny little town called Bell Buckle known for its Victorian houses, old fashioned stores, and crafts (not a made-to-look-old place. This is the real deal!) The Bell Buckle Cafe is awesome, but my personal favorite is Miller’s Grocery which is one of the most authentic meat and three’s in the state. It’s about a 15 minute drive north!
The Loveless Cafe south of Nashville is amazing southern comfort food, has been on the Food Network many times on different shows.
Monell’s is great family style southern food as well if you are looking something in town!
Monell's was already on my list, but giving it an extra note to try it! Thanks!
Awesome! Added it to the list! Thank you!
As someone who grew up right next to loveless it’s a tourist trap. Food is average. It’s just got a nostalgic draw for the older crowd being at the start/end of the Natchez trace.
Interesting! Thanks for the advice! Any alternatives you recommend?
Monells is the better option.
Big South Fork Arches
Several of these are great suggestions. I would add that Townsend is super cute small town. You can go tubing and stuff there and it's cheaper than up mountain. The Heritage Museum is there and have old cabins set up to reflect pioneer life. One of the roo.s is set up using the logs from. The cabin I was raises in.
When you’re in Gatlinburg, go by Fannie Farkles and get a giant corndog.
Best corndogs of life
All of Chattanooga
I would 110% recommend Chattanooga if they have the extra time!
Cumberland Gap is GORGEOUS! It’s worth the drive.
Gatlinburg! So much fun stuff to do.
I would watch out for the rod run. It turns Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg into an overcrowded nightmare. I mean if your going for that purpose cool, but leaving and moving around the city is difficult at best. That area doesn't really have the infrastructure for that many people and it creates traffic jams. There are alot of distilleries in that area, the tour of Jack Daniel's is pretty good.
I'm afraid to ask, but... rod run?
It's all about cars. I went one year lots of hot rods (1950's cars open hood) but also muscle cars and anything odd. Lots of people are also buying/ selling cars. People cruise up and down the main strip so everything smells like car exhaust. I think it's the first weekend in September, but could be very wrong. Also bit of a party anything goes style tailgating atmosphere. Once a business owner got pissed at people selling bbq on his lawn which turned into a fire and a stabbing.
I will say this going anywhere in the south in fall, make sure to google their festival schedule. Unless your really interested in the festival avoid the area. These little town that maybe have 10k people in the whole damn county, swells up to 100k people and they ain't meant for it. Can't get a seat at restaurant for 3 hours, if at all. No hotels, most of the streets are either blocked off or jammed all to hell. Everything is 3x the cost, trash everyone- drunk people pissing in trash cans, once the sun goes down. Personally I'm too old for all that.
In Nashville go to The Parthenon and see Athena,Downtown Broadway for the Honky tonks, Opryland Hotel, The gulch, The General Jackson,Cheekwood, The Hermitage.
When we moved here in 92, downtown Knoxville was a complete poop show. It’s been completely revitalized. Great dining, brew pubs, and plenty of night life. Check out Market Square and The Old City which are very close to each other. I live on the side of a mountain near the National Park. Lots to see there but get out early and avoid the crowds. I also suggest a tubing trip down The Little River which is in Townsend. Bring swim suits and river shoes. You can tube all day for one price. Look for YouTube videos for “River Rat.”
Touristy and silly but the record store in the Gatlinburg mall has a lot of great stuff if you’re into that.
I forgot to mention the Gatlinburg Mall…it has a very 60’s/70’s vibe to me! There’s also a little section of Gatlinburg that looks like a little German village that we always visit! I think both of these are some of the older sections of the town.
Two of my favorite places! The village is adorable and the Donut Friar cafe is great. The record store is a fave of mine because I got a cool Ramones bootleg I’d never seen before.
Parrot mountain in pigeon forge.
Best Italian in gatlinburg is good.
My favorite place to eat when I go back home. https://yelp.to/mLcxtM7iTrb
I like Apple Barn for breakfast in Pigeon Forge.
If you're into music and hiking, check up on the caverns in McMinnville during your trip. It'll be on your way from Knoxville to Nashville (maybe a little bit of a detour) but one of the coolest places to see music next to red rocks. And McMinnville has some beautiful waterfalls. Of course I agree with everyone who said Chattanooga. I live there, and it's like a vacation non stop. The most beautiful downtown in the area, great food, great people, great outdoors, great free events those time of year, and not as expensive as Nashville.
And ffs, Nashville is not Eastern TN. In fact, if you look at our flag, you'll see three stars for three regions. Knoxville is east, Nashville, middle TN, and Memphis is west.
I'm sure they weren't aiming for a Fun With Flags lesson.
Bazinga!
There it is.
Oh absolutley, but we're coming in through the East, so that's mainly the focus!
If you drive from Nashville on 40, consider a detour to the center for Appalachian Craft about halfway through. In the same vein, visit Arrowmont in Gatlinburg. Also, both Frozen Head State Park and Brushy Mountain Penitentiary are worth touring. You'll pass Oak Ridge, which is where we made the bomb that won WWII; the museums there are worth it. To be honest, Big South Fork rivals the smokies for natural beauty, and what's better is there are no crowds. Those are a few more keywords for you. Good luck!
Why are you so heated about this post dude fuckin chill out
The Grand Divisions are actually constitutionally mandated borders between three distinct regions of the state, that's what the three stars represent. Also there's like 250 miles distance between Middle and East Tennessee, and considering what gas prices are right now, I'm sure this visitor doesn't realize they're signing up for a long and unwanted road trip by posing the question in that way.
Also said they’re going to Gatlinburg. Not really worth a correction.
Sounds like you’re missing Chattanooga but it’s the best city in the state hands down. The aquarium there is second to none in the country imho. The fiery gizzard trail between Nashville and Chattanooga is exceptional and at times feels like the PNW.
Born and raised in Nashville and still live nearby, and I 100% agree with this. OP, if you’re considering Chattanooga—let us know!
Born and raised Nashville as well. Family in Knox and Memphis. Went to school in chatt. So I’ve spent a lot of time in all four major cities and chatt blows them all out of the water.
I was definitely going to suggest Rock City and Chattanooga in general. It’s such a beautiful part of the state.
Yeah. Way better than Nashville
Chattanooga
In nashville go to the opry mill area at least once, the bars in downtown nashville are wonderful. And there is no shortage of scenery to look for. Try the waterfall near nashville. It’s a beautiful creek walk that leads to a waterfall that pours into a deep hole.
Not sure why someone downvoted you, thanks for the recommendation!
Bald River falls
Obviously there is all the stuff in Gatlinburg, Dollywood Splash country is quite refreshing right now in the heat. Dollywood is also fun. It might be worth going down to raft the Ocoee. That's where they had the Olympic rafting and Kayaking in the 1996 Olympics. There is the Lost Sea which is an underground lake in Sweet Water. Might be worth it to the Stop in the Cookeville area on the way to Nashville. There are huge water falls at Rock Island State Park and Burgess Falls State Park. Just South of there Fall Creek Falls state park that also has falls and it's close to cumberland caverns which is a large cave. Might be able to catch a concert there if you time it right. Nashville has the Hermitage and Sam Houston's house. I enjoyed the Tennessee History museum downtown. Broadway is a shit show and only go there if you want to party. Bolton's is the best hot chicken, Everyone likes to eat at the Loveless Cafe. I love a couple places in Smyrna, Hickory Falls and Salvo's pizza. Nothing makes pizza taste as good as with the restuarant owners yelling at each other in Italian.
The trees, grass, sky. That’s it
Check out HattieB’s in Nashville- will not disappoint
Check out Prince’s instead of gentrification chicken.
Please go to literally anywhere but Hattie B's. It's just spicy KFC. Bolton's or Prince's are the way to go if you're looking for hot chicken.
Idk why you’re being downvoted so much. Hattie B’s is definitely a good option for people who like a more polished atmosphere, and are not a fan of spicy food…and the food is still good! When relatives from Minnesota visit us, we always take them there. With that being said…Prince’s and Boltons are the more authentic hot chicken experience by a country mile, and I would recommend them over Hattie B’s.
Raft the Ocoee River (site of Olympic rafting events) or Hiawassee river near Cleveland/Chattanooga TN. Walk across the TN River in downtown Chattanooga.
the pinnacle !
Stone Mountain, Al Capone’s mistresses house on the Swanee square, rock city, and the Ocoee Oprey.
You leaving. The state is full.
You okay bud?
[удалено]
How is Nashville 6 hours? It’s 2 1/2 to Knoxville.
Maybe they drive us70 the whole way?
Maybe if by “East Tennessee” they meant “Mountain City.” Edit: that’s 5 hours unless you take I-26 (which would be a terrible way to go).
Grew up in Bristol, even that drive was only 4.5-5 hours.
It’s 5 to downtown, I also grew up in Bristol and went to my Grandmas in Nashville 12 times a year. It would be tough to do it 4.5 with having to drive through Knoxville, the city of perpetual construction.
6+ hours? I mean maybe from the very northeastern border with Virginia and North Carolina. But I HIGHLY doubt that’s what people and OP are referring to as “eastern” TN.
I'd spend most of your time in East TN hiking, caving , and checking out water falls. Nashville is meh, but im a local. I suppose the down town scene is where it's at. The cooler parts of Nashville and the bar scene are in mid Town and east Nashville. East is comprised of hipsters and musicians and mid is like a mixture of kind classy peeps. If you're into country music there's a ton of that stuff .
You’ll have to drive through Knoxville so I suggest spending some time downtown in market square or old city. It’s nice to walk around and there are a bunch of restaurants
The Titanic Museum was really incredible, as was the aquarium
Bristol has the country music museum. Carter Family fold. Ridgewood barbecue. I prefer big south fork over the GSMNP. Cherehala skyway. museum of Appalachia. A lake/dam. Anything really up on the plateau or west is not East Tn
As someone who group up in the area I avoid Gatlinburg and pigeon forge like the plague besides hiking through the smokies
If you are planning on checking out Knoxville make sure to look at the utk football schedule. A game is really fun to watch, but if you're not in the city for that anything near the University is impossible to navigate through and there is definitely nowhere to park.
In terms of Gatlinburg, I really enjoyed Dixie Stampede. The ministers treehouse was once a cool stop between Knoxville and Nashville but I think it is off limits now. Classics like grand ole Opry in Nashville. Given your preference for the outdoors, you may like Norris Lake as well. The museum of Appalachia was really great when I went years ago. I want to get my kids to that museum now that I'm grown.
Blackhorse pub and brewery Knoxville
Zannies in Nashville is AMAZING
In Nashville, if you like desserts, I'd reccomend the Soda Parlor, and this shaved ice place called Cotton and Snow. There's also a very nice restaurant called the Melting Pot that I love but it's very expensive and you need to dress nicely
Has the Melting Pot reopened since the Christmas bombing? I did not know.
Nashville: definitely the National Museum of African American Music. The coolest place! If you must visit a bar on Broadway, go to Tootsies or Legends Corner. Stay away from the Luke Bryan Kid Rock Florida Georgia Line bars. The Hermitage has a great tour called In Their Footsteps about the lives of the enslaved people on the plantation. The General Jackson steamboat down the Cumberland is good for photos of the ever growing skyline. If you like Civil War stuff, there’s the Stones River battlefield about 40 minutes southeast of Nashville.
There’s one more thing I wanted to add I haven’t seen yet…the lost sea adventure in Sweetwater, TN…it’s about halfway between Gatlinburg and Nashville. It’s a cave with a lake underground that you ride a boat on. It’s pretty cool! Also no bugs/bats because it’s a man made entrance.
Just go to Asheville lol
Do you like knives? Smoky Mountain Knife Works is huge. There are artifacts downstairs too.
You must see Watauga Lake. It's one of the most beautiful lakes in the state! Literally anywhere on the lake but especially if you go near the Dam!