So what is there to do in Tennesee?

[Fresh Wind]

Are they giving tours of Algore’s mansion?

[.45 Long Colt]

That’s utter rubbish. I am from Memphis and my Memphis roots are deep. I’ve lived in and around Memphis since the 60’s. My family arrived here on a riverboat in the 1870’s after fleeing New Orleans’ yellow fever epidemic. Sure there are parts of Memphis I avoid, but that’s true in every city in America. I know the city well and safely travel the streets here every day.

I was attacked by a black man with a butcher knife when I was 12, but that didn’t happen in Memphis. It happened in a small, majority white, and presumably safe, West Tennessee town. That experience impacted my life in more ways than you can imagine. I am highly protective of my family and I am extra sensitive to potential danger. If I thought Memphis was truly as you suggest, I would not let my teenage daughters drive on Memphis streets. I would also insist my elderly parents move away.

Memphis is no different from any other city. It has good parts, and bad. You can’t indict more than 1.3 million people in my community because a segment of the community act like animals. After practicing law in Memphis I can tell you the vast majority of the crime is black on black and it’s confined to certain parts of town anyone should recognize as unsafe. We live in a fallen world, so crime can reach out and touch us anywhere, but I do not live in fear.

Today my kids have a snow day (that was unnecessary), so I am about to take them downtown for lunch on Beale Street and to see the Peabody ducks.

[jaydee770]

Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg - Side-by-side towns with too much to do to list. I rank it as the best vacation-destination in TN, bar none, hands-down.

Pigeon Forge: It’s by far the most family friendly place I’ve ever found and I travel a lot. Pigeon Forge can almost be described as a city-wide theme park and is the putt-putt, go-cart, theme-show, roadside-museum, music-hall etc, etc capital of TN. Plus, there’s an actual theme-park there (Dollywood) which I like more than six-flags type parks.

Gatlinburg: More for shopping, but has the aquarium, Ober Gatlinburg, restaurants, Smokey Mtn Moonshine distillery (free tastings).

I’ll head to Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg at the drop of a hat. I can not recommend the area enough.

If it’s Nature you’re after, take the drive from Gatlinburg through the Smokey Mountain via Newfound gap to Cherokee, NC. If you have all day, detour over to Cade’s Cove as a bonus for truly memorable, beautiful scenery.

Nashville is Music City USA. I’ve had the public experience and the behind-the-scenes recording industry experience. There’s some great music history there. You can see the bulk of it on music-row.

Memphis - Great “Over-21” scene on Beale St. If it’s BBQ you’re after, I can confidently recommend Central-BBQ and Interstate-BBQ. Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous is good, but does not meet the hype or the price. And if you are in Memphis, you might as well go ahead and make your pilgrimage to Graceland. To me, it was more eye-opening as to what it isn’t, rather than what it is.

Don’t know where you are going or how much leisure time you’ll have, but there’s a ton to do in TN and if you don’t have a good time, you just ain’t trying. Good Luck and have a great trip!