Posted on 05/31/2019 11:00:06 AM PDT by gnarledmaw
That is to say, Ill be spending some time in Tennessee soon. The TN tourism page is near useless other than trying to get me to go to the civil rights museum and doesnt tell me how to truly do Tennessee like a native.
What is the thing I must do when I visit? Where do you go and what do you like to do?
Ill possibly be all over and everywhere so the whole state is open. Dont do professional sports but Im open to just about anything else. Favorite hike? Best food/hotel for the money? Whitewater rafting or dwayyo huntin? Im there. Best hike? Best fishin? Best cave? Im there. International roadkill cookoff championship? National Museum of Unusual Goat Turd Sculptures? I might still be there!
Any advice on where/what to avoid is always helpful too.
Pls post or FRmail. Thank you.
Nashville. Bring your guitar.
First, find a good design for a home still...
Best bbq: Hickory Pit, Chattanooga.
Gatlinburg area, and the Great Smokies.
If you’ve never been to a Civil War battlefield before, try Stones River National Battlefield. It’s 45 minutes southeast of Nashville.
https://www.nps.gov/stri/index.htm
If you appreciate country and western (I’m not a huge fan), go visit Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Beale Street in Memphis is great. Good BBQ too.
Lookout Mountain
The elk area south of Clingman’s Dome at feeding time.
Also, there is an interesting museum at Oak Ridge where the Manhattan Project was goin’ on. That area has some great info from back when Oak Ridge was “The Secret City”.
Ok but what? Whats the lookout I should hike to? Your favorite waterfall? Favorite hellbender breeding pond?
Where does that famous incognito guy hang out in Gatlinburg? Secret rock club? Free moonshine and bluegrass festival?
I drive State Rte. 70 between Kingston and Lenoir City often. The lore is that it was the old road bootleggers used to transport their moonshine. (It may or may not be true.)
Just show me to #13 and I’ll be fine for life.
Go to the Smoky visitor center. Ask for the Brown Book. They’ll know what you mean and you’ll know what to do with it.
Lotsa those up here too. Grandma ran one during prohibition. She used to cut it and add burnt sugar because people paid more for “real whiskey”. If you know someone that knows how to read bubbles and that kind of thing then Id be interested in that too.
“Gatlinburg area, and the Great Smokies.”
One of the best parts of Tennessee! But just be aware this time of year is jam-packed with tourists. One of the marketing people I talked with yesterday said it took him almost 2 hours to drive the few miles from downtown Gatlinburg back to Pigeon Forge.
And Beale Street in Memphis can be fun, but once it hits midnight you better get out of there. That’s when the thugs start to take it over.
And also, if you don’t know Memphis very well, please talk to a trusted local about which areas NOT to go even during the daytime.
Geocaching will take you everywhere there is to go and then some. https://www.geocaching.com Seriously, this is a must do no matter where you travel or live.
Order a tourist guide - https://www.tnvacation.com/guide
I haven't hiked it yet, but Laurel Falls is popular. Also Middle Prong at Tremont. Both in the Smoky National Park section from Gatlinburg or Townsend entrances. Maybe someone else can chime in about the more difficult trails if you want more of a challenge.
Part of the Appalacian Trail is near Newfound Gap Lookout. That's a beautiful spot but again in summertime crowds are heavy.
My grandparents had a grocery during prohibition and knew who the shiners were by who was buying all the sugar.
If you are any kind of music fan—country or rock—Nashville or Memphis. I had the most fun afternoon sitting in a bar on a hot weekday afternoon listening to guys coming in off the street to play for tips. It doesn’t sound like much, but it beat every other touristy thing in that town.
Memphis is cool because of Elvis and Beal Street.
I’ve been through the state, end to end, half a dozen times. The only other places I stopped is Shiloh and Chattanooga/Chickamauga Battlefields. You are going to drive way, way out of your way to go there. But its worth it. Very somber locations—and it will give you a sense of the enormity of the war.
I’ve been to Memphis a couple times. To see an interesting historical view of the Mississippi River, try the Mud Island museum.
Also, there is a giant Bass Pro Shop, located in a really big pyramid. I believe alligators are on view some days of the week.
Also, see the DUCKS at the Peabody Hotel. Every day they ride the elevator down from their penthouse and go play in the fountain in the lobby. Get their early and get a nice seat at a table, order a coffee or other drink, and have camera ready. You don’t have to order anything, it’s free to just be there, but I liked getting a table and doing this the elegant, relaxing way.
The Memphis Rock and Soul Museum is curated by the Smithsonian. You receive headphones and wander through musical history, from the field songs of the slaves, up to more modern times. You choose what to listen to. I am Dying To Go Back and do it again. It is in the Beale St. area.
I have enjoyed Central Barbecue, on Central Ave. I don’t know the other BBQ places in town, but they all smell good as you pass by. Come to Memphis hungry!
And wear bug repellant. I was eaten up by bugs one evening as I dined on an outdoor patio. Mosquitos love me. YMMV.
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