(does not include Memphis or Nashville)
BLOUNT COUNTY
Townsend
Hotels
●Richmont Inn – 220 Winterberry Lane; 865-448-6751; richmontinn.com; designed in Appalachian cantilever barn style; antique- & art-filled B&B near Great Smoky Mountains National Park; uniquely decorated rooms offer private bathrooms, coffeemakers & free Wi-Fi; many have fireplaces & minifridges; some add whirlpool tubs &/or private balconies; no TVs; full breakfast, afternoon tea & evening candlelit dessert are complimentary; classic Swiss fondue/raclette dinners available for fee on weekends (reservations only).
Wallant
Hotels
●Blackberry Farm – 1471 West Millers Cove; 865-984-8166 or 800-648-4252; blackberryfarm.com; incredible and rare find in Great Smoky Mountains’ foothills; near Knoxville.
DICKSON COUNTY
White Bluff
Restaurants
●Carl’s Perfect Pig Bar-B-Que & Grill – 4992 Highway 70 East; 615-797-4020; among country’s best BBQ joints.
GREENE COUNTY
Greeneville
Shopping
●Scott Hams – 1301 Scott Road; 270-338-3402 or 800-318-1353; scotthams.com; off-road adventure to get to this country ham “shed.”
HAMILTON COUNTY
Chattanooga
Shopping
●Warehouse Row – 1110 Market Street; 423-267-1127; warehouserow.net; gentrified area with boutiques, shops, etc.
HARDEMAN & McNAIRY COUNTY
Pocahontas
Sights & Sites
●Big Hill Pond State Park – 1435 John Howell Road; 731-645-7967; tnstateparks.com/parks/about/big-hill-pond; approximately 5K acres, forested with timberland & hardwood bottomland; boardwalks over swampy terrian.
HENDERSON COUNTY
Lexington
Restaurants
●B.E. Scott’s Bar-B-Que – 10880 Highway 412 West; 731-968-0420; among country’s best BBQ joints.
JACKSON COUNTY
Cookeville
Sights & Sites
●Cummins Falls State Park – 390 Cummins Falls Lane; 931-261-3471; tnstateparks.com/parks/about/cummins-falls; 211-acre state park located northwest of Cookeville; namesake, Cummins Falls, is 75' waterfall, located on Blackburn Fork State Scenic River.
LYON COUNTY
Kuttawa
Shopping
●Broadbent’s – 257 Mary Blue Road; 270-388-2607 or 800-841-2202; broadbenthams.com; pork products, as well as other “home cooking” goods.
MADISON COUNTY
Pinson
Sights & Sites
●Pinson Mounds State Archaeology Site – 460 Ozier Road; 731-988-5614; tnstateparks.com/parks/about/pinson-mounds; Pinson Mounds comprise prehistoric Native American complex; includes 17 mounds, earthen geometric enclosure & numerous habitation areas; largest group of Middle Woodland mounds in US; Sauls’ Mound, at 72', is 2nd-highest surviving mound in US.
MARION COUNTY
Sequtchie
Shopping
●Sequatchie Cove Farm & Trading Post – 320 Dixon Cove Road; 432-619-5867 (call ahead before visiting); sequatchiecovefarm.com; organic, healthy food & plant products, including: free-range, grass-fed beef; raw milk, alpine-inspired, aged cheeses (try award-winning Dancing Fern); grass-fed Katahdin lamb; and Dancing Fern Nursery Native Plants (propagated from seed or cuttings); also offers pick-your-own-berries excursions (blueberries & blackberries by appointment only, call 423-942-9201) & seasonal vegetables.
MONROE COUNTY
Madisonville
Shopping
●Benton’s Smoky Mountain Country Hams – 2603 Highway 411; 423-442-5003; bentonshams.com; pork products and more; famous for hams.
MORGAN COUNTY
Shady Grove
Sights & Sites
●Jackson Falls – Natchez Trace Parkway milepost 404.7; scenictrace.com; named for Andrew Jackson, most stunning waterfalls on Trace; steep trail (concrete sidewalk) leads you 900’ to falls’ base; clear pool; gentle quarter-mile trail leads to 300’ viewpoint above Duck River.
SEVIER COUNTY
Gatlinburg
Sights & Sites
●Great Smoky Mountains National Park – 107 Park Headquarters Road; 865-436-1200; nps.gov/grsm; US National Park & UNESCO World Heritage Site; straddles Great Smoky Mountains ridgeline (Blue Ridge Mountains part, in turn Appalachian Mountain chain division); border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs northeast to southwest through park centerline; most visited US national park; Appalachian Trail passes through center; chartered by US Congress in 1934; encompasses 522K acres, making it among largest eastern US protected areas; main park entrances are located along US Highway 441 (Newfound Gap Road) at Gatlinburg, Tennessee & Cherokee, North Carolina; make sure to see Grotto Falls, on Grotto Falls Trillium Gap Trail, which meanders through old-growth hemlock forest & actually runs behind 25' waterfall; 3 miles roundtrip and considered moderate in difficulty; access on Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (Trailhead: from parkway in Gatlinburg, turn at traffic light #8 and follow Historic Nature Trail into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, take Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail to stop #5 where large parking area.
●Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail – Route 441 (enter from stoplight 8 at Airport Road); 865-436-1200; gsmnp.com/pages/roaring_fork.html; features 2 popular waterfalls; moderate 5.4 mile roundtrip hike to Rainbow Falls is well worth workout; 80' tall waterfall is highest single-drop falls in park; Trillium Gap Trail leads to 25' tall Grotto Falls where can walk behind water cascade; also spectacular, Place of Thousand Drips.
SULLIVAN COUNTY
Bluff City
Restaurants
●Ridgewood Barbecue – 900 Elizabethan Highway; 423-538-7543; southernbbqtrail.com; here, ham replaces shoulder and sauce is dark red, sweet, and sticky.
WASHINGTON COUNTY
Princeton
Shopping
●Newsom’s Old Mill Store – 208 East Main Street; 270-365-2482; newsomscountryham.com; old-style country store selling some of country’s best ham.
WILLIAMSON COUNTY
Franklin
Bars & Nightclubs
●Sol Restaurant – 403 Main Street; 615-538-6021; solonmain.com; try Old South Margarita, made with Cazadores Reposado tequila and Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea vodka, plus fresh lemon and lime juice.
Hotels
●Aloft – 7109 South Springs Drive; 615-435-8700 or 877-462-5638; starwoodhotels.com; owned by W Hotels.
Restaurants
●Puckett’s Grocery & Restaurant – 120 4th Avenue South; 615-794-5527; puckettsgrocery.com; try blackberry cobbler; live music occasionally.
●Sol Restaurant – 403 Main Street; 615-538-6021; solonmain.com; Mexican food.
Services
●Franklin on Foot – 615-400-3808; franklinonfoot.com; ghost tours of Civil War battle-grounds.
Shopping
●F.M. Allen – 347 Main Street; 615-472-8734; fmallen.com; rugged outdoors wear and accessories.
●Haven – 343 Main Street; 615-790-7954; sanctuaryofstyle.com; high-end women’s wear.
●Lulu – 345 Main Street; 615-794-3345; accessories and gifts.
Sights & Sites
●Arrington Vineyards – 6211 Patton Road (Arrington); 615-395-0102; arringtonvineyards.com; vineyard open to public.
●Carter House – 1140 Columbia Avenue; 615-791-1861; carter-house.org; Battle of Franklin site; see scars of over 1K bullets left in its walls.
Nolensville
Restaurants
●Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint – 7238 Nolensville Road; 615-776-2277; martinsbbqjoint.com/nolensville; barbeque.
No comments:
Post a Comment