Tennessee
A colorful sunset at Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg
The crowd applauds a performer at Knoxville's ornate Tennessee Theatre
A tantalizing spread at Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint in Nashville
A variety of Tennessee whiskeys set up for a tasting at Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg
The welcoming exterior of Elvis Presley's Graceland in Memphis
Canoeing in Reelfoot Lake State Park in Tiptonville
The Hall of Fame Rotunda at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville
Live music at the legendary Bluebird Cafe in Nashville
A vacation in Tennessee sounds perfect
Music History on Every Corner
When it comes to music, Tennessee is legendary for the foot-tapping, soul-saving kind – blues, bluegrass, country, rock and roll, and everything in between. In Memphis, pay homage to the King at Elvis Presley’s Graceland, or duck into a blues bar on Beale Street. Catch live music at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and get a little bit country at the Grand Ole Opry. Visit Bristol, the Birthplace of Country Music, where the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers found their fame, and check out the schoolhouse-turned-museum honoring Tennessee native Tina Turner in Brownsville.
The Great Outdoors of Tennessee
Discover Appalachian mountain culture, witness the breathtaking beauty of autumn leaves or explore endless hiking trails and peaceful waterfalls. These are all reasons why Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the USA’s most-visited national park. Beyond this famed park, outdoor thrill-seekers can raft the Ocoee River in Cleveland, zip-line through treetops in Gatlinburg or explore one of the 57 state parks. Don’t miss a chance to take a riverboat cruise on the mighty Mississippi in Memphis.
Southern Cuisine and Beyond
Satisfy your appetite with the made-in-Tennessee flavors of slow-cooked Memphis barbecue and Nashville hot chicken, then wash it all down with oak barrel-aged whiskey at Jack Daniel’s in Lynchburg. Food festivals are plentiful, celebrating everything from cornbread and biscuits to the marshmallow-y goodness of the RC MoonPie Festival in Bell Buckle. Of course, there’s barbecue galore to sample, especially at Lynchburg's Jack Daniel's World Championship Invitational Barbecue, recognized as the largest of its kind in the world. Cold beers are on tap at dozens of craft breweries in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, or go for the hard stuff at one of 30 distilleries along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.
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Fun Fact
Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the USA.
On December 4, 1956, an impromptu jam session referred to as The Million Dollar Quartet took place at Sun Studio in Memphis. In attendance were Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash.
Every bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey is made from a single spring of water in Lynchburg.