Other Destinations and Attractions in Tennessee

The Museum of Appalachia, a large open-air museum situated 16 mi. north of Norris, covers every important aspect of Appalachian culture. It has the reputation of being one of the most pleasant heritage villages in the United States.
Spinning and weaving exhibits are located in the display building which features more than 250,000 artifacts.

Also of interest is the Tennessee Fall Homecoming, an annual event held the 2nd full weekend in October.

Beyond Sweetwater, 46 mi. from Knoxville, there is a cave system with the largest underwater lake yet discovered - the Lost Sea. Guided tours and boat trips are available.
Confederate soldiers mined the Lost Sea caverns for saltpeter during the Civil War. Saltpeter was used to make gunpowder. During the 1900s, local townspeople created a party room, called the Cavern Tavern.

Port Royal State Park is located southeast of Clarksville. Port Royal is the site of one of Tennessee's earliest communities and trading centers. The area was an encampment site where the Cherokee stayed overnight or longer to resupply, grind corn, and rest during the Trail of Tears.

The Buford Pusser Home and Museum in Adamsville was the home of the sheriff who was the subject of the 'Walking Tall' movie trilogy. The house contains many original furnishings and features videotapes highlighting Pusser's career.

The Junior Room is the oldest building on the campus of the Webb School, a prep school in Bell Buckle. Built in 1886, the Junior Room served as the original classroom. It is now home to a museum with school memorabilia and furnishings.

Falls Mill was built as a cotton and woolen factory in 1873 and was later converted to a cotton gin and a wood-working shop. It is now used as a grist mill. Exhibits include antique machinery.

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area features many streams that are ideal for canoeing and kayaking. Other popular recreational activities include swimming, hiking, camping, mountain bike riding and fishing.

The Davies Manor began as a one-room log cabin around 1807, and between 1831 and 1837 it became a two-story structure. Family antiques and other period furnishings are found throughout the home.

The Cordell Hull Birthplace and Museum is located west of Byrdstown. It consists of Hull's original log cabin birthplace, an activity center, and a museum housing documents and artifacts. Cordell Hull received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945 for his work toward establishing the United Nations - his medal is on exhibit.

The Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general in 1864, who destroyed Union boats and supplies with camouflaged artillery. A monument dedicated to the general is located on Pilot Knob, a wooded hill overlooking Kentucky Lake.

The Green McAdoo Cultural Center commemorates the 12 young people who walked into history when they atteneded Clinton High School on August 27, 1956 as the first students to desegregate a state-supported high school.

The museum presents a 1950s classroom with wooden desks and an animated "chalk talk" that decribes the Clinton 12 and other desegregation events. Other exhibits highlight the events including the bombing of Clinton High School in October 1958.

The Depot Museum in Cookeville features models of former Tennessee Central rolling stock, reading material relating to the history of the Tennessee Central Railway, and historical photographs of TC depots as well as contemporary photos.

The Cowan Railroad Museum is located in an old railway depot. It features a model railroad, photographs and restored 1920 engine and cars.

The Homesteads Tower was built in Crossville between 1937 and 1938. It was built to house the administrative offices of the Cumberland Homesteads, a project of the Roosevelt era following the "Great Depression". The octagonal stone tower houses a water tank and a winding stairway that lead to a lookout platform at the top. Exhibits include a collection of photos, documents and artifacts from the 1930's and 1940's when the community was first developed.

The Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton is a Romanesque Revival-Italian Villa Style courthouse that was built in 1891. The second floor contains the Scopes Trial courtroom complete with the original judge's bench, four tables, railing, jury chairs, and spectator seats. The museum contains exhibits, photos, and news clippings of the famous Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.

The Ducktown Basin Museum is located on the historic Burra Burra mine site west of Ducktown. Exhibits depict the mining heritage of the Copper Basin. Ducktown's first copper mine, began in 1850 - a reconstructed chimney near the museum is all that remains.

The Coke Ovens Museum in Dunlap features a collection of regional historic coal mining photographs and mining artifacts. The remains of 268 beehive coke ovens used in the early 1900's to convert mountain coal into industrial coke are located on the 62-acre park.

Sycamore Shoals was the first permanent American settlement outside the original 13 colonies, and home of the Watauga Association--the first majority-rule system of American democratic government-- formed in 1772. The Historic Area is located in west Elizabethton and has a visitor center, museum, theater and reconstructed Fort Watauga. Fort Watauga was a refuge for the settlers in the summer of 1776.

The Erwin National Fish Hatchery was established in 1894. The Hatchery produces up to 13 million rainbow trout eggs each year. Visitors can view the fish-breeding and rearing operations.

The L & N Depot Railroad Museum in Etowah is housed in a restored 1906 depot. The museum features historical collections of regional interest, local and traveling art shows and an exhibit about early forestry.

The Fort Donelson National Battlefield site consists of the cemetery, surrender house, visitor center and the fort. The first major Federal victory during the Civil War took place in the area now embraced by Fort Donelson National Battlefield.

The Fort Donelson National Cemetery is the final resting place for Union soldiers that were killed at Fort Donelson during the Civil War.

The National Bird Dog Museum in Grand Junction features art, photography, and memorabilia representing some of the most famous bird dogs of the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is located on Lincoln Memorial University campus in Harrogate. The museum features a Gutzon Borglum bust of Lincoln and a collection of personal items from Lincoln's life.

The Alex Haley State Historic Site in Henning was built between 1918 and 1921 by the writer's grandfather, Will E. Palmer. Some original 1919 furniture that decorates the home belonged to the Haley's family. Haley's work, childhood memorabilia and references to the people who inspired his characters in 'Roots' are featured exhibits. Alex Haley is buried in front of the house.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills includes her plantation home, a museum, a simulated coal mine and a replica Butcher Holler House.

The Jonesborough-Washington County History Museum features more than 30 exhibits that tell the story of Jonesborough's history and portray life in northeast Tennessee from pioneer days to the present day.

Bays Mountain is a nature preserve located in Kingsport. It features a 44 acre lake, a nature center/museum, a planetarium, aquarium and exhibits.

The Kingston Fossil Plant was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority and is a coal-fired electric generating station. Electricity is produced by heating water in a coal-fired boiler to produce steam. The steam, under tremendous pressure, flows into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity.

Lynchburg features the Moore County Courthouse which was built in 1885 and has remained unchanged throughout the years. Horse shows and Frontier Days are popular events.

The Old Stone Fort is a 2000-year old American Indian ceremonial site located west of Manchester. Mounds and walls combined with cliffs and rivers form the enclosure. The exhibit hall complex includes exhibits relating to the history, archeology, and legends surrounding the Old Stone Fort and its builders.

The Sam Houston Schoolhouse is located north east of Maryville. The schoolhouse which is the oldest one room schoolhouse in the state was built in 1794 two years before Tennessee became a state. Sam Houston, former Tennessee Governor, taught area residents in the schoolhouse when he was 18 years old.

The West Tennessee Agricultural Museum features life-sized displays of the challenges settlers faced in this region. A one-room schoolhouse, the Sunday social at the old country church, and the blacksmith's shop are featured exhibits.

Wilson's Wildlife Museum in Monterey features mounted wildlife behind glass viewing windows. The exhibits include moose, deer, coyote, birds, fish, Canadian lynx, otters, and bears.

The Obed Wild & Scenic River features 45 miles of water including the Obed River, Clear Creek, Daddys Creek and the Emory River. There are bluffs which rise as high as 500 feet above the water. Visitors can enjoy canoeing, rock climbing and hiking.

The Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge is located on and around Kentucky Lake. The refuge is a resting and feeding area for wintering waterfowl, as well as many migratory birds and resident wildlife. Fishing and birdwatching are popular activities at the refuge.

Visitors to the Sweetwater Valley Farm in Philadelphia can take a guided walking tour that takes them from the "cows to cheddar". The tour ends with a viewing of the cheese-making process.

The Rocky Mount Museum is located just west of Piney Flats. It is a living-history museum that lets visitors see what Tennessee was like before it was a state. The centerpiece of the farm is the two-story, log house built by William Cobb around 1770. Other buildings include a kitchen, a weaving cabin and slaves' quarters. Cobb opened up his home to the governor of the Southwest Territory, William Blount, and Rocky Mount became the political center of what would eventually become Tennessee.

The Pinson Mounds State Archeological Area contains a series of mounds and earthworks that are nearly 2,000 years old. The site was used by the American Indians for ceremonial purposes. The area consists of 12 Indian mounds, crematory areas, fields and a forest, creeks and six miles of trails.

Historic Rugby is a recreation in Tennessee of the Victorian village founded in 1880 by British author and social reformer, Thomas Hughes. This experimental Utopian community was meant for younger sons of English gentry - it was meant to be a cooperative, class-free, agricultural community.

The Tennessee River Museum in Savannah is a tribute to the Tennessee River and its influence on the land, the people and the heritage of the Tennessee Valley. The five major exhibits include paleontology, archaeology, steamboats, the Civil War and the Shiloh Effigy Pipe.

The All Saints' Chapel is located on the campus of the University of the South in Sewanee. The first phase was built in 1910, with the completion in 1957. The English stained-glass windows depict events in the University's history.

The Tennessee Walking Horse Museum is located in Shelbyville. The history of the breed is presented through exhibits and an interactive videotape.

The Shiloh National Cemetery has more than 3,500 Union graves and is found within Shiloh National Military Park.

Within the boundaries of the Shiloh National Military Park are the Shiloh National Cemetery and prehistoric Indian mounds. This was the site of the first significant battle of the Civil War in the West.

Historic Collinsville is a living-history museum featuring 40 acres with 18 restored log houses and outbuildings dating from 1830 to 1870. All of the artifacts displayed are authentic to the period.

Daily life in the village is recreated by costumed interpreters. It also has a wildlife center with a collection of prehistoric artifacts and the animals from the area.

More than 500 rare porcelain teapots made primarily in France and Germany are on display at the Porcelain Veilleuse Display in Trenton. The teapots were made in the late 18th and early 19th century and are shaped like people and animals with candle warmers in the bases.

The Fine Arts Center in Tullahoma presents local artists in changing exhibits. The center is housed in the home of Jane, Emma and Affa Baillet, who owned and operated a millinery shop in the town until 1913.

The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum is located in Vonore in eastern Tennessee. The museum pays tribute to Sequoyah who was born in 1776. His father was Nathaniel Gist, a Virginia fur trader and his mother was Wut-teh, daughter of a Cherokee Chief. He was a soldier and statesman who realized the importance of a language for the Cherokee - it took 12 years but a language was developed.