Tennessee Travel Guide

Tennessee as a state offers wide variety of opportunities depending on where you go and what you want to experience. The state has long had a history of being one of the central focal points for blues, country-western, and bluegrass music, especially in Nashville, but the state is also home to some of the most beautiful scenery available in America, from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi bottom lands to the lush interior of the state. From the food to the music to the people to the scenery, Tennessee is a Southern state that has to be experienced up close and personal to be truly ap… read morepreciated.

Most people who come to the state head straight to Nashville, which is expected. The city is the national headquarters for the country-western and blues music scene, as well as being the capital, and a lot of people come here specifically to experience that culture. Additionally, Memphis is considered to be the birthplace of rock 'n roll, and contains nearly as many references to the musical as Nashville. Then there's Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. Each city has its own unique feel, but the underlying theme is most certainly the country-music, blues, and bluegrass music roots that most of the state’s residents have binding ties to.

But for natural beauty, there's almost no comparison. From the Appalachian National Scenic Trail to the Big Southfork National Recreation Area to the Obed Wild and Scenic River to the World Heritage Biosphere Reserve at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there is a wild and untethered side to the state that you will never be able to see or experience from the confines of the urban jungle. And while it’s true that the Cades Cove area of the park is somewhat of a traffic jam, you can get off on foot see it all up close. So regardless if you want to experience the nature or the music scene of the state, Tennessee is there, waiting.