Tennessee
Discover Tennessee
Introduction
Tennessee stretches across three distinct Grand Divisions -- East, Middle and West -- from the Blue Ridge Mountains on the North Carolina border to the Mississippi River's fertile bottomland. Nashville, the capital and largest city, is "Music City," home to the Grand Ole Opry, Music Row and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Memphis, on the Mississippi River in the west, gave the world Beale Street blues and Sun Studio rock and roll, and carries the weight of the civil rights movement as the site of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in 1968, now the National Civil Rights Museum. Chattanooga, in the east, sits where the Appalachians meet the Cumberland Plateau on the Tennessee River, its Civil War battlefields fought in the shadow of the mountain ridges above the city.
The eastern mountains hold Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the United States' most-visited national park, straddling the Tennessee-North Carolina border and protecting the largest old-growth forest stand east of the Mississippi River. Pigeon Forge, just north of the park, and Manchester, host to the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival since 2002, round out this page's five cities. Tennessee whiskey, distilled under state law at Jack Daniel's in Lynchburg and George Dickel in Tullahoma, and Nashville hot chicken are the state's signature contributions to American food and drink.
Do I need a car in Tennessee?
Yes, for most of the state. Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga each have local transit, but travel between cities and to Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires a car.
Does Great Smoky Mountains National Park charge an entrance fee?
No -- it's one of the few major U.S. national parks with no entrance fee, though a parking tag ($5 daily, $15 weekly, $40 annually) is required for any stay over 15 minutes.
How many days do I need?
A week allows a loop through Nashville, the Smokies/Pigeon Forge and Chattanooga; focusing on just Nashville and Memphis, allow 4-5 days including travel between them.
What is Tennessee known for?
Country music in Nashville (the Grand Ole Opry, Music Row), blues and civil rights history in Memphis (Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum), Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and Tennessee whiskey.
When is the best time to visit?
April-May and late September-October, for mild weather and (in fall) foliage; summer is hot and humid but is also peak festival season.
