Things to do in Tennessee
20 places worth stopping for and 9 places to stay on a road trip through Tennessee.
See and do
- Scenic drive
Scenic drive · Townsend
Cades Cove loop
An 11-mile one-way loop through historic farmland where bears and deer roam.
Scenic drive · Nashville to Natchez
Natchez Trace Parkway
A 444-mile ribbon through forest and history, with no trucks and no billboards.
- Museum
Museum · Memphis
National Civil Rights Museum
The Lorraine Motel and a powerful museum on the civil rights movement.
- Swimming hole
Swimming hole · CookevilleHidden gem
Cummins Falls State Park
A rocky gorge hike to a swimming hole at the base of a big waterfall.
Walk · Roan MountainHidden gem
Roan Mountain and Carvers Gap
High Appalachian balds with a famous rhododendron bloom and easy ridge walking.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Spencer
Fall Creek Falls State Park
One of the tallest waterfalls in the East, in a big state park with lodge and campground.
Walk · OneidaHidden gem
Big South Fork
A wild gorge with arches, rock houses and quiet scenic drives.
- History
History · Memphis
Sun Studio
Tour the small studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis first recorded.
- Walk
Walk · MonteagleHidden gem
South Cumberland State Park
Gulf trails, swimming holes and waterfalls across the Cumberland Plateau.
Waterfall · Rock IslandHidden gem
Rock Island State Park
Twin Falls and a river gorge with swimming and a classic mill-and-bridge setting.
- Roadside oddity
Roadside oddity · Lynchburg
Jack Daniel's Distillery
Tours of the oldest registered distillery in the US.
- History
History · Memphis
Graceland
Elvis's mansion and grounds, a pilgrimage for music fans.
- Museum
Museum · Nashville
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
A big museum of country music with instruments, costumes and recording history.
Cave · Chattanooga
Ruby Falls
Walk through a cave to a waterfall deep inside Lookout Mountain.
- Lake
Lake · TiptonvilleHidden gem
Reelfoot Lake State Park
Earthquake-formed lake with cypress forest and wintering bald eagles.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Sparta
Burgess Falls State Park
A 136 ft free-falling cascade on a short river trail.
- Waterfall
Waterfall · Tellico Plains
Bald River Falls
A 90 ft falls right beside the road on the Cherohala Skyway route.
Lake · NashvilleHidden gem
Radnor Lake State Natural Area
A calm wildlife lake in the middle of Nashville, with easy trails.
- History
History · HohenwaldHidden gem
Meriwether Lewis site
Monument and campground at the grave of explorer Meriwether Lewis, on the Trace.
- Town
Town · Memphis
Beale Street
Blues clubs and barbecue along Memphis's most famous street.
Food stops
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Nashville
Loveless Cafe
Famous Southern breakfast and biscuits, a Natchez Trace gateway classic.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Memphis
Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
Spicy, crackly fried chicken in a no-frills downtown diner.
- Restaurant
Restaurant · Nashville
Hattie B's Hot Chicken
Nashville hot chicken with a choice of heat levels, from none to very hot.
Places to stay
Campground · ChilhoweeHidden gem
Abrams Creek Campground
Tiny, quiet camp at the park's far western edge, away from Cades Cove traffic.
- Campground
Campground · Townsend
Cades Cove Campground
Camp next to the park's most-visited valley and its 11-mile loop.
Campground · Gatlinburg
Elkmont campground
Smokies campground by a river, home of the synchronous fireflies.
- Campground
Campground · GatlinburgHidden gem
Cosby Campground
Shaded camp on the quieter northeast side, near the Gabes Mountain Trail.
- Campground
Campground · Spencer
Fall Creek Falls campground
Large state-park campground with hookups and trails to waterfalls.
Campground · WallandHidden gem
Look Rock Campground
Hilltop camp with a nearby fire-tower view over the Smokies.
- Campground
Campground · WartburgHidden gem
Frozen Head State Park
Rugged mountain park with tower views and a quiet campground.
- Campground
Campground · JamestownHidden gem
Pickett State Park
Rock arches, caves and a dark sky park on the Cumberland Plateau.
- Campground
Campground · Lake City
Norris Dam State Park
Lakeside camping below the first TVA dam, with a replica pioneer village.
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Plan the drive, not just the stops
Roadtrip works out what the drive costs in fuel for your car, splits it into days with the best stops and places to sleep, and finds the cheapest fuel on the way.
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