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Travel + Leisure: 20 Best Places to Visit in Tennessee for a True Taste of the Volunteer State
- Experience Tennessee
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Travel+Leisure's Lydia Mansel highlighted the 20 Best Places to Visit in Tennessee for a True Taste of the Volunteer State, and there are several communities in and around South Central Tennessee and Nashville's Big Back Yard highlighted in the piece!
20 Best Places to Visit in Tennessee for a True Taste of the Volunteer State
By: Lydia Mansel
While all of Tennessee seems to revolve around music, The Caverns is perhaps the state's most unique concert experience. Though there's also an outdoor amphitheater, the highlight of the venue is Big Mouth Cave, where subterranean shows take place. Keep your eyes peeled for bluegrass performances, and don’t forget to bring your hiking boots. If you stick around, there are trails, climbing crags, and waterfalls to explore, too.
About 25 miles southwest of Nashville is Leiper’s Fork, one of the most charming small towns in Tennessee. According to David Mishkin, managing partner at Southall Farm & Inn, it’s a “charming place to grab some barbecue, do some antique shopping, and enjoy a delicious drink at the distillery.” Like many places in the state, it has a relationship with music. If that’s up your alley, check out Fox & Locke, an old-timey grocery store that's been turned into a venue and barbecue joint.
#10 Fiery Gizzard State Park
With 62 state parks, Tennessee is the perfect destination for those who find peace among the trees and fresh air. Fiery Gizzard State Park is located about an hour from Chattanooga. It’s where you’ll find the Fiery Gizzard Trail, which Wilson says is one of the best. "To tackle this hike, you need to be able to walk a few miles, but it’s one we take the kids on," he says.
History buffs will appreciate the Old Stone Fort, a prehistoric structure built roughly 1,500 to 2,000 years ago and once used as a ceremonial gathering place by the area's Indigenous people. You can learn all about its history on the archaeological park's main interpretive trail, which is dotted with informational displays and roaring falls.
