Tennessee travel

OK, I know RO will say the Nooga, but other than that, I'm looking for places to see/visit in Tennessee--also OTHER than anything even near Gatlinburg.
Oh, yeah--does not have to be kid-friendly.

No kids- then visit me in Nashville.

I'm leaving for Memphis with my daughter in 15 minutes. I'll give it a good look around and see what they have for the lil peas.

I'm leaving for Memphis with my daughter in 15 minutes. I'll give it a good look around and see what they have for the lil peas.

Thanks! No lil peas, though! :clap_1:
Whitey, might just do that!

Do you want country or city?

OK, I know RO will say the Nooga, but other than that, I'm looking for places to see/visit in Tennessee--also OTHER than anything even near Gatlinburg.
Oh, yeah--does not have to be kid-friendly.

Well, I was going to suggest a weekend hike in the Smokies, but G'burg is very close and you will see plenty of tourist. That park is some of the prettiest terraine over which I have stepped. It is older than dirt and at one time was home to some of the tallest mountains on the Earth, yes, taller than Everest. Plenty of wildlife there, large and small. Home to many species of many plants and animals, more than most other places in the US. Yes, there are bears, but only rarely do people get killed by them. If it weren't for the tourists and careless hikers leaving behind food for the bears, there would probably be less dangerous encounters with the bears. Even with the tourists, the Smokies NP beats the heck out of anything a city can offer. You could skip G'burg and go up to Lake Fontana at the southern end of the Smokies -- Beautiful!

Alternate option is Memphis, located a long 8.5 hours away from Gatlinburg. Plenty to do in Memphis -- BBQ, entertainment downtown, check out the Gibson factory there, too. Head out to the east side of town for a hike and picnic at Shelby Farms. Botanical gardens are nice. Graceland. blah, blah, blah. It is a funn town if you know where to go.

peapod, what kind of trip/things are you hoping for in TN??

Will be happy to put my .02 in.....

from Nashville, PK305

Unless you've just got to do Graceland, I'd go with Nashville over Memphis. Seems like there's a lot more going on there in terms of art and music, and you're at the part of the state where it's getting those pretty rolling hills.

not in tennessee, but not too far away is the biltmore house in asheville NC, it is something to see, and the blue ridge parkway has some gorgeous scenery.

I would prefer The Biltmore House. To be honest with you, as far as I am concerned there is not really that much to do here. Graceland, been there done that, don't do the Beale Street scene downtown. Not a blues person or a partying person. The Memphis Zoo is great for the kiddies. New polar bear exhibit called the Northwest Passage. Haven't been to the Gibson guitar factory. Shelby Farms is good for biking and has a area for dogs to run. An ok picnic area I guess. You can see plenty of buffalo roaming! Memphis Redbirds baseball downtown at Autozone Park. You can ride the ducks. Saw these in operation on tv the other night. Go on land and water. I would like to ride these myself.

But here is a link of things to do in Memphis from the Convention and Visitors Bureau site.

http://memphistravel.com/thingstodo_family.asp

not in tennessee, but not too far away is the biltmore house in asheville NC, it is something to see, and the blue ridge parkway has some gorgeous scenery.

BILTMORE HOUSE without a doubt! That place is unbelieveable. Great for kids too- tell them it is Hogwarts.

OK, I know RO will say the Nooga, but other than that, I'm looking for places to see/visit in Tennessee--also OTHER than anything even near Gatlinburg.
Oh, yeah--does not have to be kid-friendly.

I haven't read any of the other posts because I'm tired and we guests just left our house. Go to Nashville. Great city. Also Dale Hollow Lake is one of the 3 cleanest lakes in the US. The Nooga is a great place to visit. Lots of things for the kids to see and do. The Ocoee river would be great fun for a family raft.

Try Townsend Tennessee. It is an undiscovered mountain town.

You can ride bikes around Cades Cove. It's very peaceful.

OK, I know RO will say the Nooga, but other than that, I'm looking for places to see/visit in Tennessee--also OTHER than anything even near Gatlinburg.
Oh, yeah--does not have to be kid-friendly.

Hey you ding dong-why don't you come here, while I still have space for company??

i've never even been to TN, but i'd go to nashvegas for the music alone.

jr

Try Townsend Tennessee. It is an undiscovered mountain town.

You can ride bikes around Cades Cove. It's very peaceful.

good idea there yippie - we've been to townsend, very secluded and peaceful. love to go to cades cove before the sun comes up to see wildlife. we are going to the gatlinburg area in september, haven't been for a long time.. love the mountains hate the town.

Try Townsend Tennessee. It is an undiscovered mountain town.

You can ride bikes around Cades Cove. It's very peaceful.

yippie, just looked it up on the map, I see it's close to Sieverville, where my 3 older kids went last year. From them, I got the idea it was close to Gatlinburg--?-- and they got stuck in horrendous traffic on the way. That could have been just a fluke--is Townsend far removed enough to avoid the Gatlinburg craziness?
Thanks, SJ and others for the specific suggestions. Right now we're just tossing around ideas, so I'm using your tips to formulate a plan.
Also, thanks to all who paid attention and realized I'd said:
NO L'IL PEAS INCLUDED!

Townsend does not have the other excessive traffic like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Sometimes the traffic around a swimming area called "The Y" will get busy. Lots of locals go there to cool off in this summer heat. Cades Cove is a MUST if you do choose to go there. Also if you are interested Cherokee NC is only about a hour drive away. And the scenery on the trip there is beautiful! There is lots of Chalet and Cabin rentals in Townsend. And if you get brave and want to travel into Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge it's only a short 20 or 30 minute drive.

I live just about 20 mins from Townsend just outside of Knoxville TN. The Mtn views out my bedroom are beautiful. Of course I'm a beach girl lol But it is a very nice area. I guess living here, sometimes I just forget and don't realize it.

There is tons to do if you do decide and choose Townsend as your vacation, let me know and I'll give you a run down of things to do while you are there.

Stormie

Try Blackberry Farm in Walland, TN. It is one of the highest rated small resorts in the U.S. Walland in located near the Smokies. I have not been there, but I'd love to give it a try sometime. http://www.blackberryfarm.com

yippie, just looked it up on the map, I see it's close to Sieverville, where my 3 older kids went last year. From them, I got the idea it was close to Gatlinburg--?-- and they got stuck in horrendous traffic on the way. That could have been just a fluke--is Townsend far removed enough to avoid the Gatlinburg craziness?
Thanks, SJ and others for the specific suggestions. Right now we're just tossing around ideas, so I'm using your tips to formulate a plan.
Also, thanks to all who paid attention and realized I'd said:
NO L'IL PEAS INCLUDED!

It's easier to get to Townsend from Newport, not from Gatlinburg.

Townsend has not turned into a tourist trap like Gatlinburg, Sevierville or Pigeon Forge.

Hello! I am usually only a lurker but here is a suggestion. Come to my end of Tennessee. Biltmore Estates is a must, but then make your way to East Tennessee (Johnson City/ Bristol). I would suggest Jonesborough if you do not want any huslte and bustle. It is the oldest Tennessee town. The older shops there are quaint, no outlets just older shops that have been there for years. The Lollipop Shop is a must. We used to go down just to walk through the town. Jonesborough has great Bed and Breakfast places. Then after a day or two make your way through Elizabethton up to Roan Mountain and then on into Banner Elk, NC and see Grandfather mountain. Jonesborough, TN is only about an hour and half or so from the Roan Mountain/ NC border. From there you could go back towards Asheville, NC or go to Boone, NC and Blowing Rock, NC (home of the Tweetsie railroad).
The only time you shouldn't head this way is during the Bristol races. It gets a little crowded.

good idea there yippie - we've been to townsend, very secluded and peaceful. love to go to cades cove before the sun comes up to see wildlife. we are going to the gatlinburg area in september, haven't been for a long time.. love the mountains hate the town.

Don't understand anyone hating Gatlinburg. Haven't been in many years, not since I was 21 but it had all kinds of little shops and stuff that were nice. Cannot imagine it changing for the bad that much!

Hello! I am usually only a lurker but here is a suggestion. Come to my end of Tennessee. Biltmore Estates is a must, but then make your way to East Tennessee (Johnson City/ Bristol). I would suggest Jonesborough if you do not want any huslte and bustle. It is the oldest Tennessee town. The older shops there are quaint, no outlets just older shops that have been there for years. The Lollipop Shop is a must. We used to go down just to walk through the town. Jonesborough has great Bed and Breakfast places. Then after a day or two make your way through Elizabethton up to Roan Mountain and then on into Banner Elk, NC and see Grandfather mountain. Jonesborough, TN is only about an hour and half or so from the Roan Mountain/ NC border. From there you could go back towards Asheville, NC or go to Boone, NC and Blowing Rock, NC (home of the Tweetsie railroad).
The only time you shouldn't head this way is during the Bristol races. It gets a little crowded.

Ready4theGulf, my brother and his family live in Johnson City. So do his in-laws. Haven't been to that area since back in 1986. The Lollipop Shop sounds great. And I love Biltmore House. I probably have seen Grandfather Mountain. We enjoyed the drive into Cherokee, NC also on several occasions and going in the shops all along there. I remember the Indian Doll I bought in one of those shops. Wondering if those type places are still there. I was born and raised in Knoxville so we went to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Cherokee, NC and other places quite often.

Don't understand anyone hating Gatlinburg. Haven't been in many years, not since I was 21 but it had all kinds of little shops and stuff that were nice. Cannot imagine it changing for the bad that much!

i think what i dislike more than the town is all the people. i am not a shopper as a general rule, so we mostly hit gatlinburg to eat. i just hate the fact that it seems they are getting away from the mountain type atmosphere and bringing in hokey stuff to bring more visitors. you would be surprised just how much it has changed, even in just a few years. do not care for pigeon forge at all, although i am going to stop there for cowboy boots for the nephew... on a side note, we do like checking out dollywood, it is a nice clean park, with very nice employees.

Don't understand anyone hating Gatlinburg. Haven't been in many years, not since I was 21 but it had all kinds of little shops and stuff that were nice. Cannot imagine it changing for the bad that much!

It hasn't changed EXCEPT that there are more little shops all selling the same crap and I do mean crap, there are pancake houses every 10 feet and all and I do mean all of them have more pancake flavors than the others. Worst of all the the traffic. Guy I know left the Nooga and in 2.5 hours was at Severvlle (not too bad but still longer than it should have been). Then from Severville to G'berg was 3.5 hours :shock: . I don't even think that is 10 miles. He got so frusterated he got out of the car walked around to the wife and said "If you like this place so dam much you drive".

All the musuems are just like they were 20 years ago except more crowded, every time you walk into one you drop $40 to $60+ and are usually very disappointed. I swear for the money we dropped in 2 days we could have gone to Disney (that is no exaggeration )

Ok Pea, if you are traveling without Little Peas I still say Nashville or The Nooga. The night life in Nashville is awesome as well as the Nooga. The Nooga has awesome B & B's. Some downtown and some in the mountains and some on the river. Between the Nooga and Nashville is Monteagle Mtn. Also loaded with B & B's as some world class restaurants too.