Tennessee is known for more than just country music and barbecue. It has plenty of great tourist attractions that are rich in history. Let’s take a moment to step away from the usual.
Here are 9 Underrated Tourist Destinations you should go visit:
- The Frist Art Museum is a world-class museum in Nashville that features art from ancient Greece to contemporary trends. The collection spans centuries, and you’ll find sculptures on display as well paintings by famous artists like Picasso – all for your enjoyment! The Frist also features the award-winning Martin ArtQuest Gallery with 30 interactive art-making stations, educational programs, free live music, and hand-crafted merchandise.
Location: 919 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
- No wonder why Erin, Tennessee is known to be the state’s own little slice of Ireland because of hidden gems like Rock Quarry Cave. Head downtown, and you’ll discover an awesome piece of the local limestone quarrying history hiding behind a grocery store. You can go inside and view its massive vaulted ceiling. The area says no trespassing, but the locals tend not to mind if you visit, as long as you respect the area.
Location: The GPS coordinates lead to the Piggly Wiggly near the cave.
SEE ALSO: Here are the 7 Best Lakes to Live Near in Tennessee
3. Synchronized Fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountains
- Fireflies in the Smoky Mountains perform an astonishing light show every June, and if you’re lucky enough to be there at night when it happens then your heart will race as they seem to freeze mid-air while emitting a shower of sparks from their glowing abdomens. During the second week in June, trolleys run from the Sugarlands Visitor Center to the Little River Trailhead at Elkmont, leaving every 20-25 minutes. The trolley is the only transportation in and out unless you are a registered camper at Elkmont.
Location: Check DIRECTIONS here
4. Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum
- Claiming itself to be the only one of its kind, the Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum offers interesting tours informing you about the history and development of shakers. The museum is packed with more than 20,000 salt and pepper shakers which tell an incredible story of our human history in carefully-curated categories featuring everything from pop culture to royalty to famous people and characters.
Location: 461 Brookside Village Way, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
5. Sun Studio
- There must have been magic in the microphones during those early days at Sun, on one occasion capturing the combined talents of what came to be known as the Million Dollar Quartet — Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins all in the studio together. It was here that they first honed their craft on acoustic guitars.
Location: 706 Union Avenue. Memphis, TN 38103. at the corner of Marshall and Union.
6. Smokey Mountain Knife Works
- Visitors to this store will find a variety of items that are not just knives. They’ll also be able to see an extensive collection of fossils, gems, minerals, artifacts, and meteorites! Smokey Mountain Knife Works is known as the “World’s largest knife showplace.” The showroom covers more than 100,000 square feet and has more than a million visitors annually.
Location: 2320 Winfield Dunn Pkwy, Sevierville, TN 37876
- Patsy Cline, the all-time great female country music singer died on March 5, 1963 when the airplane she was riding in plunged into the Tennessee wilderness. The crash site is now remembered by a meditative boulder, together with the names of the crash victims etched into the top. There is also a small gazebo with an informational collage about the singer.
Location: 2082 Mt Carmel Rd, Camden, TN 38320
Visit this site for FARM TOURS!
- In the early 20th century, Chattanooga was a bustling hub of transportation. Fearing that Terminal Station would meet the same fate as many demolished stations around the country, a group of Chattanooga businessmen banded together to save the station. Inspired by the 1941 song made famous by Glen Miller, they turned the station into a hotel and entertainment complex and called it the Chattanooga Choo Choo. The new hotel opened its doors in 1973, and in 1974 was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, beautiful rose gardens dotted with fountains, gazebos, and koi ponds fill the space where passengers used to board their trains.
Location: 1400 Market St, Chattanooga, TN 37402
8. Billy Tripp’s Mindfield, Brownsville
- The largest outdoor sculpture in Tennessee is found in Brownsville, and it’s massive! Billy Tripp known as the ‘Mindfield’ created it to represent his emotions, life events, and his personal growth as experienced by him throughout his life. The Mindfield is spread over an acre and is 125 feet high at its tallest point. After his father passed away in 2002, Tripp added a water tower which is by far one of the largest pieces in his canvas.
Location: 342 W Main St, Brownsville, TN 38012
Have you ever visited any of these places?.
Jennifer Davis
Call: 971-400-6420
E-mail: Jennifer.Davis@exprealty.com
