Food, music, history, outdoors and more can all be on the itinerary for clients vacationing in Tennessee.

Whether it’s hiking the Appalachian Trail, conquering the coasters at Dollywood, savouring some Jack Daniels and barbecue, making the pilgrimage to Graceland or paying your respects at the National Civil Rights Museum, it’s hard to beat the variety of things to do in Tennessee.

This Southern destination mixes historic and modern in places like Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga. Look for Civil War sites, civil rights monuments and some of music’s most legendary landmarks right alongside world-class cultural venues, trendy food spots and craft distilleries and breweries.

GET OUTSIDE

Whether you’re into fishing, hiking, biking, or just taking in a beautiful view—Tennessee has an activity for you. Discover Appalachian mountain culture, witness the breathtaking beauty of autumn leaves or explore endless hiking trails and peaceful waterfalls. These are all reasons why Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the USA’s most-visited natural treasure. Beyond this famed national park, outdoor thrill-seekers can raft the Ocoee River in Cleveland, zip-line through treetops in Gatlinburg or explore one of the 56 state parks.

Tannery Knobs Bike Park in Johnson City, TN

LEGENDARY MUSIC

When it comes to music, Tennessee is legendary for the foot-tapping, soul-saving kind – blues, bluegrass, country, rock and roll, and everything in between. In Memphis, pay homage to the King at Elvis Presley’s estate at Graceland, or duck into a blues bar on Beale Street. Catch live music at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and get a little bit of country at the Grand Ole Opry. Visit Bristol, the Birthplace of Country Music, where the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers found their fame, and check out the schoolhouse-turned-museum honoring Tennessee native Tina Turner in Brownsville.

The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, TN

BBQ & BARREL-AGED WHISKEY ON THE MENU

Satisfy your appetite with the made-in-Tennessee flavours of slow-cooked Memphis barbecue and Nashville hot chicken, then wash it all down with oak barrel-aged whiskey at Jack Daniel’s in Lynchburg. Food festivals are plentiful, celebrating everything from cornbread and biscuits to the marshmallow-y goodness of the RC MoonPie Festival in Bell Buckle. Of course, there’s barbecue galore to sample, especially at Lynchburg’s Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue, recognized as the largest of its kind in the world. Cold beers are on tap at dozens of craft breweries in Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, or go for the hard stuff at one of 30 distilleries along the Tennessee Whiskey Trail.

14 STOPS ON THE CIVIL RIGHTS TRAIL

Thanks to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, travellers have connected access to more than 100 locations in 14 states that played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. Tennessee has 14 stops along the trail that tell the stories of the brave men and women who brought words to action through peaceful protests and legal actions to secure their American civil rights. You can follow their footsteps through Memphis, to Nashville and end in the quiet but historically significant town of Clinton in East Tennessee to hear the stories of foot soldiers and learn the history of Tennessee’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.

Nashville’s Legislative Plaza

For all the latest destination details about Tennessee see https://travelsouth.visittheusa.com/state/tennessee.