Totally Tennessee: 4 Top-Rated Attractions

If you had to guess which was the most-visited national park in the US, which one would you go for? Yosemite? Yellowstone? Glacier?

In fact, it is the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee which attracts double the number of visitors of the Grand Canyon!  

We found this out first-hand when we visited last summer for the Great American Eclipse! Thanks to that historic event, the already-popular park attracted an even more massive amount of visitors than usual.

But this alone isn’t the only reason why people flock to the Volunteer State.

As well as being a land of beauty, it is also a place of culture, cuisine, and of course, music. So, here are five of the top-rated attractions which you need to check out when you travel there.

1) Pay Tribute to the King at Elvis’s Graceland

Head over to Memphis and you can’t help but take a trip to Graceland where the King of Rock’n’Roll Elvis Presley lived and died. It has become something of a spiritual trip for all types of music fans, and the tour provides you with detailed information about his life. While you are in the city, you could also head over to Beale Street where Elvis first got his big break. Another attraction which is worth a visit is the Music Hall of Fame where you can learn about the other types of music that the city is renowned for including gospel and blues.

 

2) Great Smoky Mountains National Park (The Smokies)

We mentioned it at the start of the article, and you couldn’t leave Tennessee without seeing ‘the Smokies’. With over 900 miles of hiking trails, you can spot all sorts of flora and fauna while you are working up a sweat. The ski resort and amusement park of Ober Gatlinburg is one of the most popular attractions, and it is also worth ascending Clingmans Dome where you can enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding area.

 

3) Get a Little Bit Country in Nashville

Tennessee is certainly a musically blessed state, and you certainly shouldn’t miss out on a trip to Nashville where you can pay tribute to the other great musical genre that it is known for: country. The Country Music Hall of Fame is the best place to learn everything you can. One of the other great attractions in the city is the Parthenon, which is an incredible full-sized replica of the one in Athens.

 

4) Chattanooga and the Tennessee Valley Railroad

For fans of riding the rail, Tennessee has always been a state that is heavily associated with trains. Much of the heritage has been well-preserved and you can check out an original terminal and engine from the the Chattanooga Choo Choo. If this isn’t enough, stay at the Econo Lodge Inn And Suites Jackson and you can head over to the Casey Jones Village. Here, you can pay homage to the iconic railroad engineer.

There is so much to see and do while you are in Tennessee, and these are just a few of the attractions to enjoy during your time there. However, once is never enough and you may start planning your return trip straight away!

Have you been to Tennessee? What did you like about the state?

Tell us all about it in the comments!

This is a collaborative post.