{"id":118516,"date":"2023-08-04T17:08:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T17:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/04\/tennessee-road-trip\/"},"modified":"2023-08-04T17:08:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T17:08:00","slug":"tennessee-road-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/04\/tennessee-road-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Tennessee Road Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Tennessee! Not only is this state home to The Great Smoky Mountains, their famed whiskey, the birthplace of country music, blues, & rock n\u2019 roll, but it\u2019s also home to the majority of Anne\u2019s family! With aunts, uncles, and cousins on one side of the state and our siblings and nieces on the other, this called for a cross-state road trip! Tennessee has 16 self-guided driving routes connecting 95 counties, plus Tennessee Music Pathways<\/a>, tracing the state\u2019s music history and legends. With plenty of inspiration for our route, we zigzagged from Knoxville to Memphis and discovered so many wonderful off-the-beaten-path places.<\/p>\n

On our 10-day Tennessee road trip, we were struck by the volume of historic little towns finding their mojo. From the former mining boomtown of Monterey to the college town of Cookeville, locals all talked about the recent influx of creative people and hip businesses turning their sleepy cities around. Tennessee seems to breed and attract artistic people and their towns are proud to celebrate them. We stumbled upon so many festivals, art workshops, free concerts, and community events that endeared us to these places even more.<\/p>\n

See our favorite things to do across the state and start planning your own Tennessee road trip!<\/p>\n

KNOXVILLE<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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With 11 relatives in the Knoxville area, I\u2019ve been coming here for family reunions since I was a kid. Where the French Broad & Holston form the Tennessee River, Knoxville is surrounded by water and nature, so it always played host to our vacations, filled with swimming, hiking, and boating adventures. Though it wasn\u2019t until recently that we started to play in downtown Knoxville. The \u201cScruffy City\u201d was a little rough around the edges in the 90s and early 2000s, but this town has had a renaissance in recent years. They\u2019ve cleaned up the industrial areas and nurtured 4,500 acres of green and open space. Cultivating talent and creating cultural venues, the city is now one of USA Today\u2019s Top 5 Arts Districts in the country! Urban meets nature, Knoxville has a lot to love.<\/p>\n

Staying Downtown at The Oliver Hotel<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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To fully experience the new and improved downtown Knox, we stayed at the boutique Oliver Hotel<\/a> right on Market Square. This Southern Living Collection hotel holds its building\u2019s history dear, from its days as a 19th<\/sup>-century bakery, drugstore, dance hall, and ultimately becoming a hotel when Knoxville hosted The World\u2019s Fair. Retaining original architectural elements and decorating with historical touches, The Oliver is a gem! With two top-notch restaurants and one of the coolest speakeasies (hiding under the pseudonym Peter Kern Library) in the building, this hotel is a destination in and of itself.<\/p>\n

Market Square<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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To explore the neighborhood, we took out The Oliver\u2019s complimentary bikes. We cycled through Market Square, lined with beautiful buildings, cafes, shops, and centered around a garden, fountain, and open space to play\u2014be it a game of tag or live music. Kids were splashing in the fountain, buskers were jamming, and diners were loving life on the outdoor patios.\u00a0I could see why my aunt and uncle just bought an apartment here.<\/p>\n

Old City<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Heading over to Old City, what used to be known for warehouses, rough bars, and ladies of the night, is now the hippest part of town. We were all about their artisan shops, ethnic restaurants, distilleries, and art galleries in historic buildings. (For a cool souvenir, don\u2019t miss Rala and Bethie Lou\u2019s Fabulous Gift Store). After a drink at PostModern Distilling (one of the 25 distilleries on the Tennessee Whiskey Trail)<\/a>, we went to Kaizen, a fantastic Japanese fusion restaurant (randomly my college-age cousin happened to be there on a date night, so you know it\u2019s cool!).\u00a0We were going to go home after a full day, but Brother Wolf was throwing a \u201cJolene\u201d themed party to keep the good times rolling from the city\u2019s recent Dolly Fest, and we couldn\u2019t resist!<\/p>\n

Knoxville Locals Tour<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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The next morning, we met my aunt and uncle to get the locals tour. We started at the 18th<\/sup>-century First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, where all the state\u2019s founders are buried. Nashville may be the capital now, but Knoxville governed the entire Southwestern Territory and got Tennessee to statehood. To deepen our knowledge of the region, we went to the East Tennessee Historical Society & Museum<\/a> and learned about everything from the city\u2019s Civil War abolitionists\u2019 efforts, the roots of Appalachian music, the top-secret World War II lab that developed the A-bomb, and their favorite hometown girl, Dolly Parton. Just across the street is the Tennessee Theatre<\/a>. \u201cOh, you have to see inside,\u201d my aunt Chris exclaimed. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible!\u201d The 1920s Vaudeville Theater recently got a 30 million dollar renovation to restore its Moorish Revival architecture and it\u2019s as glamorous as ever, hosting the symphony, Broadway shows, big-act concerts, and 170 days of events each year. Whether you come for a show or the Saturday behind-the-scenes tour, the Tennessee Theatre is a must. And my aunt and uncle\u2019s final Knoxville recommendation? Get on the river.<\/p>\n

Tennessee River<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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