Tennessee, a member of the union since June 1, 1796, nicknamed The Volunteer State, is doing its best of all states to stay true to Southern culture. There are many resources available for this purpose: from cities such as Nashville and Memphis to nature reserves such as the Great Smoky Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. Tennessee is very popular among music lovers. As an Elvis fan, you should definitely not miss Graceland.
When you say Tennessee, you say music! Country fans can find their luck in Nashville, while blues aficionados should head to Memphis. These genres are practiced every night in the many bars and pubs on Broadway and Beale Street respectively. Tennessee is thus very popular among music lovers.
According to EJIAXING, this state is also known for the Ku Klux Klan which was founded in Pulaski. Another fact; the world’s first supermarket opened in Memphis in 1916, namely; Piggly Wiggly.
What is there to do in Tennessee?
- Memphis
• Nashville
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Brooks Museum of Art
• Country Hall of Fame
• Dollywood
• Gibson Beale Street Showcase
• Graceland
• Hermitage
• Memphis Rock ‘N Soul Museum
• Memphis Zoo
• Mud Island
• National Civil Rights Museum
• Parthenon
• Sun Studios
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains are the mighty and special mountains in the Appalachian Highlands. The area is one of the oldest highlands on Earth. Extensive forest areas, beautiful vegetation and a blue mist over the park are the main features of this area. The total length of the park is 114 km. The park received its status in 1930 and now covers an area of 2095 square kilometers. Half of the park is in Tennessee and the other half in North Carolina.
The park owes its name to the almost ever-present blue mist above the park. The vast majority of this park still consists of untouched nature and therefore still looks the same as it did in the time of the colonization of this area. Log cabins and barns built during colonial times can still be seen in the park today. The Cherokee Indians were the original inhabitants of this area. On the border of the park, the descendants of the Cherokee Indians live in a reservation. Here you can admire old crafts and even an Indian village has been completely recreated.
Beautiful deciduous trees can be admired in the deep valleys in the park. Furthermore, the park has an exceptionally rich vegetation with the yellow birch, the sugar maple, the white ash, the tulip tree, the large-leaved beech, a linden species and various types of oak. More than thirteen hundred different types of plants and more than a hundred different types of trees also complete the list. In the fall, photographers come from all over the world to capture the discoloration and fall of the leaves.
Memphis
Memphis is a music lover’s paradise. Elvis Presley called the city his home and left Memphis his Graceland residence. Memphis is full of soul and the blues and is practiced with passion every evening on lively Beale Street.
Beale Street
Beale Street is the lively entertainment center of Memphis. There is live music every evening. The stage is always filled. In summer there is also a lot of live music on the streets. Typical southern dishes are lovingly prepared in famous restaurants such as BB King’s Blues Club.
Museums including the Memphis Rock ‘N Soul Museum. The Orpheum Theater is a historic theater that is said to have its own ghost – Little Pigtailed Mary.
Downtown Memphis & Graceland
The legendary Sun Studios are located in Downtown Memphis. Slightly further south you will find the Stax Museum, the place where famous soul musicians such as Otis Redding recorded their hits. On Sundays, you can experience an authentic gospel brunch at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church.
If you go to Memphis you must see Graceland. This imposing residence that once belonged to Elvis Presley is open for tours. You will learn all about the King and his flamboyant lifestyle.
Nashville
Nashville and country, you name them in the same breath. In various clubs and bars, in museums and in the many shops on the famous Broadway, you are infected with the country virus everywhere.
Downtown Nashville is the neighborhood where it all happens. Between the high-rises you will find Broadway. A lively whole, consisting of bars like Tootsey’s where famous and lesser known country musicians perform every night. You will find clothing stores with special country outfits.
The Country Music Hall of Fame tells you all about country, through examples and collections. Are you a real Country fan? Don’t miss the Grand Ole Opry, the stage every Country practitioner dreams of. There are also shows every weekend.
