The Most Unmissable Places to Visit In Tennessee For Your Bucket List

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Tennessee, the music state, which has not just one state song but seven. It’s a state where joy and good vibes are embedded in its soul and spread through song.

It’s also home to lush, verdant forests covering mist-clad mountains, hot and sultry lowlands, small towns with charming honky tonk bars and the smells of smoky hot chicken fills the air.

When it comes to picking our list of the best places to visit in Tennessee, there’s really too much choice to cipher through. Tennessee is so diverse, so humble, and so welcoming, you just want to see it all.

But, we’ve done our best to narrow it down so you can start putting a bucket list together.

These locations around the state allow you to feel the authenticity of it, to feel the passion of the locals, to witness the beauty of its nature, and to discover the secrets you only get when you break free of the tourist trail.

Because this is Tennessee—America at its BEST.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the border of Tennessee and North Carolina and is the most visited National Park in the US.

It’s located in Gatlinburg and near Pigeon Forge (Home of Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Theme park and lots of moonshine distilleries!!)

One reason is because of its raw beauty. The other is because it’s within an easy drive for over half of America’s population.

Within the Smokies, you have to make sure to check out the following attractions:

Kuwohi (Clingmans Dome) Hike

If it’s your first time to the Smoky Mountains, I suggest taking in all the waterfalls and hikes first.

Those who don’t want to hike can take the Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway to the Space Needle and see some incredible views, but it’s not as fun as hiking!

When you visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, why not start off by hiking up to Kuwohi, formerly known as Clingmans Dome? It’s the highest point in the Smokies at 6,643 feet.

From the car park, it’s a relatively steep half-mile walk to the observation tower on the summit, but our kids handled it no problem and on a clear day you get spectacular 360° views of the Smokies and beyond – a great spot for sunrise and sunset.

But, as you can see from our experience, they don’t call it “Smoky” for nothing as our view was a whiteout, but hey, you’re 6,600 feet up.

To get here from Gatlinburg it’s a 21-mile drive.

Grotto Falls Hike

A nice easy afternoon hike is the Grotto Falls hike. Excitingly on this hike, we had our first bear sighting, at a safe distance off the trail and there was a ranger nearby.

The hike is a 1.3 mile round trip and our kids handled it easily. And the cool thing about this waterfall is you can walk right behind the falls.

To get to Grotto Falls take the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail 5 mile loop drive out of Gatlinburg.

A nice evening activity is to take a stroll around Gatlinburg, there are plenty of quirkiness and amusement-type activities going on if that’s your thing.

A popular place for dinner is the Smoky Mountain Brewery, but I thought the food was average.

Bike the Cades Cove Loop Road

You’ll experience so much more when you bike through the Smoky Mountains. If you have two days in the Smokies, do this on the second day.

Probably our favorite activity in the Smoky Mountains was cycling the Cades Cove Loop Road.

You can drive the 11-mile circuit, but we love our bike rides and so Caz and Kalyra cycled whilst daddy and Savannah followed in our vehicle.

Around the loop, you’ll see numerous historic buildings – cabins, churches, and workplaces of Cades Cove residents during the 19th and early 20th centuries – and several walking trails as well in case you want to stretch your legs.

And great wildlife spotting opportunities, we saw BEARS again, a momma bear and two cubs! Again they were at a safe distance and we had a range close by.

Cades Cove is an about an hour and a half drive from Gatlinburg. It’s a must-do in the Smokies and one of the top places to visit in Tennessee!

Laurel Falls

Another top place to visit in the Smokies is Laurel Falls, which is another kid-friendly hike and one of the most popular places to go hiking in the Smoky Mountains.

And to be honest, I think we liked this waterfall better than Grotto Falls, there are several cascading levels, but both hikes are nice and easy enough for families.

Besides Kuwohi, a lovely spot to take in a Smoky Mountains sunset is from Mortons Overlook, about a 20-minute drive up from Gatlinburg.

You get a gorgeous view across the valley as the sun dips below the peaks in the distance.

Where to stay in the Smoky Mountains

We stayed at the Old Creek Lodge in Gatlinburg which had a great, quiet location just off the main road but within easy walking distance to all the restaurants, shops and activities in the town.

Videos: Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Click play below to see all of our videos on the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Knoxville

Knoxville is more than a College Football town, although they say game day here is like no other place in the nation and I plan to come back in the fall for a Vols game.

But what surprised us about Knoxville is the outdoor attractions, the food and drink, it’s family-friendly, the music scene, the friendly locals and the relaxed vibe.

Knox would top the most underrated list of places to visit in Tennessee. Here are some top places to visit in Knoxville in two days.

Knoxville Markets

No trip to Knoxville is complete without spending time experiencing the markets and the hiking trails around Knoxville.

If you visit Knoxville between May – November and can time your trip for a Wednesday or Saturday, start your visit at the Knoxville Farmers Market in historic Market Square.

We love a good local farmers’ market, and many of our readers suggested this as one of the best, and they weren’t wrong!

This market has an emphasis on local produce and community and everything is grown or made by the vendor in the East Tennessee region with an excellent range of products from delicious local food and coffee to artisan crafts.

We always do our best to shop local and if we lived in Knoxville we’d be regulars here! The market is open Wednesdays 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, Saturdays 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Whilst in Market Square, grab a burger at The Stock & Barrel. Again this place came highly recommended by our readers and my turkey burger and duck confit fries were delish!

Ijams Nature Center

We love getting outdoors, and in Knoxville, there’s no better place than the Ijams Nature Center. 

With 10-miles of trails, rock formations, lakes, and stunning overlooks it is a much-loved sanctuary by the locals and only a 10-minute drive from downtown.

There’s a lovely relaxing short walk along the Tennessee River, then we upped the adventurous side and took on the Navitat Canopy Experience – a high ropes challenge consisting of 6 different courses and each course is designed with varying degree of difficulty from beginner to advanced.

Mead’s Quarry

And just down the road from Ijams is Mead’s Quarry, a beautiful place to go canoeing, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding.

Take a stroll along the riverfront of the Tennessee River followed by drinks and dinner at Calhoun’s which has a prime riverfront location.

We visited here twice to sit outside on the deck and enjoy the fresh air and watch life on the river go by (kids and gluten-free menu available).

Knoxville Zoo

Take your time and really enjoy visiting animals at Knoxville Zoo. Then, go and experience the beauty of the market square.

The Zoo was another suggestion by our readers, which proved popular with our kids, they loved feeding the giraffes, watching the gorillas play (they had a baby when we visited), and getting up close to a tiger and elephants.

Ale Trail in Knoxville

Another cool thing about Knoxville is their Ale Trail with 36 breweries and taprooms currently in operation and more on the way, so if craft beer is your thing you’re in luck!

One brewpub we stopped in for a beer and a bite to eat at was Balter Beerworks, which has a nice outdoor seating area.

Maple Hall Bowling Alley

Back home in Australia, we would only ever go bowling when it rained and had nothing else to do! In the US, bowling alleys are so fancy and popular.

Maple Hall bowling alley is located underground in the historic J.C. Penney building and is this super cool boutique bowling with a full-service bar, cozy lounge areas, and even a VIP room.

Cruze Farm Ice Cream

And almost next door on Gay Street is Cruze Farm Ice Cream, a cool family story and of course their ice cream was a hit with our kids.

They milk their own Jersey cows and bottle whole pasteurized Jersey milk, as well as real churned buttermilk, light milk, and chocolate milk.

You might have seen their farm girls around town delivering milk in their striking red and white dresses!

Market Square Knoxville

If you don’t get a chance to experience the morning farmers market, visiting Historic Market Square is still one of the must-do things in Knoxville.

It’s the heart and hub of downtown Knoxville and whilst it’s a cool destination at any time of day, it really comes alive in the evening and is the place to be for cafes, restaurants, and live music on select nights.

A great place for dinner in Market Square is Tomato Head, they have yummy pizzas and a nice range of sandwiches, salads, and sweets.

If you have more time in Knoxville, we recommend taking a day trip up to the Bristol Motor Speedway to see the car racing events.

Where to stay in Knoxville

We stayed at the new and stylish Tennessean Hotel which has a prime central location downtown across the street from the Sunsphere and an easy 5-10 minute walk to Market Square.

Nashville

Nashville is unlike any US city we have visited and a place we can see ourselves returning to over and over again.

It’s fun, it has a soul, it has music and cool museums and pro sports and a growing food scene!

And music city has overtaken Vegas as the number one destination for bachelorette parties – it’s a HOT place to be right now!

Even if you’re not music lovers, there’s so much to see and explore in Nashville.

Country Music Hall of Fame Museum

You should spend the first day just getting into the history of country music. Nashville is the birthplace of country music after all and you’ll find live music venues galore.

If you’re a fan of Country Music or want to learn about its history and famous artists, then a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is a must-do in Nashville.

This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tennessee and one of our favorite museums to spend a few hours. There are four levels within the building, each sharing a different era and stories of the past.

ACME Feed & Seed

Nashville has some great rooftop venues and one of our faves is the ACME Feed & Seed.

It’s one of the best restaurants in Nashville for stunning views over the river and Broadway down below.

Hop-On-HopOff Bus

A fun and informational thing to do in any city is a Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour. We like them as they are great for getting your bearings and for the expert commentary you get from a local in the know.

On this tour of Nashville we were shown Taylor Swift’s penthouse, the hotel Keith Urban stayed in before he was Keith Urban, and received lots of local tips for places to eat in Nashville and where to listen to live music.

Allow about 90 minutes for a loop.

Broadway

Finish your bus tour on Broadway and take a walk around downtown, and maybe go shopping for some cowboy boots!

Broadway is vibrant and the place to be for people-watching. Wander past all the honky-tonk bars with cool music blaring, maybe take a horse and cart ride, pop into a candy shop, or jump on a pedal tavern.

Grand Ole Opry Show

One of our favorite evenings on our travels in the US has been seeing a show at the Grand Ole Opry House. This is the show that made Country Music famous and a night out you won’t soon forget.

The Opry started as a radio broadcast in 1925 and evolved into a live show. Each Opry show is still broadcast live on radio.

You get to see a wide variety of musicians and famous artists – new and old, up and coming and legends – in one evening. We saw six performers in total and we also recommend doing a backstage tour to see behind the scenes and for a deeper insight into the Opry experience.

Even if you’re not in town on a show night, you can still visit the Opry on a tour – definitely one of the best places to visit in Tennessee!

Video: Watch our Grand Ole Opry Experience

The Gulch

When in Nashville, go and see a bunch of other live shows. There are so many places that you could actually spend all day listening to live musicians perform.

Grab a great breakfast and coffee at Fido Cafe in Hillsboro Village. You might even spot a celebrity here, it’s one of Taylor Swift’s favorite hangs and when we were there so was Lennon Stella, AKA Maddie from the hit TV show Nashville.

Then explore The Gulch, a district with an industrial history that’s been revamped into one of the hippest places to visit in Nashville with boutique shopping, a cool food scene, and incredible wall murals.

The “What Lifts You” angel wings mural is one of the most photographed places in Nashville.

When you’re looking for lunch, stay in the Gulch, the incredibly popular Biscuit Love is here (be prepared to line up) or head to Hattie B’s Famous Hot Chicken.

If you need to be back downtown and fancy some ribs, a few blocks from Broadway is Martin’s BBQ Joint and we had the biggest rack of ribs we’ve ever eaten – cool venue too!

The Johnny Cash Museum

Back on the music scene and the Johnny Cash Museum is just off Broadway and is home to the largest collection of Johnny Cash items in the world that tells the story of his life. Well worth a visit, what a legend!

And upstairs is the Patsy Cline museum, another country music legend worth learning about.

Goo Goo Clusters store

If you’re visiting with kids, visit the Goo Goo Clusters store.

What is a Goo Goo cluster? A unique combination candy bar (chocolate, peanuts, caramel and marshmallow nougat), and Goo Goo Clusters remains a family-owned Nashville institution!

Visit a rooftop bar on the Broadway

From there, head to one of Nashville’s top rooftop bars for a drink and to prime yourself for an evening of Honky Tonk bars.

The George Jones Museum ranks as one of the best rooftop bars in Nashville with incredible river views plus live music, or Rockbottom Brewery on Broadway!

Visit a Honky Tonk Bar

You’re in Nashville and you can’t visit music city without hitting up a few of the honky tonk bars!

Here are some of our favorite bars to catch live music in Nashville:

• Tootsies is world-famous and is known for surprise guest appearances by some of country music’s hottest stars!
• Robert’s Western World is home to traditional country music.
• Legend’s Corner has some of the best live music in Nashville
• Honky Tonk Central is a rockin joint all hours of the day

Got kids? Go before dinner time or check out the Wildhorse Saloon Bar, a 66,000 square foot live music, dance and dinner venue, which is a more kid-friendly attraction in Nashville.

The Ryman & The Blue Bird Cafe

Finally, your visit to Nashville is not complete without a visit to the holy church of country music and the iconic Bluebird Cafe.

Go behind the scenes at the famous Ryman Auditorium, recognized as one of the best live performance venues in the USA, and one of the most historic places to visit in Tennessee for music!

Known as the Mother Church of country music, this is hallowed ground and the original venue of the Grand Ole Opry Show. It’s also where Johnny Cash met June Carter, and where countless careers were launched.

If there’s a live show on here whilst you’re in town, do it.

Across the river, East Nashville and Five Points are hip and happening spots for lunch or dinner. The Wild Cow serves up delicious vegan and vegetarian food, The Pharmacy tops many lists as the best burger joint in town, or there’s Burger Up!

Studio B

As part of your visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum, you can add on a Studio B Tour which takes you to Music Row, where all the artists record their music, and to Studio B, the most famous of them all.

It’s not much to look at from the outside, but behind the walls, Billions of dollars worth of hits have been recorded here, primarily when the studio was operated by RCA Records – Elvis recorded most of his number one hits here!

If you’re a fan of the hit Nashville TV series like us, you’ll be excited to visit the famous Bluebird Café.

This tiny and intimate music venue in an old strip mall launched the careers of some of the old and modern greats, think Taylor Swift.

The Bluebird has scheduled shows throughout the week, see this calendar for info and tickets, but on Monday nights they host Open Mic – we had to line up super early to get tickets, this place only holds 80 people.

If you can’t get into the Bluebird, The Listening Room Cafe comes highly recommend.

Shiloh

Just a short 20-minute drive outside of Nashville is Shiloh, a civil war era town built on the battlefield.

On this site, nearly 110,000 American soldiers fought in the civil war, resulting in 23,746 casualties – the highest number of casualties than in any of America’s other wars.

While we’re not big museum people, but this was an important part of American history and is worth checking out.

Another important historical site is the Stones River National Battlefield, which is also just a short drive outside Nashville.

The Frist Art Museum

Formerly known as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, the Frist Art Museum is one of our top recommendations for art enthusiasnts.

It has an extensive collection of modern art in its exhibition hall, which is housed in the city’s historic U.S. Post Office building – that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Where to stay in Nashville

Accommodation in Nashville can be hard to find and expensive. The city has lots of events happening all the time.

We also stayed two evenings at the family-friendly Loews Vanderbilt Hotel located in Mid-town. Its location is near many restaurants including the famous Hattie B’s hot chicken, and also near Vanderbilt University.

Memphis

Memphis is another iconic city known for its rich blues music history, wonderful natural scenery of the Cumberland River, and one-of-a-kind food.

We didn’t plan to visit Memphis on this road trip, but after experiencing the Grand Ole Opry Show and the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville, we said to each other,

“Let’s chase the music, let’s go to Memphis!”

Graceland

If you visit Memphis, you simply must tour Graceland.

One of the most popular places to visit in Tennessee would be Graceland. The home of Elvis Presley is the most famous house in the rich history of rock ‘n’ roll and the top attraction in Memphis.

In fact, Graceland has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

It’s truly amazing that over 600,000 people still visit Graceland each year to tour the home of Elvis who died 40 years ago.

From the moment you enter his mansion and the 13.8 acres of property, you go on a journey through the private life of Elvis and what it must have been like to be the king of rock!

We recommend the Elvis Entourage VIP Tour which includes an audio tour with headsets and an iPad, but the tour doesn’t stop at Graceland, across the road at the Visitor Entertainment Complex you can see his car collection, iconic fashion trends, private planes and much more.

Eat Memphis BBQ at Marlowes Ribs & Restaurant

Before we arrived in the city, everyone kept raving about Memphis BBQ as one of the best in the country, and you have plenty of options.

Close to Graceland is Marlowes Ribs & Restaurant, and when you walk in it’s like you entered a museum about Memphis, Rock & Roll and the king himself.

Sun Studio

I think we enjoyed the Sun Studio Guided Tour as much as Graceland.

Originally called the Memphis Recording Studio, Sun Studio is now known as the most famous recording studio in the world and the birthplace of Rock and Roll.

Elvis recorded his very first song here, plus some of the great have recorded here like Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Jerry Lee Lewis, even U2 and Bob Dylan.

Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum

Another great museum for music fans is the Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum which is more about the musicians who overcame racial prejudice and socio-economic challenges to create the music.

It’s a celebration of diversity and embracing cultures.

Beale Street

Beale Street is the heart of Memphis, the place to be for live music and one of the most fun places to visit in Tennessee!

This three-block radius of clubs and restaurants is a melting pot of delta blues, jazz, rock’n’ roll, and R&B. And if you’ve got kids like us, go late afternoon / early evening for dinner and music.

It’s hard to beat the original BB King’s Blues Club for cool music. We took a late afternoon stroll along Beale Street, followed by dinner and a top night at BB King’s!

The Arcade Restaurant

Step back in time and get your fix of eggs, pancakes, and biscuits at Memphis’ oldest cafe, The Arcade Restaurant.

This classic American diner was founded in 1919 and has that nostalgic feeling to it, Elvis once ate here, and you might recognize it from movies such as Walk the Line, The Client and Great Balls of Fire. 

National Civil Rights Museum

You’ll need a full stomach because over the next couple of hours you’ll be spending absorbed in the National Civil Rights Museum, one of the best museums I have ever visited!

Dive even deeper into American history with a tour of the breathtaking Civil Rights Museum.

Located at the Lorraine Motel, this is the actual location where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated and this museum walks you through his life, the tragedy of his assassination, and the history of the Civil Rights Trail and Civil Rights movement.

Central BBQ

Before arriving in Memphis we asked our friend, a former Memphis resident, where do the locals go for Memphis BBQ? Central BBQ was at the top of his list.

From the outside, this place is nothing flash but the moment you walk in you can tell it is a locals fave, and he was right, the BBQ is tasty – take your choice of ribs, beef brisket plate, pork plate, chicken or turkey, BBQ nachos, hot wings and more!

Bass Pro Shop

Many of our readers suggested we visit the Bass Pro Shop. Why we kept asking ourselves, why? How could a fishing and hunting store be one of the top Tennessee tourist attractions??!

Turns out, it’s one of the most unusual places I have ever been inside of and one of the craziest places to see in Tennessee! 

Located inside the giant Pyramid, this is not your ordinary fishing and hunting store, this place is home to an aquarium, bowling alley, and an award-winning 5-star resort called Big Cypress Lodge!

Only in America lol.

Oh, and you can ride the world’s tallest freestanding elevator 28 stories to the top of the Memphis Pyramid, walk out onto the glass floor observation deck, and get the best views of Memphis and the Mississippi River from 300 feet above!

Peabody Hotel

For another unusual experience, go see a parade of ducks walk down the red carpet in the hotel lobby of the Peabody Hotel.

The Peabody Ducks are one of the top attractions in Memphis. The Legend of the Peabody Memphis Ducks started back in the 1930s, and they still visit the lobby fountain at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

No joke, they hop out of the fountain, walk the red carpet, step into the elevator and ride to the rooftop.

Where to stay in Memphis

If you want to stay near Graceland, you can literally walk there from the Guest House at Graceland. Designed with Elvis in mind, you’ll feel like you’re a guest of the King staying here!

But to be close to all the other attractions in Memphis I suggest staying downtown.

Chattanooga

Nestled on the southernmost tip of Tennessee is the charming city of Chattanooga. It has to be one of my favorite places in Tennessee because there was so much to see and do, especially if you’re on a road trip.

One of the things that makes Chattanooga a great place to visit is the nature. These are some of my favorite nature spots in the area.

Cumberland Plateau

One of the most stunning nature spots in Tennessee is the Cumberland Plateau, which is part of the Appalachian Mountains.

The mountain range is huge, and spans into nearby Kentucky, but from Chattanooga, you can visit the nearest town in the plateau, which is Signal Mountain.

Signal Mountain is a quiet, sleepy town with lots of wooded hiking trails that take you to glistening lakes and cascading waterfalls. The hike up to Signal Point offers breathtaking views of the Tennessee River and surrounding landscapes.

One of the best hiking trails in the area is the Cumberland Trail which takes you to most of the scenic spots such as Julia Falls, Ruby Falls and Ruby Lake.

Big South Fork National River

Also in the Cumberland Plateau is the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, which is a great spot for rafting and trekking among the gorges and sandstone bluffs. If you have time, we recommend adding this to your trip.

As with most towns in Tennessee, the Signal Mountain is well known for its live music scene and holds open-air events in the summer.

Tennessee Aquarium

If you missed Ripley’s Aquarium when you visited the smokies, then don’t worry as the Tennessee Aquarium is just as fun.

The aquarium has over 12,000 sea animals and marine life, made up of around 800 species in total. It’s considered one of the most diverse collections of freshwater marine life in the U.S.

Witnessing all the diverse varieties of fish in all their colorful tanks is pretty cool, but the IMAX theater makes you feel like you’re in the tank with them.

Watching nature documentaries and educational videos in 3D at the theater is one of the main reasons to visit this aquarium.

Fall Creek Falls State Park

A great place for hiking and camping is one of our favorite Tennessee State Parks, Fall Creek Falls State Park.

The waterfalls in this park are some of the most incredible in the state, and photographers will love taking the time to photograph them.

The Fall Creek Falls, which the park is named by, is a whopping 256 feet high, making it the highest waterfall in the Eastern United States.

Cane Creek Falls, Rockhouse Falls, and Piney Falls are all stunning waterfalls in the park that are worth hiking to.

In fact, the park has 56 miles of hiking trails, so you could easily spend a couple days hiking and camping here.

Some popular outdoor activities here are rock climbing, boating, mountain biking, and even golf.

Cummins Falls State Park

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re big nature lovers, so we couldn’t miss the Cummins Falls State Park off our list. It’s one of Tennessee’s most underrated highlights.

The park is described as idyllic and yet rugged, which is pretty accurate, as the Cummins Falls is surrounded by huge boulders and rocky terrain, as well as jagged cliff faces – it’s not just beautiful, it’s an adventure.

The waterfall is said to be Tennessee’s eighth largest waterfall by volume, which makes it a refreshing place to dip your toes after a day of hiking in the park.

The waterfall itself is stunning and the pool beneath is wide and gentle, perfect for swimming.

Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

So far I’ve shown you a lot of places outside Chattanooga, but for those who don’t want to venture so far out can visit the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.

The museum has a collection of historical trains and railroad memorabilia that tell the history of regional rail travel throughout Tennessee.

You can also ride in a restored vintage train. We took the Missionary Ridge trip from Grand Junction Station along the original railroad lines.

As you ride you learn about the history of the railroad and you get to see demonstrations of the turn table. It’s one of the few turning points left in the world.

This was a great attraction in Chatanooga for kids.

Where to stay in Chattanooga

We had a great stay at the Hilton Curio Collection, The Chattanoogan Hotel.

It’s located in the Southside District so it was really easy to travel to all the top places to visit in Chattanooga. We loved the ability to walk around the Southside area – our favorite.

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