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Road trips · Tennessee
Tennessee road trips & hidden gems.
Tennessee runs from the Smokies to the honky-tonks — the most-visited national park, Nashville and Memphis music, and whiskey country in between. Spring and fall are peak; summer is humid. Mountains, music, and barbecue.
Happening in Tennessee
Bonnaroo 2027
Barely two dozen marquee events hit the whole country in a year — and Tennessee has one this June. Roamward builds the trip around it: the scenic route in, the detours worth a slack day, and when rooms sell out.
Prime planning windowPlan the trip around it →
Best time to visitSpring & fall
Don’t missSunrise over the Smokies
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes10 curated
Scenic drives8
Worth-the-detour corridors
Drives through Tennessee
Ranked city-to-city drives that cross Tennessee — each with honest +N min detours on the shelf.
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Billy Tripp's Mindfield
A towering, ever-growing maze of welded steel — one artist's autobiography in metal — rising over downtown Brownsville in West Tennessee's flatlands.
The Lost SeaAmerica's largest underground lake, explored by glass-bottom boat deep inside a cavern in Sweetwater, an easy detour off I-75 in East Tennessee.
Salt and Pepper Shaker MuseumA rustic Gatlinburg building holding more than 20,000 sets of salt-and-pepper shakers from around the world — endearingly obsessive and oddly mesmerizing in the Smokies foothills.
Ellie the ElephantA 25-foot pink elephant smiling beside the road in Cookeville, a free and cheerful photo stop on the Cumberland Plateau between Nashville and Knoxville.
World's Largest Cedar BucketA massive antique cedar bucket — once thought lost to a fire and lovingly rebuilt — on display in Murfreesboro, a quick quirky stop in the middle of the state.
Foster FallsA 60-foot plunge that drops straight off the Cumberland Plateau into a turquoise pool ringed by sandstone cliffs, with a short boardwalk to the overlook in South Cumberland State Park near Monteagle.
Worth traveling for
Events that put Tennessee on the calendar.
The big ones
National parks in Tennessee.
The bucket-list landscapes — when to go and what not to miss.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in Tennessee.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing General guide and Scenic routes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
Scenic drives
Scenic routes through Tennessee.
Great River RoadLake Itasca, MN → New Orleans, LA · ~3,000 milesRoute →Natchez Trace ParkwayNashville, TN → Natchez, MS · 444 milesRoute →Newfound Gap RoadGatlinburg, TN → Cherokee, NC · ~31 milesRoute →Tail of the DragonDeals Gap, NC → Tabcat, TN · ~11 milesRoute →Cherohala SkywayTellico Plains, TN → Robbinsville, NC · ~43 milesRoute →Cades Cove LoopCades Cove loop, Great Smoky Mountains NP, TN · 11-mile one-way loopRoute →
Themed trails
Trails to follow in Tennessee.
More worth the detour
The general guide to Tennessee.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Dunbar Cave State Park
A cool cave entrance, prairie and wetland trails, and interpretation of prehistoric Mississippian cave art make this more than a routine city park. Cave access is limited to reservable ranger-led tours during the warm season.
Fort Loudoun State Historic ParkReconstructed 18th-century British fort from the French and Indian War era on Tellico Lake, with living-history reenactments and interpretive programs.
Ijams Nature CenterMore than 320 acres hold fourteen-plus miles of trails, a Tennessee River boardwalk, Mead's Quarry lake, and a post-industrial quarry landscape. It offers either a short river walk or a longer hike before Smokies traffic.
Johnny's Big BurgerThis compact Clarksville counter has served griddled burgers and its Bun and Cream dessert since 1965. It is a genuine local institution, but current cash policy and hours should be confirmed before relying on it.
Museum of AppalachiaA 65-acre living-history farm and village combines 35 log structures, barns, churches, schools, gardens, and animals with three exhibit buildings of Appalachian folk art, instruments, quilts, and everyday objects. Budget at least 90 minutes.
Ocoee River State ParkHome of the Olympic-class whitewater rapids on the "Mighty Ocoee" (Class I-VI); split off in 2025 from the former Hiwassee/Ocoee River State Park into its own dedicated park.
Boots on
Best hikes in Tennessee.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Abrams Falls (Cades Cove)
a powerful waterfall and big plunge pool
Alum Cave to Mt LeConte (Smokies)the classic climb past Alum Cave Bluffs
Chimney Tops (Smokies)short but steep to a rocky perch
House Mountainthe highest point in Knox County
Kuwohi / Clingmans Domea steep paved ramp to the highest point in the Smokies
Laurel Falls (Smokies)paved to an 80-ft waterfall — an RV-crew favorite
Beyond the parks
Wild lands in Tennessee.
National forests, wilderness, and monuments — the big scenic public land between the parks and the gems.
Where to wake up
Camping in Tennessee.
The most scenic places to pitch a tent or park the rig — each with how to reserve and how RV-friendly it is.
Raise a glass
Breweries, distilleries & wineries in Tennessee.
The trip-worthy taprooms, distilleries, and wine country.
Corsair Distillery
an experimental craft distillery in Nashville’s Marathon Village.
George Dickel DistilleryTennessee whiskey from a postcard hollow in Cascade.
Jack Daniel’s Distillerythe world’s most famous whiskey, in a dry county.
Nelson’s Green Brier Distillerya revived family Tennessee whiskey brand in the Nashville scene.
Ole Smoky Moonshinea Smoky Mountains moonshine hall with live music and tastings.
Sugarlands Distillinga downtown Gatlinburg distillery of moonshine and whiskey.
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in Tennessee.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
Alleia
Southside destination for creative rustic Italian cooking, hand-made pasta and Neapolitan pizza served on a serene brick-walled patio.
Easy Bistro & BarWest Village Chattanooga bistro in a converted bottling plant, leaning on a deep raw bar of oysters and crudo with a serious cocktail list.
Il PrimoRiverside North Chattanooga trattoria plating American-Italian dishes from carefully sourced local ingredients on a plant-lined patio.
Main Street MeatsSouthside butcher shop and restaurant serving premium house-butchered cuts, charcuterie and a cult burger in a farm-to-table setting.
Tremont TavernNorth Chattanooga neighborhood tavern since 2006, a staple for craft beer, elevated pub fare and a beloved burger.
Cherokee Grill & SteakhouseContemporary American steakhouse in the heart of Gatlinburg serving premium steaks, fresh seafood, and locally sourced trout.
Snow season
Best ski resorts in Tennessee.
Big-mountain steeps, all-mountain variety, and family hills.
On two wheels (road)
Best cycling in Tennessee.
Scenic road rides, iconic climbs, and car-free rail-trails.
Knobby tires
Best mountain biking in Tennessee.
Trail systems, bike parks, and gravel routes.
Chasing water
Best waterfalls in Tennessee.
From roadside stops to bucket-list hikes — easy ones flagged for the RV & family crew.
Fall Creek Falls
one of the tallest falls in the eastern U.S., in its namesake state park.
Ruby Fallsa 145-ft fall deep inside Lookout Mountain, reached by elevator.
Burgess Fallsa series of cascades building to a big plunge near Cookeville.
Virgin Fallsa stream emerges from a cave, falls, and vanishes back underground.
Ramsey Cascadesthe tallest fall in the Smokies, deep in old-growth forest.
Cane Creek Fallsa powerful fall near the nature center at Fall Creek Falls State Park.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in Tennessee.
Nashville · $$$
Loudon · $$$
Lenoir City · $$$
Crossville · $$
Harrison · $$
Plan the Tennessee trip
Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.
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Where to stay
Find a place to stay near Tennessee.
Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.
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