Tennessee Vacation Ideas
Tennessee is more than Elvis and Graceland.
Tennessee's 53 state parks and 14 National parks offer a wide array of outstanding recreational opportunities and natural encounters for the entire family.
Tennessee's got it all, famous cities, historic locations, the Great Smoky Mountain Park, Lookout Mountain and the remarkable Ruby Falls.
Tennessee offers something for every family camper or adventurer.
Camping in Tennessee, anglers can reel in a variety of fish including trout and bass while hunters can bag turkey, dove, duck, and more.
Big South Fork
The Big South Fork is located on the Kentucky/Tennessee boarder in the Daniel Boone National Forest. This vast wilderness stretching into Tennessee for a total of 113,000 acres is an outdoor lover's paradise, with a variety of recreational opportunities.
The terrain is the rugged, mountainous forestland of the Cumberland Plateau. Once heavily worked for its abundant natural resources, flourishing vegetation again blankets the Big South Fork's incredible natural geological formations.
It is bisected by a deep gorge carved by the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. This is a classic spot for kayaks, canoes and rafts due to its variety of Class I-IV rapids.
The Big South Fork River is rated one of the 10 best whitewater rivers in the U.S. Some rapids, such as Angel Falls and Devils Jump are to extreme for even the most experienced.
There are 150 miles of marked hiking trails in the Big South Fork. Numerous overlooks offer breathtaking views of the rocky gorge and cascading river.
Obed Wild and Scenic River
The Obed Wild and Scenic River stretches along the Cumberland Plateau and offers visitors a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities. Today it looks much the same today as it did when the first settlers strolled its banks in the late 1700s.
Canoeing, kayaking and rafting bring many people to the Obed. The river includes three different difficulty classifications (II-IV), making it one of the best whitewater rivers in the eastern United States.
Sandstone rock faces provide a challenging opportunity for experienced climbers, with several hundred climbing routes spanning through much of the park. Boulder climbing is also available along the Obed.
Fishing opportunities are plentiful at the Obed Wild and Scenic River. An assortment of smallmouth bass, bluegills, catfish, and muskie are a few of the diverse fish that swim the river.
Hiking the trails along the Obed Wild and Scenic River is one of the most enjoyable activities to do here because of the fantastic scenery.
Savage Gulf
Located in central Tennessee in South Cumberland Mountains has spectacular cliffs and many beautiful waterfalls. Greeter Falls drops over a 15-foot upper ledge and then plummets 50 feet into a large pool below.
Savage Falls is beautiful surrounded with a beautiful canopy of trees and shrubs.
Stone Door is a 10-foot wide 100 foot deep crack that leads from the top of Big Creek Rim, 750 feet below to Big Creek. This is a popular place to top rope repel.
Fall Creek Falls
Best known for the 256-foot Fall Creek Falls, this State Resort Park is located in southeastern Tennessee and has many beautiful sites to offer throughout its 19,000 acres.
Although this is a resort park, don't let that fool you, there are many other falls in the area including Piney Falls and Cane Creek Falls. The Lower Loop Cane Creek Trail has plenty of wilderness to offer the avid backpacker.
The 12-mile loop trail begins at the north entrance of the park and leads you through thick forests of Oaks, Pine and Mountain Laurels.
The loops takes you from the east rim of the Cane Creek Gulf, down 800 feet to the bottom and then back up to the west rim of the gulf. The trail continues around the rim where it eventually connects at Piney Falls.
Once you reach Piney falls the trail crosses back and forth over the parks main roads and takes you near some of the more accessible attractions like Falls Creek Falls, Cascade Falls and Cane Creek Falls.
Rock Climbing
Tennessee is a rock climbing southern gemstone. Numerous cliff lines are hidden in the river canyons, and perfect sandstone boulders can be found on top of hills, mountains and in the bottom of valleys.
There are many developed crags to climb at as well a bundle of fresh ones being spotted. There is a massive amount of climbing in this small state.
Trad lines can be found at numerous crags from Suck Creek, T-wall, Sunset, and Three Star. If your traveling through definatly stop and climb awhile.
Smokey Mountain National Park
The border between North Carolina and Tennessee is occupied with ridge upon ridge of forest. This is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, makes it America's most visited National Park.
A hiker's paradise, it has over 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks that may require backcountry camping. But hiking is only the beginning, camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing and auto touring are popular activities.
At night the area is a great opportunity to teach yourself and the children about the planets and the night sky.
One of my favorite things to do is look for constellations and for just a few dollars you can pick up a star finder. It's not hard to do and it is a lifetime of knowledge and fun for everyone.
Hike to the crest of a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the way you will be rewarded with waterfalls, overlooks and historic areas.
Great Smoky Mountains are known as the "wildflower national park." You can find blooming plants year-round here, but spring and summer are renown for spectacular displays of wildflowers along roads and trails.
There are plenty of trails to ride a mountain bike through also. Cades Cove is a prime example of this. Misty summer mornings will give you a truly memorable way to start your day.
Fishing is also a popular way to start your day. Wily brook, brown, and rainbow trout are waiting for you to drop your line in over 700 miles these cool streams.
Hundreds of miles of horse trails and five drive-in horse camps are prepared as well. If you don't own a horse, four rental stables provide mounts and guides.
Elk, white-tailed deer and Some 1,500 bears live in the park.
From the big animals like bears, deer, and elk, down to microscopic organisms, the Smokies have the most biological diversity of any area in the world's temperate zone.
Many of them can be see with the patient eye. Some people like to sit quietly beside a trail to see what wildlife will come out of hiding. And don't forget to scan the trees many animals spend their days among the branches.
Viewing wildlife in the Smokies can be challenging because most of the park is covered by dense forest. Open areas like Cataloochee and Cades Cove offer some of the best opportunities to see white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, turkeys, woodchucks, and other animals.
Because many animals are most active at night, it can be advantageous to look for wildlife during morning and evening. It's also a good idea to carry binoculars.
Caving
From one end of this picturesque state to the other you can find caves that will blow your mind. Caving will teach you something about the Earth you would have never expected.
With fabulous hiking in places like the Great Smokey Mountains National Park Tennessee camping vacations are sure to please.
Enjoy your vacation!