Music City, Mountains and Southern Hospitality
Tennessee is a landlocked state in the south-eastern United States, known as the home of country music in Nashville, of blues and rock and roll in Memphis, and of the Great Smoky Mountains. Locals speak of three Grand Divisions, East, Middle and West, each with its own character: mountains in the east, rolling farmland and the capital in the middle, and the Mississippi River in the west. Few states offer such contrasts within a single day's drive, and music ties them together.
Nashville is the focal point. Broadway's neon honky-tonks host live bands from morning, the Ryman Auditorium is celebrated for its acoustics, and the Grand Ole Opry, on air since 1925, remains the world's best-known country stage. The Country Music Hall of Fame explains the genre's history, while nearby studios on Music Row still record new artists. For a tourist board, few destinations pair authentic heritage with such modern energy.
Memphis Soul, Smoky Mountain Mornings
West of Nashville, Memphis is the cradle of blues, soul and rock and roll, with Beale Street, Sun Studio and Graceland drawing music lovers from around the world. The cooking is as celebrated as the sound: Memphis dry-rub ribs, Nashville hot chicken and meat-and-three lunches are regional signatures. Further east, Chattanooga, set on a bend of the Tennessee River, has built an appealing outdoor scene around Lookout Mountain, and Knoxville offers a lively old town and university energy.
The crown of the east is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, shared with North Carolina and one of the most visited national parks in the United States. Its blue-hazed ridges, waterfalls and old farmsteads can be explored from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, or from quieter cabin bases. Autumn colour in October is a particular draw. Neighbouring Virginia to the north-east and Mississippi to the south extend the road-trip options, and a hotel group can offer city and cabin stays side by side.
Read the full Tennessee guide on Visit Travel Group, or see VisitTennessee.co.uk on Visit Travel Group.