Franklin

Lotz House Museum

Located in downtown Franklin, the Lotz House showcases the story of the times, family and antiques of the Civil War era. The house has been on the National Historic Register since 1976. It’s located where the Battle of Franklin was fought during the Civil War in November of 1864.

Hermitage

Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage

If you’re looking for something a little closer to home, you can always visit The Hermitage. Located in the city of Hermitage, it is the home of former President Andrew Jackson. The home was built between 1819 and 1821 by a local carpenter. You can tour through the Federal-style house and visit the gardens where both Andrew and his wife, Rachel, are buried.

Chattanooga

Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls is the country’s largest, deepest waterfall open to the public. Located in Chattanooga, the waterfall can be found at the end of Ruby Falls Cave. The cave was formed by acidic rainwater washing away the limestone, leaving caverns that later formed to make this cave. The waterfall consists of water from rainfall and natural springs and lies 1,120 feet below the earth’s surface. The water collects in a pool on the cave’s floor and continues to flow through the mountain until it meets with the Tennessee River at the base of Lookout Mountain.

Tennessee Aquarium

This two-building aquarium is located in Chattanooga and features two exhibits, River Journey and Ocean Journey. Visitors can learn about a range of aquatic creatures, from frogs and otters to penguins and sharks. The aquarium also highlights the biodiversity of the Southeast and works with Tennessee Aquarium Conservation to restore freshwater ecosystems.

Benton

Ocoee Outdoors, Inc.

Ocoee Outdoors offers guided whitewater rafting trips down the Ocoee River, which is America’s top rated river. Site of the 1996 Olympic Whitewater events, the Ocoee has several miles of rapids that range from class III to class V. Ocoee Outdoors pioneered guided raft trips and has remained the top choice for whitewater rafting for over 30 years.

The Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the United States. It’s nestled between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Appalachian Trail runs through its center and there are a variety of outdoor activities to enjoy, such as camping, hiking, fishing, and sightseeing of waterfalls and wildlife.

Pigeon Forge

Dollywood

Dollywood is owned by country singer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. Located in Pigeon Forge, it is the biggest ticketed tourist attraction in Tennessee. It has different themed areas that focus on things like history, culture of the state, and Dolly Parton’s life. In addition to the park, there are sister attractions to visit, such as Dollywood’s Splash Country, DreamMore Resort, and Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction.

Parrot Mountain & Gardens

Located in the Smoky Mountains, Parrot Mountains & Gardens is a beautiful home to several species of birds. You can spend your day here viewing tens of thousands of flowers and plants and many types of birds. Visitors can see Toucans, Horn bills, Magpies and much more as they fly freely throughout the gardens. You can eat lunch at their deli while looking out over the Smoky Mountains from the deck.

Gatlinburg, TN

Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine

Pioneers in Tennessee’s push to make legal moonshine, it opened in 2010 and is the global leader in moonshine production but they hold true to their heritage despite growing into a global leader. While this may be an attraction for those 21 and up, it is located in Pigeon Forge and has a wide variety of things to do around it for the whole family. It is surrounded by places to eat and shop and, for those that can, drink moonshine. The moonshine is produced in house and visitors can watch the stills where it’s made. There are a wide variety of flavors that can be taste tested and they also offer live bluegrass music daily on their outdoor stage.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

Located in Gatlinburg, this aquarium is home to over 10,000 exotic sea creatures and hundreds of individual species. Fun fact: there are more fish living in this aquarium then people living in Gatlinburg.

Sugarlands Distilling Company

This one is geared more for those 21 and up. It was voted the #1 thing to do in Gatlinburg. It’s conveniently located downtown and visitors can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the still houses and learn how they make their spirits in the barn-style distillery. Adults 21 and up can take guided taste testing of the spirits. Not 21? There are still things open to those who can’t drink, such as the Back Porch stage that offers free shows of all genres and is open to all ages.

Fowler’s Clay Works

Listed among the top things to do in Gatlinburg, Fowler’s Clay Works is a hand-made pottery studio that features the work of the crew. All pieces are one of a kind and functional. They offer pottery classes for visitors.

Memphis, TN

Graceland

Graceland is the second most visited home in America, so even if you aren’t nuts for Elvis, it’s still a must see. You can take a tour through the mansion, take a look at the Jungle Room, and take a walk through the Meditation Garden where The King and his family are buried.

Cotton Museum

Memphis was once a huge part of the cotton industry. What once was the Memphis Cotton Exchange now contains the Cotton Museum on the historic trade floor. The museum explores topics from Cotton Row—the center of the worldwide cotton trade—to how Blues music played an important role to the slaves and field hands who worked on the plantations.

National Civil Rights Museum

The National Civil Rights Museum was established in 1991 and shows visitors the history of the American Civil Rights Movement and how it continues to shape cultural equality today. The museum is located where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 at the former Lorraine Motel. The museum features him and continues to honor him and what he stood for. The museum contains interactive exhibits that explore key topics covered in the Civil Rights Movement.

Memphis Zoo

At the Memphis Zoo, visitors can see several animals featured in exhibits that range from Once Upon a Farm to Animals of the Night. The zoo is also home to two giant pandas; it’s one of only four zoos in the U.S. to have these beautiful creatures. It also was the home to the world’s longest living hippopotamus, Adonis, until he died at age 54 in 1965. Because of Adonis, the zoo was given the title “hippo capital of the world.”

Stax Museum of American Soul Music

This museum is a replica of the Stax recording studio. It is home to many exhibits that range from videos, photographs, original instruments, stage costumes and other interactive ones. It is one of the only museums in the world dedicated to soul music and honors not only the studio itself, but also the artists that recorded there like Otis Redding and Albert King.

Sun Studio

Opened in 1950, it was originally called Memphis Recording Service and shared a building with Sun Records. After Jackie Brenston and the Delta Cats recorded “Rocket 88” in 1951, Sun Studio got the title of the birthplace of Rock n’ Roll. It recorded legends such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. In 1987 it was reopened and then became known as Sun Studio.

Shelby Farms Park

Shelby Farms Park is located in Memphis and is one of the largest urban parks in the country with 4,500 acres. It covers more than 5 times the space of Central Park in New York City. It has over 40 miles of trails for walking, hiking, and biking and several bodies of water. There is also a 10-mile paved trail through the park that connects the cities of Memphis and Cordova.

Mud Island

Despite what you might think from its name, Mud Island is not an island. It’s actually a small peninsula in Memphis that is surrounded by the Mississippi and Wolf rivers. It is home to the Mud Island Riverwalk, Mississippi River Museum and a large outdoor amphitheater. There are bike trails and pedal boats featured at the Riverwalk and the museum tells the history of the Mississippi River Valley and the steamboat. There’s even a full-scale replica of a steamboat.