Tennessee's tranquil rural landscapes unfold across the state, from the rich black fields along the Mississippi to the lush horse farms of central river valleys, to the Appalachian Mountains with their forests and plowed furrows of red dirt. It's fitting that the home of country music has so much country left to enjoy.

Even Tennessee's largest urban areas have a connection with the land that's rare in cities of their size. Memphis sprouted from the cotton lands and still shows the signs, and Nashville became famous by marketing the music of the southern countryside.

Where Tennessee seems least rural is in tourist centers such as Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, where miles of miniature-golf courses, amusement centers and motels seem to be intent on overrunning the stoic Smoky Mountains. Not to worry, though: The mountains will endure, as will the state's rural charm. Travelers who can appreciate both, or who are interested in the styles of music that have grown so well in the Tennessee dirt, are likely to have a great time in the state.

Geography

History

Long before Elvis, prehistoric Native Americans known as the Temple Mound Builders thrived in Tennessee and other areas of the mid-South. Their villages and elaborate earthworks began to dot the region around AD 700, but by the 1600s, their towns had been abandoned. Later Native American groups to settle in the area included the Cherokee in the eastern part of the state and the Chickasaw in the west.

Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto visited the site of Memphis in 1540, and the French built Fort Assumption in the same area in the early 1700s. In the 1770s, English colonists began to settle in the northeastern part of the region that would become Tennessee, many of them coming by way of the Virginia colony. In 1776, Tennessee became a county of North Carolina and many residents joined the rebellion against British rule. After the Revolutionary War, the Tennesseans staged a rebellion of their own. They formed the independent state of Franklin, which for four years attempted to function autonomously. The experiment failed, however, and Tennessee joined the Union in 1796.

Once they were in the Union, Tennesseans found it hard to break out: Though the state seceded during the Civil War, thousands of its residents fought for the North. In parts of the state, neighbors found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. Several major engagements were fought in Tennessee, including the Battle of Shiloh, the Battle of Stones River and some skirmishes around Chattanooga. Tennessee was the first Confederate state to rejoin the U.S. at the war's end.

In the 20th century, Tennessee underwent a physical and economic transformation through the massive projects of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The agency oversaw the construction of a series of dams that tamed the Tennessee River, opening up new land for development, providing inexpensive hydroelectricity for homes and industry, and creating lakes for recreational use. Manufacturing would soon overtake agriculture and mining (though both are still important) as the main engine of the state's economy. And, of course, music—the blues and rock 'n' roll in Memphis and country music in Nashville—would not only provide jobs and revenue, but also make Tennessee famous around the world.

Snapshot

Tennessee's main attractions include country music, Graceland, mountains, historical sites, Memphis, The Hermitage, home cooking, Nashville, the Great Smoky Mountains, the National Civil Rights Museum, friendly people, outdoor activities, arts and crafts, and river running.

Travelers interested in U.S. history, popular music and green mountain scenery will have a great time in Tennessee. Those who aren't wowed by natural beauty and who aren't interested in southern culture will find the state less to their liking.

Potpourri

The country-music industry was born in Tennessee, but not in Nashville. Bristol, which sits on the Tennessee-Virginia border, was the place where the first big stars of country—Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family—made their initial recordings in 1927.

If the other Civil War battle sites in the state leave you wanting more, you may want to seek out Fort Donelson National Battlefield Park in Dover. There, Union forces, under Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, won their first major victory of the war.

The state's moderate climate and rich soil have produced a number of award-winning wineries and vineyards. The most decorated of the bunch is Beachaven Winery & Vineyards in Clarkesville, just 30 minutes north of Nashville, near the Kentucky state line.

A memorial to country-music star Patsy Cline stands at the site where Cline and several other performers died in an airplane crash in 1963. It's located off Highway 641 near Camden.

The best place to see the famous Tennessee walking horses is in the area around Shelbyville, where several farms are devoted to raising the graceful creatures.

Tennesseean Alex Haley is buried at his boyhood home in Henning, about 45 mi/72 km northeast of Memphis. It is now a museum (with memorabilia and family artifacts) honoring the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Roots and ghostwriter of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Haley is also honored by a statue in Knoxville, where he lived for many years.

Memphis' Lorraine Hotel, site of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is preserved as part of the National Civil Rights Museum.

The Rugby Historic British Colony in Rugby preserves a rural colony founded in the 1880s by author Thomas Hughes. (Many of the original Victorian buildings still stand.) It was a utopian community designed to aid the younger sons of British noble families, who were often subjected to inheritance laws that granted the family fortune to the oldest son.

In Dayton, you can visit the courthouse where evolutionists and creationists battled it out in the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial.