Top Places to Visit in Tennessee

Tennessee draws visitors for its music heritage, national parks, and the extraordinary variety packed into a single state.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the US, drawing over 12 million visitors per year. It's free to enter — one reason for its extraordinary popularity. The park spans Tennessee and North Carolina, with the Tennessee side anchored by Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove, Alum Cave Trail, and the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail are highlights.

Nashville is one of the fastest-growing cities in America and a magnet for visitors seeking live music, food, and nightlife. Lower Broadway's honky-tonk bars feature live country music nearly 24 hours a day. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the Johnny Cash Museum, the Ryman Auditorium (the "Mother Church of Country Music"), and the Grand Ole Opry are essential. Beyond music, Nashville has outstanding restaurants, a thriving arts scene, and the Belle Meade and Cheekwood estates.

Memphis is the home of the blues, soul food, and Elvis Presley. Graceland — Elvis's home — is one of the most visited private homes in the US. Beale Street is the historic heart of Memphis blues. The National Civil Rights Museum is built around the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968 — one of the most important museum experiences in the country.

Chattanooga sits in a bend of the Tennessee River surrounded by mountains — one of the most scenically situated cities in the South. The Tennessee Aquarium is the largest freshwater aquarium in the world. Lookout Mountain (site of a Civil War battle) and Rock City offer stunning panoramic views. The Chattanooga Choo Choo is a historic hotel in a restored rail terminal.

Fall Creek Falls State Park is home to Fall Creek Falls (256 feet) — the highest waterfall in the eastern US. The park also has Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and miles of trails through the Cumberland Plateau.