Holidays in Tennessee explored

3 days in Tennessee reviewed

Tennessee has a certain charm that makes you stop thinking about life in the classic way. Perhaps it is the mountains whispering themselves when you drive down the street you visit in these places, or one thing that makes one day a city street can seem to run a track or two with music from ten a.m. at ten in the morning. Whatever the charm, a few days of relaxation in this south half of the nation’s great North tend to make all the difference in some ways. If you are thinking of a temporary getaway, Tennessee practically serves up the welcome mat. Nashville typically leads the list -- for good reason. The city vibrates with creativity, with honky-tonk bars lining Broadway and East Nashville bars, or the less crowded corners where many small-town artists are testing new material in small, cramped rooms in East Nashville, to name a few. Then there’s Memphis, perched pretty along the Mississippi River, somewhere where the ghosts of all those great blues legends have still been haunting the surrounding Beale Street. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park (on the Tennessee-North Carolina border) is a place for nature lovers to relax by looking out the window. It has some of the best scenery in Eastern United States. And don’t slumber on Chattanooga, between mountain ridges along the river, where you can enjoy nature and find a surprisingly fine arts scene. Even smaller towns like Gatlinburg and Franklin are not insignificant when it comes to charm, history and beautiful country. One of the greatest things about a Tennessee holiday is how capricious the location might be when you sleep at night. If you want to splurge, Nashville and Memphis both offer serious luxury. Think boutique hotels in restored historic downtown buildings that feature rooftop bars where a drink with a sunset patina will keep you well and away from the sun, where the golden light is painted on glass. The Smokies area offers expensive mountain-lodge or private-cottage accommodation with private hot tubs overlooking misty valleys, and would suit couples seeking more romantic respite. You will also find ultra-high-end resorts that cater to every whim, from spa treatments with the help of local botanicals to private guided outings. On the other hand, Tennessee is also good to budget travellers. Some of the best, clean chain hotels are located just off the interstates in every big city, and sweet mom-and-pop motels are still in the small towns as long as you know where to go. In the mountain ranges, budget-friendly cabins and campgrounds allow you to sleep without charging up with the savers. Hostels in Nashville’s more lively neighbourhoods provide a social base for solo travellers, and historic bed-and-breakfasts in places like Memphis frequently command rates that seem like a steal considering the character crammed into any room. Whether you are dropping a serious bundle of cash or you are a no-nonsense, you are sure to get a bed that fits your style. But what really takes you home in Tennessee is the multifarious history of culture and past woven into everyday life! This is a state where Cherokee ancestry, Scotch-Irish Appalachian tradition, African American musical innovation, and rich Southern history dwell together. You can live in the shadows of the Grand Ole Opry and then spend an hour driving and visiting a Civil War battlefield where the past almost seems physical. The National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, housed in the former Lorraine Motel, is a deeply stirring experience of American history. It sticks with you a while after you exit. Walking Franklin's Main Street, you will find antebellum architecture alongside modern galleries and shops. There is an image of dialogue between old and new that always appears around here, with a visually stimulating contrast between the two. Next, there’s the food--which quite literally deserves its own vacation. Tennessee cuisine is comfort food, making dining out feel like home all over again. In Memphis, barbecue is almost a faith; there are dry-rubbed ribs that fall off the bone, and smoky pulled pork, a dish the locals quibble over for hours. Nashville cranks up the heat with its signature hot chicken: a crisply seasoned spiced dish that somehow feels like a treat but also a necessity. But look past the classics, and you’ll find bustling immigrant communities blending a vibrant variety of flavours, farm-to-table restaurants in restored neighbourhoods, and meat-and-threes in small-town diners where the sweet tea flows freely and the pie is homemade. Eating your way through Tennessee is never a chore: biscuits and gravy at breakfast; a late-night slice of chess pie. I remember once walking along a busy corner in downtown Nashville one evening, the sound of holidaymakers and the buzz of neighbours crashing in and out of every other doorway. The street was alive- electric, suffocating in the best way possible. And yet, for just one moment, I simply paused. I was there watching a street musician finish a song, tip his hat to the crowd that had gathered, and start packing his guitar. The neon lights blinked on when the sky turned that one shade of purple you just get in the late summer. That small pause with that energy, in the middle of all that energy, I was surprised by this calm I was feeling. It was a gentle reminder that no matter how busy it gets, a holiday allows you to be present, to listen to the world come to pass you while you catch your breath. That’s the true gift of a few days in Tennessee. It does not require a two-week dedication or a complex itinerary. It simply invites you to arrive, perhaps empty in the stomach and with an open mind, and to let the place do what it does best. Whether you’re pursuing waterfalls in the Smokies, tracking musical history in Memphis, or seeking the perfect still time on a packed city street, Tennessee has the ability to supply you exactly what you expect after you have already arrived, even if you weren’t aware you needed it.