11 Prettiest Small Towns In Tennessee
A handful of small-town main streets rivals the Appalachians for some of the prettiest views in Tennessee. In Gatlinburg, mist-covered Great Smoky Mountains rise right above a downtown you can cross on a pedestrian cable bridge. Spencer has the highest waterfall in the state, set within a park spanning more than 25,000 acres. Granville is surrounded on three sides by Cordell Hull Lake, so its streets boast a water view from just about every point in town. Jonesborough, the oldest town in the state, fills its historic district with architecture reaching back to the 1797 Chester Inn. These 11 towns showcase the lakeshores, waterfalls, and preserved main streets that make Tennessee shine.
Jonesborough
Jonesborough is the oldest town in Tennessee, dating back to 1779, and it is known as the Storytelling Capital of the World for its tradition of live storytelling performances, especially at the International Storytelling Center and during the National Storytelling Festival in October. Much of the town's stories can be heard through its architecture, which reflects this long history, such as the Washington Co. Library, originally founded by the Women's Christian Temperance Union, or the Warner Institute, which was a Holston Baptist Female Institute and later a school for African Americans. The town has preserved its oldest commercial structure in town, the Chester Inn, built in 1797 as the Chester Inn Museum. Once called the finest inn on the western frontier, it today catalogs every aspect of Jonesborough's history, from its early days as part of the unofficial Free State of Franklin to its modern-day heritage as a storytelling community.
Paris
Paris lives up to its namesake, but with a Tennessee twist. Located in northwestern Tennessee, the town center contains a 70-foot-tall steel replica of the Eiffel Tower at Eiffel Tower Park. The model was originally built in 1990 for the Memphis in May festival and was then brought to the town of Paris. As befits the name, Paris maintains a romantic vibe, with homemade candies and chocolates from the pink candy shop Sally Lane's. It has gained international renown for its white chocolate popcorn. Paris is also close to a lakeside retreat at Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake. This reservoir was created through the damming of the Tennessee River, offering laid-back fishing and three trails leading through a campground, a ridge, and a Wetland Loop. To the east of Paris is the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, which is home to more than 300 bird species, 89 reptiles and amphibians, white-tailed deer, and many other species living alongside freshwater marshes, streams, and forests.
Granville
If Granville, Tennessee, feels like a 1950s-era TV show where folks still gather at the general store to buy groceries and say hello to each other, that's because it was the set for the fictional town of Mayberry on The Andy Griffith Show. Its architecture has remained frozen in time, and the T.B. Sutton General Store has been serving the community since 1880. Beyond that, the town is home to one of the most adorable museums in Tennessee, the Mayberry-I Love Lucy Museum, with props, costumes, and nostalgic items from the beloved shows. Beyond these two places, Granville keeps its pioneer culture alive in its Pioneer Village, a literal time capsule showcasing historic quilts, antique vehicles, lovingly handcrafted brooms, and even a gristmill. This town is surrounded on three sides by Cordell Hull Lake, creating lakeside views from every point in town. One can take a stroll by the shoreline at the Granville Veterans Park.
Leiper's Fork
This village community sits along the Natchez Trace Parkway, a trail built over an ancient Native American pathway. In Leiper's Fork, there are scenic views just about anywhere one can look. One of the most famous is the Natchez Trace Bridge, a double-arched white bridge surrounded by woodlands and farms. The closest hiking trail to Leiper's Fork is the Garrison Creek Trail, located at milepost 427.6 in the parkway. Speaking of creeks, one of the favorite activities in Leiper's Fork is to rest one's feet in a calm creek while sipping wine at the Crown Winery. This village inspires sitting in a rocking chair and taking in the views of the rustic wooden shops and buildings, such as the Tennessee Turquoise Company, which sells rare turquoise squash blossom necklaces. Proceeds help support the National Indigenous Women's Resource Center.
Greeneville
Greeneville is a town fit for a President, both for its homes and its easily accessible, misty waterfalls. It was the home of the 17th US President, Andrew Johnson. He served as Abraham Lincoln's 2nd vice president and became president after Lincoln's assassination. His presidency was controversial and was filled with conflict over Reconstruction following the American Civil War. The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site preserves his home before and after his presidency, along with a reverent Andrew Johnson National Cemetery on Monument Hill, featuring his grave and those of many veterans. Along with this presidential site, Greeneville preserves the Dickson-Williams Mansion, an excellent example of Federal-style architecture, built in 1821, with double chimneys and a three-story circular staircase featuring an ornate mahogany railing. Just outside Greeneville, the Cherokee National Forest features a short hike to a 60-foot waterfall cascading over tiered stones.
Rugby
When British author Thomas Hughes saw this region of the Cumberland Plateau, he decided it was the spot to found his paradise, Rugby. Established in 1880, he aimed to make it a place where British families with few prospects could settle and live a communal lifestyle. Although his experiment lasted only a few years, the historic community remains, offering a mix of Appalachian trails and the original structures of the utopian community. For example, the town has the Meeting of the Waters, a popular swimming location where colonists used to go, along with hiking trails leading into the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area. The village itself is filled with original lodging used by the settlers, such as the Historic Newbury Home, a boarding home opened in 1880, Thomas Hughes's home at the Kingstone Lisle, and the 1887 Christ Church Episcopal.
Cookeville
Cookeville could compete for the title of Tennessee's waterfall capital. Just north of town is Cummins Falls State Park, named after a 75-foot-tall waterfall that flows down into a swimming pool. To the south is the Burgess Falls State Park, which has an even taller 103-foot-tall Burgess Falls, which boaters can sail right up to from the Cane Hollow Recreation Area. The town itself has trails and fishing alongside the 56-acre lake at Cane Creek Park. In downtown Cookeville, the Cookeville Depot Museum houses a scale replica of what the west side of the community looked like in 1955. One of Cookeville's most striking features is its vintage signs and stained-glass panels. For example, the town has an original 1930s Coca-Cola billboard with its name emblazoned on it just off West Broad Street, while in Historic Courthouse Square, there are stained-glass panels at the Arcade Building, the town's first shopping mall.
Spencer
Spencer is similar to Cookeville in that it is known for waterfalls. In Spencer's case, it has the highest waterfall in Tennessee, Fall Creek Falls. At 256 feet tall, it can be found at Fall Creek Falls State Park. This more than 25,000-acre state park is one of Tennessee's largest and contains many trailheads leading through the Cane Creek Gorge. The Betty Dunn Nature Center serves as the main trailhead leading to the Woodland or the Gorge Overlook. Boaters can also access the 345-acre Fall Creek Falls Lake, while spelunkers head to the 15-mile Rumbling Falls Cave, known for its twisting passages and chambers. In Spencer, there is a historic home called Breezy Hill, built in 1912. What sets this home apart is its history as a boarding house and the home of a Prohibition agent who attempted to stop moonshining operations in the Cumberland Plateau.
Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg is the gateway town to the most visited national park in the US, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which received over 11 million visitors in 2025. It's easy to see why it gets so much attention with its mist-covered Appalachian mountaintops, creeks, waterfalls, and trails accessible from US 441. There are multiple trails in the park, such as the Appalachian Trail, a vast 2,200-mile trek through the entirety of the Appalachian Mountains; the short Laurel Falls trail; and the steep 0.5-mile paved trail up Kuwohi, the tallest mountain in the park at 6,643 feet. Gatlinburg's downtown is a bustling place, but within it, there are several gorgeous views, such as the SkyBridge pedestrian cable bridge over the town and Rachel's Labyrinth, a meditation labyrinth at Buckhorn Inn.
Townsend
Townsend is often called the Quieter Side of the Smokies, as it is off the beaten track, next to the most stunning valley, surrounded by mountain peaks, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Cades Cove. This valley is home to dozens of historic cabins and rustic churches used by settlers dating back to the 1820s. An 11-mile road circles around the valley, with multiple places to pull off to view black bears and wildlife. A lesser-known road in the cove is Rich Mountain Road, a 7-mile journey through waterfalls and streams that runs out of the main loop. Beyond Cades Cove, Townsend sits next to the Little River, which is known for bass, rainbow trout, brown trout, and brook trout.
Tellico Plains
Tellico Plains is the entry to the sky, or rather, a skyway. The Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway passes through two national forests: Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina and Cherokee National Forest, with elevations reaching more than 5,400 feet. Tellico Plains provides maps of key places to stop along this byway at the Cherohala Skyway Visitors Center, such as the Conasauga Falls Hike, a 1.5-mile round-trip trail over a waterfall and a creek within the Cherokee National Forest. Other than these natural spots, Tellico Plains preserves Native American and Appalachian history in artifacts, guns, coins, telephones, and many other antique items via the Charles Hall Museum. Due to its importance as a Native American cultural center, it is a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
The Tales of Tennessee
The prettiest Tennessee towns are most defined by their stories. In Appalachian Mountain communities, this is shown through their determination not just to survive but to thrive in the valley of Cades Cove or in the utopian settlement of Rugby. Jonesborough has many stories to tell, both true and tall, through its storytelling center and historic district, while the quieter Townsend or Tellico Plains invites contemplation of what sort of people and wildlife called these Appalachian Mountains home. It is the beauty of these towns, after all, that gives continual inspiration to the stories of everyone who calls these regions home.
