11 Serene Tennessee Towns For A Weekend Retreat
Between the ridgelines and river bends, a number of towns in Tennessee are worth a long, relaxing weekend. That includes places where a weekend means feeding tropical birds in Pigeon Forge or standing at the limestone spring that has fed the Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg for well over a century. Some of these places have Civil War history on their doorstep. Others have spa streets and, somehow, their own Eiffel Tower. If you have a free weekend and no real plan, Tennessee's smaller towns are a good place to start.
Savannah
Savannah sits on the Tennessee River in Hardin County, just across from the Shiloh National Military Park site of the 1862 Battle of Shiloh. Wayne Jerrolds River Park covers ten acres of riverfront with walking paths, a fishing pier, and picnic shelters, and gives the easiest access to the water in town.
The Tennessee River Museum in downtown Savannah covers the river's role in local history, including a replica of the Shiloh Effigy Pipe and exhibits on the Civil War naval campaigns fought on and along the Tennessee River. For a weekend visit, lodging options include the Days Inn by Wyndham Savannah and the historic White Elephant Bed & Breakfast in a 1901 Queen Anne on Main Street.
Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge is best known for Dollywood, the theme park in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Coasters like Lightning Rod and the Wild Eagle, paired with seasonal events including the Harvest Festival each fall, are the core draw. Parrot Mountain and Gardens is a quieter alternative in town, where visitors can feed tropical birds in an aviary and walk through themed gardens.
For an overnight stay, lodging options include Timbers Lodge and Dollywood's DreamMore Resort, both within a few minutes of the park. The Pigeon Forge Parkway fills up on weekends and during peak seasons, so early arrivals make for a more relaxed visit.
Paris
Not enough money in the budget for Paris, France? There's a second option. Paris, Tennessee has its own Eiffel Tower, a 60-foot replica in Memorial Park that dates to 1993 and is the centerpiece of the town's annual World's Biggest Fish Fry. The park also has a splash pad for kids.
Back Alley Paris, a series of murals on the back walls of downtown buildings, depicts scenes from the town's history. Lodging in downtown Paris includes the Home Sweet Home Bed and Breakfast, which offers comfortable rooms and breakfast. The town sits near Paris Landing State Park on Kentucky Lake, which adds fishing, boating, and a marina to a weekend itinerary.
Lynchburg
About 25 miles from Manchester, Lynchburg is the home of the Jack Daniel Distillery, which has drawn water from Cave Spring Hollow since 1866. Jack Daniel bought the land around the spring in 1884, and tours of the distillery include a stop at the spring itself, which flows at a constant 56°F from the limestone hillside.
The Moore County Old Jail Museum, housed in a building that served as the county jail from 1893 to 1990, covers local history and the conditions of rural incarceration over that span. The Moore County Confederate Memorial, on the town square, was erected in 1927 and honors county residents who died in the Civil War. Mulberry Cottage, near the town square, offers two guest cottages for visitors who want to stay within walking distance of the distillery and the historic downtown.
Townsend
Townsend markets itself as the Peaceful Side of the Smokies, and the town's location at the Cades Cove entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park backs the claim. It's the quietest of the three main park gateways, with far less commercial density than Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg.
Tuckaleechee Caverns, one of the deeper commercial cave systems in the eastern US, is the main attraction in town itself. Cave onyx formations line the guided tour route, and the temperature inside holds at about 58°F year-round. The Dark Island Swinging Bridge gives a narrow crossing over Little River. For overnight stays, Little Arrow Outdoor Resort offers cabins, tent sites, and glamping along the river, and the Best Western Cades Cove Inn is a reliable lodging option close to the park entrance.
Sewanee
Sewanee, about 50 miles northwest of Chattanooga, is built around the University of the South and the Cumberland Plateau. Sewanee Natural Bridge State Natural Area preserves a 25-foot-high sandstone arch within walking distance of a small parking area. The Mountain Goat Trail, an 11-mile rail-trail, connects Sewanee to Monteagle and Cowan along the former path of a coal-hauling line.
The Sewanee Memorial Cross, at the end of Tennessee Avenue, was erected in 1922 and honors residents who died in World War I. The overlook from the cross is one of the better plateau views accessible by car. The Sewanee Inn, on University Avenue, is the most straightforward lodging option in town.
Rogersville
Rogersville, on the Holston River, is one of the oldest towns in Tennessee, founded in 1786, and the downtown historic district still carries that age. The 1842 Hawkins County Courthouse, still in use, anchors the square. Rogersville Heritage Days, held each October, runs two days of living history demonstrations, crafts, and local food.
For a quieter weekend, Hale Springs Inn, built in 1824 and restored as a boutique hotel, is one of the oldest continuously operating inns in the state. The Crockett Spring Park, named for Davy Crockett's grandparents who settled nearby, is a short walk from the square.
Gatlinburg
Gatlinburg sits at the main Tennessee entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which makes it the busiest of the three park gateways but also the one with the most direct park access. Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies on the Parkway is the standout indoor attraction, with a 340-foot underwater tunnel.
Park trails leave directly from Gatlinburg or from trailheads a short drive up Airport Road, and the Rainbow Falls Trail and the Alum Cave Trail to Mount LeConte are the two most popular day hikes in the area. The Hollywood Star Cars Museum downtown displays vehicles from film and television, including a replica Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters and a General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard. Bearskin Lodge on the River, along the Little Pigeon River, is a convenient downtown lodging option.
Jonesborough
Jonesborough is the oldest town in Tennessee, founded in 1779 before statehood, and the downtown historic district is unusually intact. The Chester Inn State Historic Site, built in 1797, is the oldest frame building in town and now serves as a museum with exhibits on early settlement and on the National Storytelling Festival, which has been held in Jonesborough each October since 1973.
Nolichucky Daylilies, a working daylily farm outside town, runs seasonal blooms from late spring through midsummer. Fender's Farm and Wetlands Water Park, a few miles from the center, add family activities for weekend visitors. Lodging options include the Jonesborough B&B, Franklin House B&B, and Hawley House B&B, all within the historic district.
Ducktown
Ducktown sits in the Copper Basin in southeastern Tennessee, a landscape shaped by more than a century of copper mining that stripped the surrounding hills of vegetation until reforestation efforts began in the mid-20th century. The Ducktown Basin Museum, on the site of the old Burra Burra Mine, covers that history directly.
The Ocoee River, a short drive from town, was the whitewater venue for the 1996 Summer Olympics and remains one of the most-rafted rivers in the Southeast, with outfitters including Raft One and Ocoee Rafting running daily trips from spring through fall. Thunder Rock Campground, near the river, handles camping reservations through the US Forest Service. The Company House Bed & Breakfast, in a restored 1850 mining company house, is the main indoor lodging option in Ducktown itself.
Sevierville
Sevierville, the Sevier County seat and Dolly Parton's hometown, sits a few miles north of Pigeon Forge on the French Broad River. Smoky Mountain Deer Farm and Exotic Petting Zoo is one of the more established family attractions in the area, with kangaroos, zebras, tame deer, goats, and camels. Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo, at 109 NASCAR Drive, houses more than 600 animals covering over 130 species.
Foxfire Mountain Adventure Park, north of town, runs zip lines and the Swinging Bridge to Prosperity, one of the longer suspension footbridges of its kind in North America, along with a trail out to Lost Mine Falls. Berry Springs Lodge sits on 30 acres south of town and offers a quieter bed-and-breakfast stay than anything in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, with mountain views, a few hiking trails, and fishing ponds.
Worth The Weekend
Tennessee's smaller towns tend to hold onto their own identity, even when they sit within driving distance of a theme park or a national park entrance. Ducktown's mining history, Jonesborough's 18th-century core, Sewanee's plateau setting, and Lynchburg's distillery are each doing something different, and any of them works as a weekend destination on its own.
