Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SCENIC DRIVE: NASHVILLE'S COUNTRY TRACKS
About 25 miles southwest of Nashville off Hwy 100, drivers pick up the
Natchez
Trace Pkwy
, which leads 444 miles southwest to Natchez, MS. This northern sec-
tion is one of its most attractive stretches, with broad-leafed trees leaning together
to form an arch over the winding road. There are three primitive campsites along
the way, free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Near the parkway en-
Hwy 100, Nashville, TN 37221)
, a 1950s roadhouse famous for its biscuits with
homemade preserves, country ham and ample portions of Southern fried chicken.
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Eastern Tennessee
Dolly Parton, Eastern Tennessee's most famous native, loves her home region so much
she has made a successful career out of singing about girls who leave the honeysuckle-
scented embrace of the Smoky Mountains for the false glitter of the city. They're always
sorry. Largely a rural region of small towns, rolling hills and river valleys, the eastern
third of the state has friendly folks, hearty country food and pastoral charm. The lush,
heather-tinted Great Smoky Mountains are great for hiking, camping and rafting, while
the region's two main urban areas, Knoxville and Chattanooga, are easygoing riverside
cities with lively student populations.
Chattanooga
Named 'the dirtiest city in America' in the 1960s, today the city is recognized as being
one of the country's greenest, with miles of well-used waterfront trails, electric buses and
pedestrian bridges crossing the Tennessee River. With world-class rock-climbing, hiking,
biking and water-sports opportunities, it's one of the South's best cities for outdoorsy
types.
The city was once a major railway hub throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, hence
the 'Chattanooga Choo-Choo,' which was originally a reference to the Cincinnati South-
ern Railroad's passenger service from Cincinnati to Chattanooga and later the title of a
1941 Glen Miller tune. The eminently walkable downtown is an increasingly gentrified
maze of historic stone and brick buildings and some tasty gourmet kitchens. There's a lot
to love about Chattanooga.
