Tennessee
3
Day Itinerary •
USA
Three days in Tennessee gives you the essential experience of America's music and mountain state, from the legendary honky-tonks and neon of Nashville's Lower Broadway to the extraordinary Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in America, and the birthplace of country, blues and rock and roll. This route covers the soul of Tennessee. The extraordinary Ryman Auditorium and Grand Ole Opry of Nashville, the hot chicken and meat-and-three tradition of the finest food city in the South, the extraordinary Clingmans Dome and Alum Cave Trail of the Smokies, and the extraordinary waterfall country of the Cumberland Plateau.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or October for fall foliage
Getting There
Fly into Nashville (BNA) or Knoxville (TYS)
Getting Around
Rental car essential. Nashville walkable downtown.
Budget Per Day
Approx $110 to $180 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate, some hiking
DAY 1
NASHVILLE
MORNING
RYMAN AUDITORIUM, THE MOTHER CHURCH OF COUNTRY MUSIC
The Ryman Auditorium is the most extraordinary music venue in America, its extraordinary 1892 Gothic Revival tabernacle the original home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974 and the finest concert hall in the South. The extraordinary original pew seating, the stained glass windows and the backstage tour revealing the dressing rooms where Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline performed are all unmissable. Entry approx $25. Evening Opry shows are extraordinary. Drive: 10 min walk
MIDDAY
LOWER BROADWAY, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY HONKY-TONK STREET IN AMERICA
Lower Broadway is the most extraordinary street in Nashville, its extraordinary three-block strip of neon-lit honky-tonk bars playing live country music from 10am to 3am every day of the year. Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, Robert's Western World and the Stage are the finest. The extraordinary rooftop bars on Broadway give the finest view over the Cumberland River. The live music is free with a drink purchase. The energy is extraordinary at any hour. Drive: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
THE NATIONS AND EAST NASHVILLE FOOD SCENE
Nashville's food scene is the most extraordinary in the American South, its extraordinary concentration of James Beard-nominated chefs, hot chicken pioneers and meat-and-three lunch counters giving a culinary culture unlike any other American city. The East Nashville neighborhood with its extraordinary 12South corridor and the Gulch district are the finest areas for independent restaurants and boutiques. The Country Music Hall of Fame downtown is unmissable. Entry approx $30.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Station Inn in the Gulch is the finest bluegrass venue in Nashville, its extraordinary no-frills listening room hosting the finest flatpicking and string bands in America every night of the week. Standing room only when the best acts play. Cover charge from $10. The most extraordinary hidden music experience in a city full of extraordinary music.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Biscuit Love, Nashville The most celebrated biscuit restaurant in Nashville. Extraordinary bonuts, local jams and strong coffee. | Lunch: Arnold's Country Kitchen, Nashville The finest meat-and-three in Tennessee. Extraordinary roast beef, cornbread and sweet tea since 1983. | Dinner: The Catbird Seat, Nashville The finest tasting menu restaurant in Nashville. Book months ahead. Extraordinary local ingredients.
DAY 2
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
MORNING
CLINGMANS DOME, THE HIGHEST POINT IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
Clingmans Dome at 6,644 feet is the highest point in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the highest point on the Appalachian Trail. The extraordinary observation tower at the summit gives a 360-degree view over layers of blue-green ridges stretching in every direction. The paved half-mile trail from the parking area is steep but rewards with the most extraordinary mountain panorama in Tennessee. Park entry free. Road closed December to March. Drive: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
ALUM CAVE TRAIL, THE FINEST HIKE IN THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Alum Cave Trail is the most extraordinary day hike on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, its extraordinary 4.4-mile round trip past Arch Rock, the extraordinary Alum Cave Bluffs overhanging the trail and the finest views of Mount LeConte in the park. The extraordinary Alum Cave Bluffs, a concave arch of black alum shale, sheltered Cherokee and Civil War-era saltpeter miners. Trail entirely free. Drive: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
CADES COVE, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY WILDLIFE VALLEY IN TENNESSEE
Cades Cove is the most extraordinary valley in the Tennessee Smokies, its extraordinary 11-mile loop road past preserved 19th-century log homesteads, grist mills and churches giving the finest wildlife viewing in Tennessee. A herd of over 150 elk grazes the open meadows at dawn and dusk. White-tailed deer, black bear and wild turkey are all extraordinary here. The cable mill at the historic Cades Cove visitor area is extraordinary. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Laurel Falls trail in the Smokies is the finest paved trail in the national park, its extraordinary 2.6-mile round trip to the most visited waterfall in the park giving a completely accessible experience of old-growth forest and cascading water. Best at 7am before the parking fills. Entry free. One of the most extraordinary short walks in Tennessee.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Old Mill, Pigeon Forge The finest Southern breakfast near the Smokies. Extraordinary stone-ground grits, biscuits and local sorghum. | Lunch: Puckett's Grocery, Gatlinburg Outstanding mountain lunch. Tennessee pulled pork, smoked brisket and local moonshine BBQ sauce. | Dinner: The Peddler Steakhouse, Gatlinburg The most legendary steakhouse in the Smokies since 1976. Local beef, extraordinary salad bar and mountain views.
DAY 3
MEMPHIS
MORNING
SUN STUDIO, WHERE ROCK AND ROLL WAS BORN
Sun Studio at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis is the most extraordinary recording studio in the world, the tiny room where Sam Phillips recorded Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Howlin' Wolf between 1950 and 1959, creating rock and roll and defining modern popular music. The extraordinary guided tour of the original studio with its original equipment and the recordings playing on the same microphone Elvis used is unmissable. Entry approx $15. Drive: 20 min walk
MIDDAY
BEALE STREET AND THE BLUES HERITAGE
Beale Street is the most extraordinary blues heritage street in America, its extraordinary concentration of live music clubs, barbecue joints and juke joints giving a raw and authentic experience of the music that shaped American culture. The W.C. Handy Park statue, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music nearby and the extraordinary B.B. King's Blues Club are all unmissable. Live blues on Beale Street from noon every day. Free to walk. Drive: 15 min walk
AFTERNOON
NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, THE MOST IMPORTANT MUSEUM IN TENNESSEE
The National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis is the most important museum in Tennessee, built around the exact site where Dr Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The extraordinary exhibits tracing the history of the American civil rights movement from slavery to the present, the preserved Room 306 where Dr King spent his last hours and the view from the museum to the boarding house where James Earl Ray stood are profoundly moving. Entry approx $20.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Stax Museum of American Soul Music on McLemore Avenue in Memphis preserves the story of the record label that launched Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Wilson Pickett and Booker T. and the MGs. The extraordinary recreation of the original Studio A and the Isaac Hayes gold-plated Cadillac are unmissable. Entry approx $13. The finest music museum in America after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Brother Juniper's, Memphis The finest breakfast in Memphis. Extraordinary French toast, local eggs and strong Memphis coffee. | Lunch: Central BBQ, Memphis The most celebrated barbecue restaurant in Memphis. Extraordinary dry-rub ribs and pulled pork since 2002. | Dinner: Chez Philippe, The Peabody The finest dinner in Memphis in the most extraordinary hotel in the South. Local cuisine and outstanding wine list.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
Nashville, Night 1 Graduate Nashville or 21c Museum Hotel. Walking distance to Lower Broadway. Approx $130 to $250. Gatlinburg or Elkmont, Night 2 Buckberry Lodge Gatlinburg or Leconte Lodge inside the park. Approx $120 to $200 per night. Memphis, Night 3 The Peabody Hotel is the most extraordinary hotel in Tennessee. Approx $150 to $280 per night.
Top Tips
1. Nashville's Lower Broadway at 10am before the crowds arrive is the most extraordinary honky-tonk street in America.
2. Prince's Hot Chicken is the original and finest Nashville hot chicken. Order extra hot only if you mean it.
3. The Ryman Auditorium on a Tuesday night for the Opry show is the most extraordinary music experience in Tennessee.
4. Clingmans Dome at sunrise before the parking lot fills is the finest view in the entire Appalachian range.
5. Sun Studio in Memphis at 2pm is when the guided tours reveal the most extraordinary recording history in rock and roll.
6. The Peabody Hotel duck march at 11am daily is the most extraordinary hotel tradition in the American South.
Total Budget
$110 to $180/day