A Tennessee Road Trip
Our journey begins as our flight arrives in Memphis, TN. This is the beginning of our cross state excursion that myself and my wife will be taking in our Tennessee Rental Car! After exchanging information with the rental company we got a brand new convertible Chrysler Sebring. This is the perfect car to take on a trip through the mountains in the springtime. When I say new I mean it only has 11 miles on it. Hot off the press I guess you could say. Our first adventure is to find some good authentic southern food. We are doing this drive across Tennessee to witness struggle and great success. Our drive began on route 64 going east to the mountains.
Our first stop was in a small town called Bolivar, TN. We only stopped for gas but we also got a short lesson in history. In 1847 Bolivar was incorporated as a progressive town. With much struggle this town began to grow with time. The buildings were very beautiful and full of history.
Moving eastward through the gulf plains of western Tennessee we noticed that the terrain becomes a little more rugged. As we traveled down route 64 there is a noticeable difference in the scenery. Cotton fields become tobacco crops and tobacco crops become corn fields. As soon we passed the cornfields we started to see a lot of great natural features, including the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
We arrived in Lawrenceburg, TN and we decided to go north toward Nashville, TN. That really wasn’t in our itinerary but my wife just had to see the Country Music Hall of Fame. On our way we stopped in a small town just south of Nashville called Pulaski, TN. Here we found some people who were very glad to share a little history with us. We learned that Pulaski was the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan. Of course the town does not take praise for this creation but it is a piece of history that should never be forgotten.
We finally made it to Nashville at 9 pm so we drove around town and we checked into a hotel room for the night. The next morning we woke up extra early to explore the town. We drove around just long enough to get that wonderful southern feeling. Nashville will really make you feel like a country star no matter where you’re from.
We left the city of Nashville going south just a short while on Interstate 24 and we arrived in Murfreesboro, TN. This is the geographic center of Tennessee and also an economic stronghold for the whole state of Tennessee. This is also where we will begin our climb into the Mountains. Along state road 70 you really get to see the dramatic change of the scenery especially the difference in altitude. Our ears popped and that’s when we knew that were going to see some stunning views. I love the car we are driving because it’s sporty and great on gas. This is very important when it comes to a mountain road trip.
The next place that we wanted to visit is Fall Creek Falls State Park. We took a back road to get there and it was an incredibly difficult road to travel. There are so many twists and turns its very hard to get anywhere in a decent time. But the views were O so gorgeous and the car ran smooth the whole time. We drove through this tiny, quaint town called Spencer, TN. This town lies on top of a large mountain located in the center of the triangle of cities: Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga. Then we finally arrived in Fall Creek Falls State Park.
We parked at the visitor center and to explore some trails. The 256-foot waterfall will captivate your every emotion. This is a perfect spot to stare into you lover’s eyes and tell her or him how much you really care for them. Or it’s a great spot to reflect on your own past and get in touch with the inner you. Either way Fall Creek Falls is a wonderful adventure site just to sprawl out and relax. We stayed in a cabin that was completely in the middle of the woods about 100 feet from the lake. We sat there and watched the sun set over the lake. At this point I realized the urgency to preserve this wondrous area. We left the cabin the next morning in our snazzy rental car and we made our way to our next Tennessee destination Gatlinburg, but we had to cross Knoxville to get there.
We traveled through Knoxville, TN and met some very different people. The people here are really relaxed. Knoxville is a large city that is surrounded by beautiful mountains in the heart of Tennessee. Knoxville is nice but the excitement lies at the foot of the Great Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg, TN.
Gatlinburg is only about 30 miles east of Knoxville but worlds apart! There are so many things to do in Gatlinburg it will take at least 5 days just to enjoy everything. With 600 miles of pristine walking trails accompanied buy waterfalls and an infinite bounty of wildlife, is there really more? Yes there is, there is an aquarium, dinner shows, and of course Dolly Wood. This is an amazing destination that cannot be compared to any place on earth.
During our adventure across the glorious state of Tennessee I've discovered that there is a place on this earth that has a perfect balance of nature and nostalgia. Tennessee is an area covered with placid lakes, wild rivers, and lush valleys. You can feel the soul everywhere you go, from the big cities all the way up into the mountains there is a spirit, a strong spirit that is full of adventure and exploration. It was great to have rental car to get around. It let me and my wife make our own schedule. I don't think the trip would've been possible without it.
