Study Guide: Road Trip from Knoxville to Nashville

Settle into your cozy guest room, complete with native wildflower pressings-turned-gallery walls and custom restroom wallpaper inspired by the bluetick coonhound Smokey, the beloved mascot of the University of Tennessee. Then, head down to Saloon 16, the on-site watering hole and restaurant, designed by the university’s famed former quarterback, Peyton Manning (often referred to as “The Sheriff”). Named for his jersey number, the western saloon-style space is outfitted with memorabilia from Manning’s personal collection. A closer look reveals a retro jukebox loaded with his favorite tunes, his original recruitment letters, sheriff’s badges honoring former teammates, jerseys, and much more. Manning himself designed the menu with some of his favorite dishes and drinks, so pick yours and enjoy a hearty meal before turning in for the night. The next morning, fuel up with a rich cup of coffee and a fresh-made pastry at Poindexter before hitting the road. 

Get a taste of regional history at this 65-acre recreation of an Appalachian community with 35 log cabins (including Mark Twain’s parent’s home), churches, schools, gardens, and farm animals. Founded by John Rice Irwin in 1969, the nonprofit museum is now a Smithsonian affiliate. While the entire property is worth investigating, three main buildings house more than 250,000 artifacts including furniture, tools, toys, folk art, musical instruments, and much more. One of the most interesting of the bunch is inventor Asa Jackson’s “perpetual motion machine,” housed in the museum’s Hall of Fame. Jackson began working on the contraption of wheels and gears in the mid-1800s, possibly to try to win a rumored $1 million reward by the U.S. government for an inventor who could defy the laws of physics. The machine stopped running ages ago, but it’s still a worthy example of Appalachian ingenuity.

It’s hard to fathom the bravery it took for 12 Black high school students to walk to attend an all-White high school on August 25, 1956 when this small town in east Tennessee became the site of the first public school integration in the segregated South. That day Maurice Soles, Anna Theresser Caswell, Alfred Williams, Regina Turner Smith, William R. Latham, Gail Ann Epps Upton, Ronald Gordon "Poochie" Hayden, JoAnn Crozier Allen Boyce, Robert Thacker, Bobby Cain, Minnie Ann Dickey Jones, and Alvah McSwain earned a permanent spot in history. Now, visitors can see their stoic, life-sized bronze statues and tour the museum housed in the former Green McAdoo School, the place where the students attended elementary school. Highlights inside include a to-scale classroom, a poignant exhibit on the violence and a bombing motivated by the students’ presence, and archival photographs and artifacts, including heartwarming stories of how community members became allies for equality.

The town of Rugby was founded by British author Thomas Hughes, who penned the classic novel “Tom Brown’s Schooldays,” as a utopian planned town in 1880. At its peak, some 300 people—many of them younger sons of English gentry, whose inheritance under the British primogeniture system was scant, and their families—lived in the class-free agrarian community. Though the utopian ideal didn’t last, many of the buildings in the Victorian town, situated on the picturesque Cumberland Plateau, are beautifully preserved. For a deep-dive into the community’s history, take a guided tour focused on one of the best-preserved blocks where you’ll explore the library, Hughes’ home, a schoolhouse, and a church. One favorite stop is the Rugby Printing Works, which showcases how The Rugbian newspaper was printed in the 19th century, complete with typesetting demonstrations.

This rather ordinary-looking country road offers no clues to the spectacular sight you’ll see just a short hike away: the 110-foot waterfall that gave this 43-acre preserve its name. The rock amphitheater, formed by wind, water, and erosion, is ringed by dense trees. Beneath the falls is the remnant of an Appalachian mixed mesophytic forest (eastern hemlocks, white pines, magnolia, yellow birch, sugar maple, tulip poplar, and red oaks) that give the scene a primordial feel, so much that Ozone was used as a filming location for scenes for the 1994 live-action movie adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's “The Jungle Book.” While it’s possible to get a nice view of the falls from the top—just a few minute’s walk from the parking area—the real money shot is at the bottom. Unless you’re prepared to channel your inner Mowgli, bring your hiking boots and look ahead at the weather forecast. The steeply sloping rocks that lead to the base of the falls can be treacherous when they’re wet, though the reward of spectacular views is well worth the trek. Cool off with a plunge in the pristine pool at the bottom.

When World War II Army veteran Ralph Smith opened his hometown donut shop in 1962 in a former bus stop building, he probably couldn’t have imagined that it would be going strong more than half a century later. Now run by Smith’s daughter Cynthia and her husband Mark Pullum, the shop turns out more than 5,000 cake and yeast donuts per day (that’s about 1.5 million a year), all of them made by hand the old fashioned way, using the same family recipes that have been passed down through five generations. Each day—except Sundays when the staff takes a breather—the artisan bakers make 40 kinds of donuts, including butter twists, traditional glazed, chocolate glazed, and plenty more. Stop in for a pastry and a cup of coffee and you’re likely to find the counter filled with regulars, some of whom have been coming daily since the 1960s.

Get out and stretch your legs in this lush state park, named for the proliferation of eastern red cedar trees growing throughout its 1,139-acres. The trees reminded settlers of the cedar forests on Mount Lebanon, as mentioned in the Bible’s Old Testament. Though they’re called “eastern red cedars,” the irony is that the evergreens are actually junipers, a close cousin of cedars. The area, which officially became a state park in 1955, is full of unique natural ecosystems, including limestone glades that resemble rock gardens, and 19 rare or endangered species of plants grow here (keep an eye out for the Tennessee coneflower, limestone flame flower, and yellow sunnybell). While there are plenty of trails from which to choose, the Cedar Glades Trail is a perennial favorite. The gentle half-mile loop is generally accessible year-round and leads visitors through woodlands where moss and lichens cover the forest floor. While you wander, keep your eyes open for the deer, fox, wild turkeys, and rabbits that call the forest home.

When Leslie and Mabel Cheek built their sprawling estate in the American Country Place Era style in 1929, they likely didn't anticipate that it would become a destination for architecture buffs and anthophiles. Now, the 55-acre complex’s rolling hills are a riot of colorful blooms, trees, and shrubs, with different types of gardens. Explore what most interests you, choosing from among the Herb Study Garden, Japanese Garden, and much more, including native plants like azaleas, trilliums, trout-lilies, ferns, and a colony of paw-paw trees. Explore the 36-room house with its 11 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a hidden staircase, and a library that houses a 2,000-book collection. Depending on when you visit you might get to see the spectacular blooming of 150,000 bulbs (spring), a full mile of holiday lights (winter), or any number of dynamic art installations, such as giant blown glass sculptures by artist Dale Chihuly positioned among the foliage.

This Vanderbilt University-adjacent hotel is a feast for the eyes and a veritable wonderland, particularly for art and music lovers. Head straight up to the 12th-floor rooftop restaurant, White Limozeen, named for country music luminary Dolly Parton’s 29th studio album. It’s a glam fantasy of florals and shades of pink, with glittering chandeliers and plush seating inside and an outdoor plunge pool and lounge chairs that beg for a dip and a frozen Aperol Spritz. Don’t miss the must-capture shot of the 9-foot tall pink Dolly Parton sculpture, made of chicken wire, by Tennessee-based artist Ricky Pittman, set against the Midtown skyline. Can’t get enough of Graduate Nashville’s muse (who can?)? For a truly special stay, spring for the 9 to 5 suite, the over-the-top homage to the beloved singer. You’ll find a pink neon installation over the waterbed that proclaims “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap” (an oft-quoted Dolly-ism), custom wallpaper with nods to her most iconic songs, and ultra-glam dresses-turned-art hanging on the walls of the cozy sitting room. It’s the perfect comfortable, music-themed home base for your Music City explorations.