The best library I have ever visited!! The library staff is…read moreso eager to assist in any way!

Very helpful librarians! Lovely building. The childrens…read moresection is great! There are lots of engaging things besides books. Blocks, puzzles and more for children to enjoy. I took my grandson to two recent events and both were surprisingly wonderful! My grandson adores going to this library! He is 5 years old and feels so confident the librians are eager to help, he walks up to them on his own and asks for help finding books. ​

I love my small town library. It's homey, free, and the same people come in again and again. Plus,…read morelike other downtown ETown businesses, there's a resident cat to greet you!

This is probably my favorite steakhouse in town. For real tho, library cat is the best cat.read more

While visiting in the area we stopped at the Fort Watauga replica at the Sycamore Shoals State Park…read morein Elizabethton, TN near Johnson City, TN. It is located along the Watauga River. Fort Watauga, more properly Fort Caswell, was an American Revolutionary War fort that once stood at the Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River in what is now Elizabethton, Tennessee. The fort was originally built in 1775-1776 by the area's frontier government, the Watauga Association, to help defend Watauga settlers from Native American (primarily Cherokee) attacks, which were in part instigated by the British. Fort Watauga was originally named Fort Caswell after North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Watauga Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park 1651 W. Elk Avenue Elizabethton, Tennessee FREE Park. Free to view and tour the Fort Watauga, and FREE to tour the Visitors Center. The visitors center was not open when we stopped there but we did walk around the Fort.

It would be easy to miss this marker on a curvy mountain road in rural North Carolina but you will…read morestill want to stop and read it so that you can appreciate this woman who did much for the locals. There is a slightly wider spot to stop but not if there is traffic behind you. The marker reads, "Frances Goodrich, 1856-1944. Missionary and teacher. Her Allanstand Cottage Industries promoted the revival of Appalachian handicrafts. Lived here." Online, there is more information. " According to the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, Frances Louisa Goodrich "is recognized as the pioneer in western North Carolina in reviving the traditional mountain hand skills and in adapting them to products salable in contemporary markets." Born in New York to a Presbyterian minister in 1856, Goodrich was educated at Yale and abroad. In 1890 she moved to western North Carolina where she would spend the rest of her life." "In 1930 Goodrich was a principal organizer of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild. The following year she gave the Allanstand shop to the guild. Her account of the revival of Appalachian handicrafts, Mountain Homespun, was published by Yale University Press in 1931 (and reissued in a facsimile edition in 1989 by the University of Tennessee Press). The College of Wooster in Ohio awarded her an honorary doctorate in 1938. Her house, a church, school, and a barn remain at her homeplace. The Allanstand Craft Shop nearby continues to operate as a part of the work of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild." Quite a great woman though a very small tribute. [Review 20136 overall - 3485 in North Carolina - 1112 of 2023.]

Located near the center of Jonesborough, this marker adds a thoughtful layer to the town's long…read moreconnection to the earliest years of Tennessee's statehood. It stands in a part of town where the past still feels close, and it highlights a detail of state history that most people rarely consider: the creation of the state seal and the practical challenges of forming a new government on the frontier. The marker reads, "One-quarter mile SW on the main street of Jonesboro stood the silversmith shop of William and Matthew Atkinson, designers of the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee. Although authorized by the Tennessee Constitution of 1796, the seal was first used on April 24, 1802, by Archibald Roane, the second governor. Because of legislative failure to provide for a seal, the first governor, John Sevier, used personal seals during his first three terms." It is marker number 1A-87 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission. The seal itself carries layers of meaning. At the top appear the Roman numerals XVI, marking Tennessee as the 16th state admitted to the United States. The original design included the phrases 'The Great Seal of the State of Tennessee' and 'Feb. 6th, 1796' around the central imagery, though the date was removed in 1929. At the center are a plow, a bundle of wheat, and a cotton plant, with the word 'agriculture' beneath them. Wheat and cotton reflect the essential role of farming in the state's early economy, while the plow underscores the labor and cultivation that shaped Tennessee's growth. Taken together, the marker and the seal it describes offer a small but meaningful window into the craftsmanship, symbolism, and practical realities that accompanied Tennessee's earliest years as a state. [Review 91 of 2026 - 594 in Tennessee - 25281 overall]

Just northeast of downtown, this marker offers a compact but surprisingly rich window into the…read moreearly story of Jonesboro, a place that has worn its age and significance with quiet confidence for well over two centuries. It stands along a calm stretch of road where the modern town gives way to older rhythms, and it rewards a short stop if you enjoy seeing how the earliest threads of Tennessee history were woven. It reads, "Jonesboro, Oldest Town in Tennessee. Formally established in 1779, by the General Assembly of North Carolina, as county seat of Washington County, first county west of the mountains. In 1784, the State of Franklin was organized here, with Jonesboro as its first capital." It is marker 1A-81 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission. If you're already exploring downtown or visiting the nearby courthouse, it's an easy and worthwhile detour, offering a moment to stand where some of the earliest chapters of Tennessee's civic life began. [Review 90 of 2026 - 593 in Tennessee - 25280 overall]

I like old towns like this with a big grassy square, a monument to some historical dude named…read moreBurns, and some neat shops. It has a quilt shop on the square, some churches, an old historic inn that Elvis stayed at, a coffee house, some galleries, and a few places to eat that nook neat. Worth a stop if you are traveling through, but not a destination unless you are going for some big hiking at Mt. Mitchell or some of the other great outdoors places it has nearby. I'd stop here again.

The road from Asheville was finished last year and already the town is perking up with new…read morerestaurants and longer hours for some of the existing eating establishments. The Grapevine has really great women's clothing, Appalachain Java has nice food all the way until 8pm, Homeplace brewery has some kind of food truck each night, music, trivia, and great beer. Rescue Dog Cafe and Burnsville Donut Company are keeping East Main Street lively and well fed, and Garden Deli and Snapdragon are consistently good on the Town Square. Rad Dawgs and the ice cream parlor next to it are just plain fun. I'm addicted to the Gyrate taco there. Ye Olde Country store has quality deli items and mile high sandwiches. Main Street Shoes has really cute footwear and YummiYarns has a great selection of yarn for knitting, crochet, or weaving. Quilt and Code has quilting supplies on one side and computer help on the other. There's a terrific health food store, an outdoor living store that just opened, a music store, a couple galleries including one that is part of Toe River Arts Council, Dark Sky Wood handcrafted furniture, an outfitter store, Parkway Playhouse, Yancey Theater, a wine shop, a couple of antique stores, a pizza shop and the new Mountain Chef Bistro. NuWray Inn, the Terrell House, and Carolina Country Motel all offer accomadations. The Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Center can direct you to the History Museum and other points of interest. There's a Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings and free events for families and kids on the square on Saturday mornings during the summer. Also there is bargain shopping at New to You furniture, Felicity's Closet, Alexandra's Closet, and Barkin Basement. There is definitely plenty to keep you busy for a full day or more.

This marker is located in the Oak Hill Cemetery, near the grace of the flag designer…read more It reads, "In 1905 the Legislature adopted as the state flag one which was designed by Colonel Le Roy Reeves, a native and resident of Johnson City. The three stars represent the three grand divisions of Tennessee. The flag was first raised by Company F of the National Guard on October 10, 1911 during the dedication ceremonies of East Tennessee State Normal School." It is marker number 1A-86 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission. The three white stars represent the state's three grand divisions - East, Middle, and West Tennessee - but their arrangement is carefully regulated: no two stars may align parallel to the flag's edges, and the highest star must sit nearest the upper corner. This layout avoids rigid symmetry and instead suggests dynamic balance. The blue circle enclosing the stars symbolizes unity, binding the divisions into an indissoluble whole. The tri-star within the blue circle has become an unofficial logo for Tennessee. It appears in branding for state agencies, sports teams like the Tennessee Titans, and even private companies. [Review 1441 of 2025 - 579 in Tennessee - 24992 overall]