Today was amazing! We went to see a castle right here in Tennessee! Floyd "Junior" Banks built the…read morecastle out in Loudon County TN called the Greenback Castle or Fortress of Faith. He dedicated this castle to the Lord and encourages everyone to come out and see it for themselves. He never charges a fee to visit, but donations are very much appreciated. He was excited to meet us and take us for a tour. He is a fascinating gentleman with some really interesting stories. He built the castle himself with donated items over the past 30 years and still works on it. Junior told us he never used a level or measuring device, God guides him. He lives in a house nearby on the many acres of property. I highly recommend touring this incredible castle (AT YOUR OWN RISK) and spending some time listening to Junior. I immediately went on Amazon and bought 2 of his books because he was so intriguing. Fortress of Faith: Art, Science, and Divine Intervention at the Greenback Castle What In Another World Is Going On At The Greenback Castle?

(Not a restaurant) If you love the bizarre and unique visit…read morethe Greenback Castle. A retired old gentleman built this "art project " over 30+ years. And loves to greet people and explain the (mostly religious) meaning of all displays. Fun, weird, unique!

Enjoyed this tour with Roger and we learned many things about William Blount. Once you step inside…read morethe house you're truly stepping back in time, the smell included, not a bad smell at all, but the scent of what a centuries old house would bring to mind. The original hardwood floor is what you notice first and the rest is just awe-inspiring as well. Please see it!

We had some time in Downtown Knoxville and decided to check out the mansion. The staff are super…read morenice, and we enjoyed talking with them. We were given a tour with just our family which was really cool. We all really loved the tour. It was great for our son who could touch a lot of objects. They also had a table to try and write with a quill. I would recommend the mansion if you love history.

Been driving through this part of Tennessee for the last 10 years or so and have been wanting to…read morevisit here that whole time. Finally made it. I've have visited 3 other shuttered prisons over the years and they all are pretty neat. This one was physically the smallest but was very impressive. We did like most folks and did the self guided tour. Took us about 2 hours and I think we visited everything that was open. They claimed that former staff or guides would be around to answer questions- sadly I never seen anyone. Now reasoning for my rating was based on not seeing staff for questions as well as the price. I know it's a neat historic place but $25 a person was a bit high. They did offer a small discount for military but again a self guided tour for $25 was a bit much. So I do recommend this historic place. But be aware of the cost and that your questions might not be answered.

What a cool stop!! Soooo much to see! The Jail, the offices, a dog rescue building and all the…read moregrounds with the original items. Not too far off the beaten path for driving and a beautiful area!

It was our first ever ren faire so we weren't sure what to expect. We arrived at the shuttle pick…read moreup point for the bus from the parking lot to the castle, but the line was so long that we decided to make the trek to the castle ourselves. There was a large group, which made it fun. Once we got to the lower part of the castle, we found our trek wasn't quite done yet, as we needed to hike through a field and some trails in order to get to the main part, so onward we went. By the time we arrived, we could've really used some beer or mead to parch our thirst, but we couldn't find any. All of the food and beverage vendors had really long lines, so we decided to hold off until we got back in town instead. I really enjoyed the variety of vendors selling their wares. There were so many handmade items and I found a lot to be very fairly priced. My favorite part was seeing the birds of prey in addition to just soaking in all the cool costumes people came up with. All in all, it was a fun experience but not something I'd want to do in summer when it's hot when there's so much walking involved.

Definitely a unique experience. We actually had the builder and owner give us a tour. It's was a 2…read morehour tour but we felt like we got the VIP experience. You could certainly go in, run around, look at the castle in 15 mins, but we wanted to understand the art, the reason behind the build and just learn a few things. Santa was there for pictures and it's neat that you can rent a room IN the castle. We weren't able to view those rooms but, I believe there are pictures online. Maybe we will come back and stay! You can't see the castle upon arrival, they take you in a bus up the hill so, I liked that it didn't ruin the surprise. They had little Tiaras for purchase and they give you a small prize when you complete the word puzzle they hand you. And event here would be cool. It would also be great if they had more drink or snacks for purchase but imagine that's in the works!! This was a costly project so, it will only get better!

Last night, I had the opportunity of participating in the second of several tours offered by Bo…read moreCarey History Tours, in Loudon, TN. The weather throughout the day hinted of rain, but by 7:00 p.m. just in time for the tour to start, rain moved out of the area, leaving beautiful clouds in the evening sunset. This tour was the 'Ghost Tour of Loudon;' a very fitting event in early October. We started at the Carmichael Inn with our host, Bo Carey. He led us around about a four-block area in downtown Loudon, and regaled us with stories of former residents who have passed on, and some that may not have quite left yet. The temperature was perfect, and the stories were both entertaining and enthralling. Bo is an excellent storyteller, and you can tell it is not a rehearsed script, but the re-telling of stories told to him firsthand by people who have had encounters of their own. The cost is extremely reasonable at just $15.00 per head as of this writing. It is obvious that Bo loves what he does and being a 6th generation Loudon resident, he has actually lived and experienced the tale told from other local residents. At the end of our tour, a server from the Carmichael in came and interrupted to tell her own actual experiences of encounters during work. We had a child of about 10 or 11 with us on the tour and while she seemed perfectly at ease, there was one story about killing a chicken, and the injury of a rabbit, that might not be suitable for all ages. I would probably recommend the tour to children ages 15 and up. I definitely recommend that everyone take advantage of the remaining 2 tours available this month. You can book on Facebook at Bo Carey History Tours, or on their website bocareyhistorytours.weebly.com . I would recommend booking early as they fill up quickly. Follow me on Yelp for more things to see and do in East Tennessee.

My nephew and I recently toured Falcon Rest Mansion & Gardens. Our tour guide George was very…read moreknowledgeable and an awesome tour guide. We got to see the room where my sister and I were born when it was a hospital. The house has been beautifully restored. I would highly recommend anyone to take a tour of this historical Mansion.

Hubby & I enjoyed our day at Falcon Rest! George & Charlene has single handedly renovated this…read morebeautiful home and grounds for decades. That sweet couple saw an abandoned place (a land mark community hone) and knew they could fix it to nearly the original splendor. It is soooo worth spending the day there, and take advantage of the sweet little cafe. We just loved our lunch. The home was built with all the modern conveniences when indoor plumbing or electric were unheard of! It saw many different owners, including a doctor who turned the home into a hospital! It was even where the first hip surgery was ever done in the county. A must see!!!

An amazing and unforgettable experience - perhaps the crowning jewel of our entire trip. Olivia was…read morea knowledgeable and personable guide. I loved hearing about how the cave was discovered by little kids - brothers - who spent their childhoods playing in it, and how they later grew up to save enough money to buy it outright and keep it in the family thereafter (and it's still privately owned by the family to this day!) At the start, we were a bit concerned about the amount of walking - and in particular, the steps. Our youngest is at the age where he wants to be independent, but he needs extra time to manage stairs (and some of those passages were narrow and steep enough to where we didn't feel comfortable carrying him) but we needn't have worried. Our large group had some adults who needed extra time with stairs, as well as people who took full advantage of our pace to snap more photos (and I've been on another cave tour where we were rushed through and unable to take many photos at all); nobody seemed to mind. I was also worried about not bringing a sweater, as the cave is 58 degrees year round, but it's a little bit of a workout which keeps you warm. If you have any health issues like a heart condition or anything affecting the function of your lungs it might be too intense (I'm just fat, and it was mildly strenuous: just when your heart starts to pound and you're breath is coming in faster you've reached your next destination and you return to resting state - this happens a couple times.) The cave is like being on another planet. We snapped some amazing photos. When it was time to return to the world above, my kids were sad that it was over.

If you're heading to Townsend. Tuckaleechee Caverns is a must-do…read more This place is absolutely worth the visit. Pricing is reasonable, and the experience is unforgettable. We had Kash as our tour guide and he was fantastic, energetic, kind, and amazing with kids. He kept everyone engaged, answered every question, and clearly knows the caverns inside and out. Even in a large group, you could still hear him clearly throughout the walk. The tour runs about 1.5 hours and covers over a mile underground. Be ready for stairs, lots of them (around 87 steep steps on the way out), and this is not wheelchair or stroller accessible. The cave floor is wet, so good shoes are a must. You'll also duck in a few spots, but not constantly. The views are unreal: a waterfall, a stream, stalactites, stalagmites, and massive natural columns you get to see up close while learning the history behind them. It stays cool inside, but you'll warm up from all the walking. It's well organized even when multiple groups are passing each other, and everything flows smoothly. The gift shop is also a win: well stocked, fair prices, and they accept cards. Bottom line: if you love nature, caves, geology, or just want a unique family experience, this is 100% worth your time.

I'm always all in when it comes to historic bridges especially when I can experience them first…read morehand and if I can walk across them then that's gets it to a entirely different level. I actually found this foot bridge by happenstance, I was driving down the highway and saw it connecting the two sides of the river, which is the intended purpose. Getting to this little gems is quite tricky and as you approach it on the residential side of the river you may be a little hesitant to pull into the narrow lane that sits between two homes but trust me the neighbors know what they have on the backside of their riverfront property - one friendly owner was outside and invited me in to check it out. These bridges are so cool but they were simply constructed to provide a solution which was "to get to the other side" I'm sure there is some correlation to "why did the chicken cross the road" but I'm not certain. The water below was running at a good pace and is very shallow you definitely wouldn't want to jump from or fall from this bridge the rocks would break you fall immediately after the splash. You could probably see everything you want to see here in about 10 minutes I stayed about 20 minutes - besides the bridge being super cool and the fact that it is historic there is more to it, the "love lock" phenomenon which symbolizes "unbreakable love" has attached itself to the structure. The love padlock phenomenon is like a weird alien growth that just won't die so think about this before placing your lock...

A little awkward to find but so beautiful!! It's lovely and well worth the hunt. Lots of fun. We…read morealso saw turtles near the creek below

Wonderful place to see God's creation. The beautiful animals are friendly and all around. The store…read morepart is great with things to buy from the past. The restaurant serves the old country food from years ago. I do wish they'd expand their menu some but it is still good. Lots of vendors on special days there as well.

Surprised at how well exhibited the museum is! It's a fairly large outdoor exhibit. If you're a…read moresenior, you might want to ho when it's cooler out. Highly recommended!

Old restored mansion from late 1700s owned by Chief Vann of the Cherokee Indian people. Lovely…read morehistoric home that is a sad reminder of the Trail of Tears. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area.

We had a trip to the Vann House on our radar for quite some time. They do an annual candle-lit…read moretour of the house and a few buildings on the grounds. And I'm glad we went! This place was quite the glimpse into our state's past. There's enough here to make any history buff happy--a wonderful educational experience for all ages, with an interpretive center that is rich with information. The house is a very nicely restored Mansion once owned by a Cherokee Chief, James Vann. Construction on the house was completed in 1804. The "Friends of the Chief Vann House" take a great deal of pride in their restoration efforts, and there are plenty of volunteers around during the candle-light tour to clue you in on history and trivia about the occupants. They don't seem to pull any punches when talking about the Trail of Tears, and how the Cherokee were treated back then. Vann House was working plantation with slaves, so there is also a good deal of information about the treatment of the estate's slaves, getting down to some history on specific individuals. The amount of research that has been done on the Vann House is impressive. They also have "Vann House Days" during the summer. And the site is not far from New Echota Historic Site. Next time we'll visit both when we're in the area. Holler if you're coming with.