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Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary

4.3 (46 reviews)
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Sally H.

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, last named Brushy Mountain Correctional Complex, (or, unofficially, Brushy) was a maximum-security prison in the community of Petros in Morgan County, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. It was established in 1896 and operated until 2009. Prisoners worked the local coal mine, under a convict lease program. They were beaten, over crowded, over worked, and riddled with diseases. At the gates of hell, some say! I could so feel the negative energy. Built on 9,000 acres of state-owned property (today, much of that property is the Frozen Head State Park & Natural Area) For more than 100 years, Brushy Mountain housed the worst of the worst offenders. Always way over crowded. Today, Historic Brushy Mountain is a tourist destination like none other. Tours are available, there is an on-site restaurant (The Warden's Table), you can conduct your own paranormal investigation, and it is host to frequent concerts and an on-site distillery. Also Paranormal Tours

Alexis M.

What a fun historical spot to learn some dark history! Came here with family and it was really cool to see how prisons used to look and to read all the dark history of this prison. The outside was beautiful and the weather was perfect to walk around the prison grounds. Their gift shop is cool and it is also a distillery which I did not try but maybe in the future!

Shannon R.

This tour is amazing and a must do visiting Tennessee. Our guide, George Wyatt, was absolutely delightful and entertaining. He was an actual inmate at the prison and tells so many interesting stories. You just need to get use to his accent, which is the best thing about him! After the tour make sure to eat at The Warden's table in the gift shop. The brisket French Dip was delicious. Maricela, who works in the gift shop, was so helpful and sweet. I would go back again and again!!!

Outside
Kevin B.

We got to tour Brushy Mountain last weekend and it was an interesting place to visit, but it didn't wow us. The buildings are completely falling apart and while it's definitely fun to tour something in a state of ruin (we've toured other penitentiaries like this), it honestly looked like there was no care taken to preserve anything. We also learned more from our friend who grew up in the area than we did from the informational placards around the penitentiary (though the museum was done well). The mine nearby actually looks just as interesting as the penitentiary and we wished there was more information about it. We didn't eat at the restaurant as it looked pretty expensive, but we did try some of the moonshines at the distillery in the gift shop and I have to say, they were some of the worst things we've ever drank. Butterscotch, cinnamon, blackberry, they were all terrible and it's a shame since East TN moonshine is typically very good. Overall, it's a decent place to visit, particularly if this is your first visit to a historic prison, but they can do a lot to make this a better experience overall.

Jen H.

Booked the paranormal 10p-2a tour for my birthday weeks in advance and paid over $500. Got the confirmation email and a reminder the day before. We drove over an hour and got there 30 mins early like they say to but when we got there the gate was locked. We sat there for 55 minutes until 10:25 before we gave up and drove over an hour back home. There was no special number to call and the regular number just went to a voicemail. We had taken the next day off work since we would be out late but it was such a waste of time and money. We will be requesting a refund.

The number of days one inmate spent in this prison
Chris B.

This is a fascinating place with a very dark past. It's located about 30 minutes west of Knoxville up in the Tennessee hills. I strongly recommend have George White Jr. as your guide. A former inmate with so many personal and facility stories. He was excellent. Look for a smaller group as ours was too big to hear him sometimes. So stay close.

Small representation of what prison looks like (Birds Eye view)
Grace C.

Highly recommend visiting! First, the employees are incredible. Specifically, Sam was extremely helpful and kind, and discounted my tickets due to prior AC issues. Also, my tour guide was incredible. I can't remember his name, however he is married to another Brushy employee and was a CO in the prison when it was open! I have actually toured twice--once for school and once with family. My second tour was equally as great because it was guided from the perspective of another employee. If it's your first time, I recommend a guided tour. Each guide tells the history of the prison and gives first hand memories of his/her time there. Such an incredible opportunity! Plus, you'll get to see James Earl Rays cell, hear stories about him and other "famous" inmates, and you'll have the opportunity to ask any and every question you've ever had about prisons. I definitely want to go back and do a haunted night tour or even try to go to a concert there! I

End of the Line Moonshine
John M.

After a tour of the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, which was extremely interesting and scary, a stop at the Distillery was perfect. The Distillery has both a great Tasting Room and very friendly and welcoming people. We left with a great sample of one of their products.

Prison wire
Alex E.

Our family had a really good time learning about this prison's history. We had both a former inmate and a former guard share personal accounts of living and working here. The prison has a lot to see set on grounds that also house a distillery and a cafe. Gorgeous in fall. Our tour guides were very good story tellers!

Cool Building
Cashea S.

We have been to many historic penitentiaries and this is by far the worst. The management has completely let this place get run down. There is so much history to this place, yet they take little effort to keep it in good shape. The rooms are dirty and cells are falling apart at the seams. The maximum security cells are so overgrown full of plants and weeds. It would be so much nicer if they just did some general maintenance. The museum part is the only cool part in which there are artifacts from prisoners. Outside of it, it is expensive and you don't feel like you leave with a good background. The distillery is also generic. Even those of us who like moonshine and whiskey found them lacking flavor. The staff don't seem to care about the place or people visiting, as we waited while she took a personal phone call without saying anything to us at the time. It's just not worth the time to visit!

The mountains that ring the prison.
Stephanie Q.

Great day trip if like history. Is really neat to explore and see during the day. You can go in pretty much every building and see different locations within the prison. Price is $16/person but do have military/senior discount. Have a on site distillery and restaurant. Also is near Frozen Head State Park which is a good place to explore also and see where the Barkley Ultramarathon is ran every year. But overall is a good place to see especially if known what all the history of the place and what all took place in that prison before it was shut down in 2008. I wouldn't recommend this place for anyone under 15 due to some of the stories that is in the place and that it is a prison where harden criminals where located at.

Mary Kate E.

So, I used to work at a prison in Nashville. I also knew someone who was incarcerated at Brushy Mountain a long time ago. Not a crowning moment in my life to know that person, but he should have been in longer than what he was. I digress. Moving along, Brushy Mountain now sells moonshine and vodka + is open to the public to tour. What a change to happen since 2009 when it shut its doors. Established in 1896, this prison housed prisoners for minor convictions up to maximum security. Though they had an electric chair, no executions ever occurred here. There were a ton of deaths at Brushy Mountain, but not by sentence. Prisoners were used to mine the area for coal as the prison is surrounded by mountains in the Cumberland Plateau of Morgan County. When Brushy Mountain closed in 2009, most of the inmates were sent to the "new" state prison, Morgan County Complex. One of the most notable inmates during its 113 years open was James Earl Ray, the assassin, of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. In 1977, James Earl Ray escaped Brushy with 7 other inmates only to be returned less than 58 hours later. It is said that he was begging to return back to the prison. Prison escapes were very few and hardly successful due to the mountainous and rocky region that the prison lies. Before taking the tour, my friend and I opted to go to the gift shop/restaurant/moonshine tasting building to get our tickets and to do the shine tasting. Trust me when I saw, doing the alcohol tasting adds an element to the experience. I know, I know. Why would I get a buzz before walking around the prison? Well, the answer is simple - to lighten my nerves and to add some spice to the experience. I succeeded. As far as the moonshine goes, I was not crazy impressed with some of the flavors, but on other the other hand, I really liked the honey and blackberry moonshine. The vodka was smooth and named after the state park nearby, Froze Head. The moonshine is called "End of the Line", very appropriately named considering the location. All booze are made at the onsite distillery. For this tour, allot around 2 to 2.5 hours to get the full experience. I feel like that might even be modest if you want to really take in the sites. There is a 20 minute video that provides commentary on the history of the prison plus insight on what it was like being in the prison both working and as an inmate. There were a couple of inmates that were employed there as tour guides now that we heard stories from about their experience being in the slammer. Brushy is used as an event venue. Want to get married at the prison? No problem! They have an open field that used to be the rec space that is now used for concerts, local events, and if you want - your event. Side note, there were notes on several doors saying "No Paranormal Activity During Daylight Hours". I would be very curious to see people come here at night to do ghost hunting. It wouldn't be my cup o' tea, but I would watch the show on television. The tour costs $15 for self-guided and $25 for a guided tour. We did self-guided. Food ranges from $6 - $14 depending on your selection. They serve mainly comfort food (BBQ, mac and cheese, burgers) and sandwiches. Moonshine tasting is $5. If you buy product, the $5 spent on the tasting is deducted from your bottle purchase. All moonshines and vodkas cost $25/bottle. I uploaded a ton of photos for your viewing. I encourage you to visit!

Bear K.

If you're anywhere within a two hour drive, you should check this place out. Lots of history here. If you're a senior it will cost you $19.62 bottom line, tax included. Not cheap but this is a place you'll only need to visit once and I think you'll be glad you did. Be sure to see the movie which was about 20 minutes. It will give you a lot of insight.

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The ribs were terrible. The guide and prison tour were cool. The restaurant sucked!!!!!!!

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Ask the Community - Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary

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Review Highlights - Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary

It was an amazing experience to walk through and see the inside of the prison as well as walking throughout the grounds.

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Blount Historic Tour Swinging Bridge

Blount Historic Tour Swinging Bridge

5.0(2 reviews)
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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...

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Photos
Blount Historic Tour Swinging Bridge
Blount Historic Tour Swinging Bridge
Blount Historic Tour Swinging Bridge

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Historic Ramsey House - Photo from inside the house during spirits within candlelight tour around Halloween.

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4.9(7 reviews)
36.2 mi

Ramsey House was built in 1797 by Knoxville's first builder, Thomas Hope, for Francis Alexander…read moreRamsey. The home is constructed of Tennessee pink marble and blue limestone. It was known at that time as the finest home in Tennessee. The structure is significant for its original interior and exterior architectural features and its period decorative art collection. The home is said to be haunted, and I feel quite drawn to it, and did feel a presence, will have to keep coming back. It sat empty for many years, and was refurbished in 1952. The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities took it over. It is a historic treasure, you step back in time. They have tours go on their website, blacksmith class, music events, haunted tours, etc...

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Historic Ramsey House - The blacksmith shop is open during a lot of special events and really cool to see!!!

The blacksmith shop is open during a lot of special events and really cool to see!!!

Historic Ramsey House - Candlelight Tour

Candlelight Tour

Historic Ramsey House - Historic Ramsey House, Knoxville, TN

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Historic Ramsey House, Knoxville, TN

Bo Carey History Tours - Bo somehow managed to have beacons on points of interest.

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5.0(1 review)
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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.

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Bo Carey History Tours - Led from above, we stopped by the Fire Hall.

Led from above, we stopped by the Fire Hall.

Bo Carey History Tours - Bo Knows History!

Bo Knows History!

Bo Carey History Tours - The excitement and enthusiasm of his presentation is genuine.

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The excitement and enthusiasm of his presentation is genuine.

Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary - historicaltours - Updated July 2026

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