In 2022, 85 championship teams from across the world convened in Lynchburg, TN to compete for the…read morecoveted title of "The Jack Grand Champion," and judging by their website the Grand Champion team receives a $25K check - not bad!!! my husband and I completed our training and received our Kansas City Barbecue Society [KCBS] BBQ judge's certification and were excited to attend [not judge but attend] our first BBQ competition! It's held annually in October and is such a lovely drive up to Lynchburg! Gary N did a great job of accurately capturing the "feel" of the event in his numerous photos posted here! There are a lot of vendors set up for this event selling eats, t-shirts, and more. There's a large, covered pavilion where the judging happens, and spectators can watch from bleachers. I don't recall the number of judges but I do recall at least one local "celebrity" newscaster among the judges. The Styrofoam containers for judging are deftly prepared and rushed to the judging area with immense intensity - it really is something to watch, and the "food runner" will scream at you to "get out of the way" if they need to! Others referenced free samples, which wasn't the case on our visit, except for the international area. No guests/visitors get samples of the competition BBQ to my knowledge. If you want lunch, you'll need to get something from the vendors. However, the international area competitors did offer us ample samples of their BBQ. They were all very friendly, too! The competition area is fairly spread out, so wear comfortable shoes and the entryway is sloped, so there's that. It's free as far as I know, and everyone should attend at least one championship BBQ competition - the Jack Daniels event is a well-run, fun one to attend.

The damp weather did not effect the day much, but you had to come prepared. One of the best things…read moreof this event is the Fall Peak colors as you drive in from any direction. Coming from Chattanooga area we chose to take the scenic drive down the old highway from Monteagle through Sewanee. As you arrive into town you can start seeing the smoke and smelling the BBQ. This is a very small town but everyone seems to be selling parking. $5-$10 mostly. We parked very close to downtown. The square is fully covered with tents and vendors as you walk in, live country music is playing. All the downtown shops are open and plenty to explore and see in the town. However, food is in our mind and we continue down to the food tents and competition area. Lots of free samples, but I did not see any from the competitors which was a disappointment. But still plenty to see and try. They also have food instructions, vendor demos, Etc I do wish they would move this so it is not the same weekend as Tennessee vs Alabama. We left early to catch the game as I am sure many do. At the least put a big screen up for the crowd. Lynchburg is a great small town and one you should visit. Jack Daniels is a short walk and free tour. Great day.

Loved it! Man they have every kind of fried country fair food you can thing off and let's face it…read morethe only reason people go to home town festivals is for the food....and this one has it!

For the third year in a row, I had a blast at the Tennessee State Fair! I didn't know so many…read morethings could be deep fried - and taste that good! I highly recommend trying to ribbon fries, the dilldog (pickle & corndog combo), the friend pb&j, walking taco and/or the fried Oreos or oatmeal pies! You can purchase tickets in advance online or at the gate. Make sure you bring a clear bag - or they won't let you in! Also, the games are wickedly expensive - typically $10 - so be prepared if you have kids that want to play all the games!

I absolutely love fairs... but this was a disappointment. It costs 15 dollars per person for an…read moreoverrated carnival (it's extra if you purchase your ticket online). I was looking forward learning about TN history/agriculture and to seeing all of the livestock, instead I walked around a large carnival. I'm giving this an extra star because I did go on a Sunday instead of Saturday, but the only livestock there were a few goats and the remainder of the fair was a carnival.

If you're a fan of bluegrass music, the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, etc. - you have to try to the…read moreJamboree! The performers are amazing. The schedule is online, but typically they have the adult competitions the first day, with the finals in the evening (the top 3 in each category perform again) and the country music beginner national championship (12 &under) the second day, along with more adult competitions. In addition to the instrumental performers, they have buck dancing, clogging, flat foot Appalachian dancing, and square dancing. They have an awesome craft fair as well, and plenty of food and drink vendors. The crafts were probably the best we've seen, and we've been to several craft fairs in the area. Prices varied, but there was an awesome woodworking booth that was incredibly cheap. The food was mostly typical fair food - gator on a stick, turkey legs, shrimp kabobs, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, etc. - but there was a Greek food truck with Mediterranean salad, a smoothie truck and some other options too. Food prices were a bit high, similar to fair food (ie, $9 for a turkey leg) but all food stations were run by local non-profits (like the fire station, schools, etc.) and the proceeds benefited them. The event itself is free, which is awesome. My husband and I went both days and really enjoyed seeing the beginners on the second day. Some of them were incredible. If it's hot, I highly recommend hats and sunscreen, since most of the seating in front of the stage is not in the shade (there's a small area at the back under the awning of some buildings, but people camped out there to claim those spots early). They were giving out free water, which is nice. Several port-a-potties around, reasonably clean. Only about an hour from Nashville. Check it out sometime!