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.

There's a very helpful brochure at the entrance and if they're out of stock, I've added a picture…read more The brochure tells the story of this cemetery that dates back to 1785 when the oldest church in the county was organized by Scots-Irish in a log building that stood at the north side of the graveyard called Francis Dean's or Robert Henderson's Lower Meeting House. Dean owned the land and Henderson was the first pastor of the church. The brochure continues, "When the church was founded in 1785, Dandridge was just a small western outpost nestled along the French Broad River in Caswell County, State of Franklin, where most people were living in scattered log cabins. The ace of cession by North Carolina paved the way for the formation of the State of Franklin which almost became the nation's 14th state and survived for four years under its own government even though North Carolina would never officially recognize the Franklinites." It was peaceful and interesting and quite historic. If you're heading to Dandridge, stop in and visit the final resting place of these pioneers. [Review 20105 overall - 461 in Tennessee - 1081 of 2023.]

So old. Yeah, this is pretty neat. Dating back to around 1785, interred here are the graves of…read moreRevolutionary War veterans and early citizens of Dandridge. The are only a handful of headstones and they are all unmarked and weathered - in a really cool historic way. There are several stone benches and the grounds are well maintained. The local attendant at the visitor center told me much more oral history; apparently you may never guess it by the size of this little hill mound but approximately 200 unknown graves lie underneath. Oh my.

Toured the Carter Mansion today ($7 per person) Tours are not everyday. Call Sycamore Shoals, or…read morecheck their Facebook site for tour days, and time. We got to see every room in the house, except the basement, which has wood floors. A painting over the fireplace was pretty cool. It was painted over with white paint years ago, and while the restoration group was taking paint "samples", they realized something was under the white paint, which turned out to be a painting. Only one piece of furniture was original to the house, which was a chair. We checked out the family cemetery, and walked down to the Watauga river which is actually in front of the house. This is the oldest framed house in Tennessee. Interesting piece of history.

7/25/26 My husband…read moreand I like to go on a cave trip every year for our anniversary. This year, we traveled from Ohio to the Bristol area. We took a trip to Appalachian Caverns on the second day of our trip and it became the 28th cave/cavern that we have visited in the US. We loved our tour here and our tour guide Roger was great! He was so funny while having a great balance of knowledge to share. We heard so much new information while on the tour and loved hearing about the bat population. We also got to see two bats while walking through. The bridges over the water were our favorite part. So beautiful! We highly recommend stopping in for a tour!

So they give tours about every hour or so. I think it was about 45 minutes. They had 2 tour guides…read morewhile we were there . But our tour guide complained alot about his life. We did joke around about some things, but at least pretend you enjoy your job. They had a couple cute doggos that greet you while you are there. They also have a little store with a lot of different kinds of rocks if that is your thing.

For fans of The Hunger Games films, this is a must-see!…read more We stopped in on a beautiful spring day. We were given an informative tour by Donavan, who was hilarious and full of knowledge. After the tour, we were free to explore the 78 acres. It's a beautiful place and we had a great time looking at the mill homes and the surrounding terrain. They also offer a military discount which is always appreciated! Great place!

Excellent self guided tour, was very cool to see........however.......there are NO SIGNS stating…read moreit's "more of a museum" and that you have to pay to walk thru. That being said the guy that runs the place was very rude to me and my elderly mother!

The Abingdon Sculpture We stopped in a park in this little city while we were on our road trip…read morethrough NC. This park had all kinds of public art and statues and things. This is one of the cooler looking designs and landmarks for the town. We love seeing things like this and adding it so others can see.

In 1852, Joseph Anderson bought acreage on other side of the Tennessee-Virginia border where two…read morerailroad lines were planned to meet. He started a town called Bristol on the Tennessee side, with his house being the first building. The settlement on the other side of the border came to be known as Goodsonville after the city's founder Samuel Goodson. The borders of their lands would help form the city boundaries, but since they abutted each other so closely, the distinction began to seem a bit perfunctory. Goodsonville would officially rename itself Bristol in 1890. As the towns grew, their downtowns would follow State Street, the center of which contains boundary markers between the yellow lane lines. Yes, you'll see the brass name plates embedded in the center of the roadway. You'll see a difference in the sidewalks on each side. You'll notice historical markers are different on each side as well. And of course, the beautiful sign that proclaims Bristol Virginia and Bristol Tennessee "A good place to live." I don't know how many other cities are intentionally split like this. [Review 14959 overall, 461 of 2021, number 1268 in Virginia.]

The Lincoln Theatre was opened in 1929 and its history is quite fascinating. My friends live in…read moreMarion and wanted me to see the local offerings. We went into the theater shop midday and they asked the lovely woman running the theater if we could have a tour? She was in the middle of getting ready for that night's Rocky Horror Picture Show, but in true sweet Southern hospitality, cheerfully let us in so we could look around and she could talk to us about the establishment. The theatre was lovingly restored in the 1980s by locals who turned it into a nonprofit. PBS broadcasts its Song of the Mountains show here monthly. The woman we spoke to was working on grants to bring in movies and other performances to the theater. It would be a great venue for all of the above. As I had an early flight home the next day, we didn't come back to see the show, but I truly believe this is a gem to be checked out in Marion.

Perfect venue in a small town, have seen great entertainment here! All seating has great views,…read moreprices are reasonable

Love the history. Knowledge is power. Showed off the area to West Coast visitors. ThEIR…read morecomments: Lovely small town. Great weather when we (Group 1) were there in the late Spring! (Group 2) All Leaf views extraordinary (last) Fall. (Both Groups) People unbelievably friendly! Smiles everywhere! Safe place, no lunacy! Quite inexpensive compared to other places around the country.

Installed in 2014, this historical marker was placed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. It is not…read morean official Commonwealth of Virginia marker. It is located on the Bristol border of Tennessee and Virginia next to where the rail line crosses State Street. The marker is in excellent condition. It reads, "On this site was formerly located the Bristol general Confederate Hospital. it was housed in the former Exchange Hotel erected in 1858 (later known as the Nickels House). The building was demolished in about 1898. Sick and wounded soldiers were brought here by train for medical and surgical treatment. Bristol was approximately halfway between the battlefields of Virginia and the south. Over 100 men who died in this hospital are buried in East Hill Cemetery six blocks east. This marker placed by James Keeling Camp 52. Sons of Confederate Veterans." From to a news article https://heraldcourier.com/news/local/bristol-civil-war-hospital-finally-gets-honored/article_fda0d902-ce72-11e3-b891-001a4bcf6878.html, "Confederate injured were thus transported from battle via the era's "interstate highway" and to Bristol's Confederate Hospital. They were then quickly taken to a ramp of entry at the hospital... Exact numbers of patients served and soldiers who died within the hotel, which operated from 1862 until the end of the Civil War in 1865, are not known." "As the guys died," Hawthorne said, "they were put on the back porch (of the hospital), loaded into a wagon that went up the dirt trail -- about straight up the steep bank, to East Hill Cemetery." East Hill Cemetery is nearby: https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-hill-cemetery-bristol?hrid=SpdF3SgglzNChTsdrCXqxA [Review 15002 overall, 504 of 2021, number 1281 in Virginia.]