A shallow rectangle, only one hundred miles from north
to south, TENNESSEE stretches 450 miles from the Mississippi
to the Appalachians, and divides into three distinct
regions. The marshy western third of the state occupies
a low plateau edging down toward the Mississippi. Only
in the far southwest corner do the bluffs rise high enough
to permit a sizeable riverside settlement - the exhilarating
port of Memphis . Tennessee's largest city is a magnet
for music fans, as the birthplace of urban blues and
long-time home of Elvis . The fine plantation homes and
tidy old towns of middle Tennessee 's rolling farmland
reflect the comfortable lifestyle of its pioneers; smack
at the heart of this is Nashville , still country music's
capital, despite upstart competition from Branson and
Myrtle Beach. The mountainous east shares its top attraction
with North Carolina - the peaks, streams and meadows
of Great Smoky Mountains National Park .
Until the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority,
the opening of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and
the building of the interstate highways, life had continued
in the remote hills and valleys of eastern Tennessee
in much the same way as it had ever since the arrival
of the first pioneers. Now visitors flock here for its
endless expanses of natural beauty; and as a result Eastern
Tennessee now rivals its more well-known neighbors for
the tourist trade. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge have emerged
as well traveled areas but Townsend remains quieter
and more the rural Tennessee most people think of.
Set amid the gentle hills and fertile farmlands of central
Tennessee, NASHVILLE attracts six million people each
year - a mixture of devoted fans and the just plain curious
- to immerse themselves in country music . They come
to enjoy themselves, and the city makes sure that they
do, offering not just the relatively mainstream Country
Music Hall of Fame and Grand Ole Opry , but all the wonders
of "Tacksville." To make the most of this facet
of Nashville, you need to abandon any idea of detachment,
and get out there among the nightspots and gift emporia,
joining the quest for souvenir T-shirts, Stetsons, rattlesnake
belts and photos of your favorite star.
These Tennessee vacation homes, condos, and lodges are
presented by their Owners or agents. Please click on the links provided, then contact Owners directly with your inquiries.
