Covered Bridges in Tennessee

We love finding covered bridges. We've traveled all over the Northeast searching for covered bridges and believe me, there are plenty to be found there. Here in East Tennessee, we have found three covered bridges that are worth checking out. The Harrisburg Covered Bridge, built in 1875, and located in Sevierville, Tn. was completely renovated in 2004. http//www.tdot.state.tn.us/bridges/existing/Harrisburgbridge.htm. This bridge crosses over a portion of the Little Pigeon River and has a beautiful setting as you can see in the pictures. We actually bought a lot adjacent to this bridge several years ago but turned around and sold it a couple of years ago. The bridge and the stream obviously was the main attraction for the lot. After doing a lot of clearing of the lot and dreaming about what to build there, we decided to move on to yet another project. Sometimes, we just don't know where we're going the next day.

The 2nd one is in Elizabethton, TN http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/bridges/existing/Elizabethtonbridge.htm. This bridge was built in 1882 over the Doe River. There is a picnic/park built around the bridge which makes for a great place to slow down and be at peace for a few minutes. There are some gorgeous old homes near this bridge that's worth checking out.

The 3rd covered bridge is in an area near Gatlinburg, TN called Pittman Center. This one is called Emerts Cove Bridge (pictured below) and is located approx. 1/2 mile off of 321N on Hills Creek Rd. This bridge, built in 2000, is fairly new and was built by the community and certainly made a nice addition to the neighborhood.

Cherohala Skyway and Bald Creek Falls

For another trip to the mountains take a drive to Tellico Plains, TN. Take I-75 south from Knoxville, then south on Hwy 68 till you come to Rt. 165 which is the Cherohala Skyway http//www.cherohala.com/. This skyway is 21 miles on the Tennessee side and 15 miles on the North Carolina side. This is a beautiful drive at a pretty high elevation most of the way. We drove it one winter day after it had snowed and the roads had been cleared but the snow was still hanging from the trees. It was an awesome snowy scene.

Bald Creek Falls http//www.telliquah.com/Falls/Falls.htm is a waterfall that is located on Rt. 68 right beside the highway. Just park your car wherever you can and you can walk down to the waterfall. This is an area that the kayakers love when the water is running high. Sometimes you might get lucky and see them riding over some pretty high drops on the Tellico River.

Cades Cove and Abrams Falls

This is a trip for any warm, sunny day. Cades Cove is located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm. We love it about any time of the year. Spring is nice when everything is alive and blooming and Fall is nice when the colors are at their peak. The drive around the Cades Cove http://http//www.cadescove.net/auto_tour.html is 11 miles or you can cut across at Sparks Lane or Hyatt Lane and shorten your drive. Usually in the morning hours or late evening there are plenty of animals out feeding. Occassionally you might see a bear. We also rode our bicycles around it a few times. During the summer months the road is not open to cars on Saturdays from about 6am to 10am. Makes for a super ride with just bikes or walkers. There are some hills that we usually have to push our bikes up but most of the road is either level or downhill. It's a very beautiful and peaceful ride. We also rode it one time at night. That was really an experience. It gets very dark in there at night without proper lighting (that's another story for another time). There are lots of places to stop and picnic or tour some of the old cabins that remain from the pioneer days. There is still a working mill and two churches from the pioneer days. If you live in this part of the country or come to visit, you must visit Cades Cove. It's hard to imagine how tough life was for the pioneers lived there so long ago.

About half way around if you like to hike there is Abrams Falls http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/waterfalls.htm. It's an easy 1 1/2 hr hike to the falls. It's a beautiful waterfall. A great place to cool off those feet on a hot day before hiking back to the car. If you take this drive in the fall when the colors are at their peak the traffic is bumper to bumper so we would advise going at another time unless you get there really early. It's a wonderful way to spend a day in the mountains.

Bristol Motor Speedway Christmas Lights

We had heard about the Christmas lights at the Bristol Motor Speedway http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/events/speedway_in_lights/ in Bristol, Tn. a few years ago but had never taken the opportunity to see them until my brother-in-law moved to Johnson City just a few miles away. The light show, which is amazing, is synchronized with music that you listen to in your car as you drive through. You actually get to drive your car inside the Speedway itself onto the track with that famed high embankment. I had visions of driving like Jimmie Johnson for a fleeting second until I realized that my 4 cylinder family car had to exit to continue on the designated path. You only get to drive around 1 lap so I had to keep my speed down and they don't allow drafting. Who would have thought that a speedway could get you in the Christmas spirit. I know that I didn't prior to seeing this huge array of lighting. It was really neat to drive through in the comfort of your own car while staying toastie warm with the car heater. The prices are reasonable at $10/car Sunday thru Thursday and $12/car on Friday and Saturday night. This is a Christmas treat for the whole family.

Holiday Season Model Train Display

If you love model trains, this Christmas exhibit in the UT Gardens on the Agriculture Campus in Knoxville, Tn. http://agriculture.tennessee.edu/news//releases/2009/0911HolidayExpress.html is a must see. The display has 10 garden-scale model trains along with real water falls, tunnels, mountains, buildings, and lights. I even thought how cool it would be to build one of these layouts in my backyard until I found out the cost for just one of these train engines. You should see the eyes on the kids (yes, we're all kids when it comes to trains) as they walk in and see this for the first time. There is truly a fasination about miniature working layouts of model trains that will mesmerize any age. Be sure to check out the schedule on their website above since it is only on display a certain time during each Christmas season. The cost is only $5/person and free for children under 4. Also, don't forget to take in the UT Gardens while you're there. All of the money goes to the UT Gardens, which is a very worthwhile cause, which people enjoy throughout the year at no cost. You'll see hundreds of different plants and trees. Make your Christmas season special by dropping by.

A Sea Of Orange

If you've never been to a Tennessee football game on a beautiful fall day, you have to put this experience on your bucket list. It is truly a "happening" in East Tennessee.

I'm a huge Vol fan, but don't worry, even if you don't even like football, this is a treat that you will want to experience. What better place to just "people watch", eat all that food that is so good for you (right!!!), music, singing Rocky Top all night long, and being among all of those bright eyed young men and women pursuing their dreams.

The color and sounds continue to build up with the "VOL WALK" (check out the photo of the kid in the tree getting a better view)





and the band marching into the stadium until the VOLS run through the T onto the field in front of 100,000+ screaming fans.






Check out the video posted below. Don't pay any attention to the guy that seems to be squealing (that's me, couldn't contain myself). Neyland Stadium, pronounced knee-land, is truly a landmark stadium and one of the best places to experience college football in the country.

During your stay in Knoxville don't miss out on a couple of landmark restaurants themselves. One is "Ye Old Steakhouse" http://www.yeoldesteakhouse.com/ on Chapman Hwy. (featured by ESPN as one of the best in town). You'll love the roasted potatoes w/ onions. Litton's restaurant http://littonsburgers.com/, also featured by ESPN, has the best cheeseburger in town. Make sure you save room for desert. The Ole College Inn http://oldcollegeinn.com/ on the UT strip is another can't miss option.

When you are ready to lay your head down after the big game and all of that food, there is a Hampton Inn http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/hotels/index.jhtml;jsessionid=E31OMPGCIKJA4CSGBJC3MQQ?ctyhocn=TYSHSHX right downtown in addition to a Hilton http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/KNXKHHF-Hilton-Knoxville-Tennessee/index.do nearby.

The other photos below are my wife, attending her one game of the year, son Todd, and myself. Don't just write this down, just do it. You'll never regret it. Oh yeah, wear something ORANGE.

Lincoln Memorial University In Harrogate, Tn.

We had passed by this university many times over the years when we were driving to Kentucky to get lottery tickets (so we gamble!!!!) before Tennessee got Powerball. We'd always say that we need to stop one of these days and check out the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum http://www.lmunet.edu/museum/index.html located on the Lincoln Memorial University campus in Harrogate, Tn. Well guess what, this particular winter day, when we needed an escape, was THE day. We were really impressed with the amount of information and artifacts located in this museum. The museum houses one of the most diverse Lincoln and Civil War collections in the country with many rare items on exhibit. There's also a nice gift shop on site. We found this attraction to be a bargain at $5/adult and $3.50/seniors (60+). Sometimes being a senior can be beneficial. This is another great stop for history buffs.

After leaving LMU, we continued driving north along 25E and took an exit to route 58 into Virginia for just a few miles and came upon the Wilderness Road State Park http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/wil.shtml. The Wilderness Road was a route carved by Daniel Boone in 1775, which opened America's first Western frontier. There is a state of the art visitor center that has an outstanding movie about the people who settled here and their place in history. The fort itself is a replica of a colonial frontier fort w/people dressed from that era. Very educational and a great stop.

If you're heading up to Harrogate from the south and driving through Morristown on Hwy. 25E, don't fail to stop at the overlook looking back south toward Cherokee Lake. This is an awesome view looking at the Applachian Mountains in the distance and the lake just below. We've been told that it is a fantastic site to do some star gazing as well.