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Wow, thank you for all the information. Over the next few weeks, I plan to put together several small trips so that I can see what Tennessee has to offer. I will definitely be putting these on my list to check out. Thank you very much.

As a Tennessee native (and descendant of settlers who lived in TN before statehood), I can tell you that you’re missing a lot.

My husband is an 18th century re-enactor, and there are numerous 18th century sites in Middle and especially East Tennessee. There is a 3/4th’s scale replica of Mansker’s Station in Goodlettsville, TN (just outside Nashville), which features living history interpreters on certain days. (There’s also an early 19th century home on the site.) It was the first settlement in Middle TN (and only lasted about 18 months before the survivors packed up and went back upriver towards Knoxville).

Sycamore Shoals (http://www.sycamoreshoalstn.org/Where%20Liberty%20Began.htm) is also an important stop in the history of the U.S. outside the original colonies.

Look up information on the State of Franklin. Haven’t heard of it? TN used to be part of NC. When settlers became irritated with NC’s policies, they broke off and founded their own state and named it Franklin (after Benjamin Franklin). They then petitioned the Continental Congress for recognition as the 14th state (they lost by 2 votes). Franklin was in existence for several years before the rebellious settlers were finally subdued and brought back under the control of NC.

The TN militia–the Overmountain Men–were instrumental in the defeat of royalists at King’s Mountain, SC, and it is thought that their victory was the beginning of the end for English forces in America. (Sycamore Shoals has more information on the Overmountain Men, as it was there that they were mustered.)

Try the Cumberland Gap on the TN/KY border for information on the earliest settlers in East Tennessee. Cades Cove in the Smokey Mountains is also of interest, although it is 19th century. Jonesboro is the oldest town in TN and has many historic homes from the 18th and early 19th centuries (it was also the original capital of the State of Franklin; Greenville was the second capital). Or you might like 18th century Rugby, which was built as a utopia experiment.

Investigate the history of John Ross in Chattanooga or Red Clay State Park in Cleveland if you are interested in the history of the Cherokee people (both before and after the coming of the white man), or skip over to Cherokee, North Carolina, which is just across the border from TN. There is also Russell Cave (http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/oct/05/ancient-alabama/) in Alabama, which was inhabited for thousands of years.

Ft. Boonesboro in Kentucky is also an interesting 18th century site with living history interpreters demonstrating traditional crafts.

For something more modern, go to Oak Ridge, TN. The energy museum there features the history of the city–built entirely by the American government solely for the atomic bomb project. A quick drive around the area reveals many of the original “cemesto” houses which were quickly erected to house the base’s personnel.

And apparently we haven’t yet escaped the history of the Scopes Monkey trial–given that TN recently ruled that teachers can teach creationism along with evolution. There is a re-enactment of the famous trial in Dayton, TN every year.