Tennessee

Tennessee is a US state in the South.

Regions
Tennessee is divided by law and custom into three major regions, locally known as Grand Divisions. Each Grand Division is known for its distinctive musical heritage: Bluegrass (East), Country (Middle), and Blues (West).



Cities

 * Nashville - Country music capital of the world and the Tennessee state capital.
 * Chattanooga - home of the Chattanooga Choo Choo and the Tennessee Aquarium.
 * Cookeville - home of Tennessee Tech University.
 * Gatlinburg - Gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
 * Greeneville - one of America’s Most Charming Towns & Villages
 * Johnson City - site of East Tennessee State University and the USVA Mountain Home.
 * Knoxville - Home of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville
 * Memphis - Home of the blues and the birthplace of rock 'n' roll.
 * Pigeon Forge - Home of Dollywood - Country Legend Dolly Parton's amusement park.

Other destinations

 * Appalachian National Scenic Trail
 * Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
 * Great Smoky Mountains National Park
 * Obed Wild and Scenic River
 * Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

Talk
Many native Tennesseans speak in the dialect of the American South. This dialect changes slightly as you cross through each region, and will be especially pronounced in rural areas

Generally speaking, it is accepted that people in the South speak more slowly, carefully, and politely than those from the North. In particular, visitors from larger cities will have to adjust to the different pace of speech if they visit Tennessee's smaller mountain towns; speaking quickly and bluntly can be perceived as inconsiderate and may gather a negative response.

By car
The legal driving age is 15 if you have a learners permit, 16 on a restricted license, and 17 on a unrestricted license. Anyone with a learners permit cannot be driving from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. or more with more than one passenger for one year or until reaching age 18, whichever is sooner.

Interstate 40 criss-crosses the state from west to east, connecting Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and the Smoky Mountain Region. Interstate 55 is entirely situated in Memphis. Interstate 155 crosses from Missouri into northwest Tennessee, ending in Dyersburg. Interstate 24 enters from Kentucky near Clarksville, passes through Nashville and ends in Chattanooga (but not before briefly dipping into Georgia for about three miles). Interstate 65 runs through Nashville in its trek from Kentucky to Alabama. Interstate 75, coming from Kentucky, links Knoxville with Chattanooga before heading into Georgia. Interstate 81 starts at Interstate 40 just east of Knoxville and heads northeast to Bristol before moving into Virginia. In the Kingsport area, Interstate 26 runs south from Interstate 81 into North Carolina (towards Asheville), while Interstate 181 heads toward Kingsport and the Virginia state line.

By plane
There are several airports in the state. Memphis International Airport is served by several airlines, with flights to Toronto Canada. Nashville International Airport is also served by many other airlines and has flights to many different domestic destinations (as it is a hub for Southwest Airlines), as well as service to European hubs such as London-Heathrow and Frankfurt. There is air service at smaller airports at Maryville (Knoxville), Chattanooga and Bristol. Southern Tennessee is easily accessible to the Huntsville, AL, airport.

By train
Amtrak service in Tennessee is limited to the City of New Orleans service stopping in Memphis and Newbern.

By bus
Greyhound offers service throughout Tennessee. Megabus offers service to Memphis (from Chicago, Champaign-Urbana, St. Louis, Atlanta, Birmingham, Dallas, and Little Rock), to Nashville (from Atlanta), to Chattanooga (from Atlanta), and to Knoxville (from Washington, D.C., Christiansburg and Atlanta).

Get around
As in most American states, automobiles are the primary form of travel. In larger cities you will find public bus systems, and Greyhound buses are an option for travel in between cities. There are also major airports in all large cities (Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, and the Tri-Cities) and many smaller airports scattered across the state.

There is no option for rail travel to the central or eastern parts of the state. However, Amtrak runs the fabled "City of New Orleans" line through Memphis and Newbern. This is certainly worth considering if you are planning to visit those areas, especially if you are heading along the Mississippi River. Also, the city of Nashville operates a commuter rail from the suburbs to the downtown area.

See

 * Rock City, near Chattanooga. Famous for "See Rock City" signs all over the southeastern United States, especially on birdhouses.
 * Graceland, in Memphis.

Eat
Tennessee is one of the Southern states benefitting from the current food renaissance: In Memphis, missing Rendezvous, host to American Presidents and Prime Ministers (President Bush and Japanese PM Koizumi dined here after a tour of Graceland in 2006) would be a sin. In Nashville, try some hot chicken, or dine at Etch, or M Restaurant. In East Tennessee try Alleia Chattanooga or, in Knoxville The Lonesome Dove is a must.

Do
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a World Heritage Biosphere Reserve and draws millions of visitors from around the region and the world annually. Covering nearly 1,000 square miles it is home to temperate rainforests and some of the rarest and most unique plant life in North America. The park currently suffers from high levels of air pollution due to surrounding cities such as Knoxville and Sevierville as well as the numerous coal-fired power plants of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Traffic congestion is fairly severe within the Park's Cades Cove "loop," as many people stop to take in the vistas of the sprawling valley and its many deer and bears that freely roam the area. If you plan to go, car pool if you can.

Drink
The legal drinking and purchasing age of alcoholic beverages is 21. 14 counties in the state of Tennessee are completely dry.

Because of a 17% wholesale tax, beer is more expensive in Tennessee. Gas stations are allowed to sell beer. There is some craft beer in Tennessee. Ghost River is brewed in Memphis and Yazoo is brewed in Nashville. There also is Yuengling in Tennessee.

Floods
During the spring months, the state is often heavily affected by major rain storms which lead to a risk of major flood potential. These floods are by NO MEANS on a small scale; they are often widespread and last for several days or even weeks. In May of 2010, the state experienced a "1000 year flood" which resulted in numerous fatalities and over $2 billion of property damage statewide.

Travelers to the region during this season should consider planning ahead; stay informed about weather events in the region before making your journey. If there is an eminent flood warning or an ongoing threat of a flood occurring in the area at which you plan to travel to or through, consider deferring your travel plans or take an alternate route to your final destination. Avoid flood ravaged areas, as these areas are unsafe for any non-essential travel.

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
Although it is not anywhere near the official "tornado alley", the state (particularly its central and western regions) does experience very violent thunderstorms during the spring and summer months of the year. These thunderstorms frequently have the potential to spawn small scale tornadoes, but this is not to say that the potential for larger scale events is not possible. During the April 2009 tornado outbreak, the city of Murfreesboro was struck by a very intense EF-4 tornado which resulted in 2 deaths and caused $40 million in property damage.

Therefore, any travelers to this region during these months should be vigilant of the changing weather conditions.

Refer to the Tornado safety page for more details regarding this matter.

Get out

 * Arkansas - Tennessee's southwestern neighbor, "The Natural State" is home to the Ozark Mountains in the northwest while the south and east of the state has flatter land and shows more of its agricultural heritage.
 * Missouri - The state's northwestern neighbor is home Branson, a music mecca similar to Nashville (but nowhere near as large), and St. Louis, the gateway to the West.
 * Kentucky - Tennessee's northern neighbor is the Bluegrass State, home to the Kentucky Derby, Mammoth Cave National Park and the Corvette Museum.
 * Virginia - Located across Tennessee's northeast corner, Virginia is known for the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park.
 * North Carolina - Located east of Tennessee, North Carolina is where you'll find Chimney Rock, Biltmore Estate and Grandfather Mountain.
 * Georgia - Tennessee's southeastern neighbor is across the border from Chattanooga. Located here are Rock City, the historic village of Helen, and the vibrant city of Atlanta.
 * Alabama - The state to the south of Tennessee has the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville and the popular Gulf Shores resort region.
 * Mississippi - Southwest of Tennessee, Mississippi boasts Civil War battlefields, scenic parkways, antebellum charm, and riverboat casinos.

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