Top 25 Attractions in Tennessee

Popular Tennessee landmarks and tourist spots

• 1 Graceland

  7.3 /10

  

  If you visit Graceland, it's obvious that you are a fan of the legendary singer, Elvis Presley. This is one of America's second most highly visited private homes, second only after the White House that attracts over 60,000 visitors each year.
  
  This white-pillared mansion called Graceland is built in Georgian Colonial style on a 13-acre property and is situated in Memphis, Tennessee ...

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• 2 Beale Street

  7.3 /10

  

  In 1841, an American entrepreneur and developer Robertson Topp in Memphis, Tennessee, named Beale Street after a military hero. However, its original name wasn't Beale Street but Beale Avenue. At the time, its western end shops of merchants who traded along the Mississippi River, and on its eastern end lived the rich and famous. As time passed, several black musicians performed on this street, of whom the first was the Young Men's Brass Band ...

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• 3 National Civil Rights Museum

  7.3 /10

  

  In downtown Memphis, at 450, Mulberry Street is situated the National Civil Rights Museum around which history abounds. In fact, no American can shrug it off because of the deep sentiments attached to it. For it was on the balcony of Lorraine Motel where the American civil rights activist and leader Rev. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Today, this is the site of this museum which is constructed in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, around the former Lorraine Motel ...

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• 4 Lookout Mountain

  7 /10

  

  In just a few minutes from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, you'll find the amazing and scenic Lookout Mountain. Located in a city of Walker County, Georgia, it boasts of several tourist attractions including the country's biggest hang gliding.
  
  History: The Mountain originates in Alabama, about 50 miles to the west and south of Chattanooga, Tennessee ...

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• 5 Pyramid Arena

  7 /10

  

  On the banks of the Mississippi River in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, you're sure to come across the Pyramid Arena—a 20,142-seat arena. Built in 1991 in the shape of a stainless steel pyramid, the original owners were the city of Memphis and Shelby County. Its unique structure is a throwback to the original in Egypt with which it shares its name.
  
  Specifications: It is 98 meters tall and its base sides measure 591 feet ...

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• 6 Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium

  7 /10

  

  When looking for something interesting to do in Memphis, Tennessee, go to the Pink Palace Museum and Planetarium – it's a fascinating science and history museum. Originally built in 1923, it was the home of Clarence Saunders, who founded the Piggly Wiggly grocery stores. The house was later donated to Memphis in March 1930 and was called the Memphis Museum of Natural History and Industrial arts.
  
  When visitors spend the day at this Museum and Planetarium, there are several sites to visit as well as activities to do, such as:
  
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• 7 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  7 /10

  

  For travelers appreciating the outdoors, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides challenging hikes, and incredible scenery. There is an abundance of activities that are available to visitors that can keep even the most difficult children and teenagers interested and excited. The Great Smoky Mountains are a spectacular mountain range running along the eastern border of Tennessee, and are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains ...

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• 8 Dollywood

  7 /10

  

  Dolly Parton is an American icon, and her theme park, Dollywood in eastern Tennessee, is about 35 miles from Knoxville at the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountain. There is so much to do that it will take some planning to decide what to do each day. With affordable vacation packages, seasonal passes, group rates, and day passes, there is a great package for everyone.
  
  Dollywood is a theme park that has an amazing variety of activities that family members of all ages will enjoy, including:
  
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• 9 CMA Music Festival

  7 /10

  

  For those who truly love country music, the CMA Music Festival is absolute heaven! This four day music event occurs each year in June, in Nashville, Tennessee, and is hosted by the Country Music Association. This great festival started in 1972 and has grown exponentially to over 400 artists and celebrities now participating. People have come from all over the world to attend the festival.
  
  Since there are numerous performances during the event, a variety of stages have been built and there are many activities going on each day, such as:
  
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• 10 Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

  7 /10

  

  The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art was founded in 1916 and is clearly the oldest art museum in Tennessee, and the original building is a national landmark in America. This is a great place to spend a day and visit the galleries, and participate in the various activities that are available each month. Both traveling exhibits and permanent collections are found in this exceptional museum.
  
  There are several activities that visitors to the Museum of Art can see and participate in, such as:
  
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• 11 Ruby Falls

  7 /10

  

  Talk about one of the most interesting waterfalls in the world, Ruby Falls in underground in a cave that was formed around 240 million years ago during the Carboniferous era, towards the end of the Paleozoic period. The Ruby Falls Cave is a limestone cave that is part of the Lookout Mountain Caverns. For the spelunker enthusiasts, this is a truly fantastic cave to visit.
  
  For those outdoorsy travelers, Ruby Falls is in a beautiful area of eastern Tennessee, year round, there are numerous activities here, including:
  
  1 ...

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• 12 Tennessee Aquarium

  7 /10

  

  The Tennessee Aquarium, near Chattanooga, is housed in a remarkable building and boasts the largest freshwater aquarium in the world. The River Journey and Ocean Journey buildings provide a fantastic home to over 12,000 animals, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and so much more. This is an amazing facility to spend a day or two, and provides an array of fun and information to visitors ...

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• 13 Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

  7 /10

  

  The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Nashville, Tennessee and functions as a museum of musical history as well and an international arts venue. The Hall of Fame was created in 1961 when the Country Music Association announced the first three members to their hall of fame, including Jimmie Rodgers, Fred Rose, and Hank Williams, and the museum opened in 1967.
  
  With the combination of the Music Hall of Fame and Museum, there are many activities for visitors to enjoy ...

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• 14 Centennial Park & Parthenon Replica

  7 /10

  

  The Centennial Park and Parthenon Replica is located in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, and is a 132-acre urban park. In 1897, the Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition created a full-scale model of the Athenian Parthenon that remained when it closed. This park was originally farmland belonging to Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill, the first teacher in Tennessee ...

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• 15 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival

  7 /10

  

  Tennessee is certainly home to country music and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is no exception. This is a four to five day festival that has been held on a 700 acre farm near Manchester, Tennessee since 2002. This festival features an amazing array of live music that includes country, bluegrass, folk, gospel, jazz, and many more varieties that musicians and visitors alike enjoy ...

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• 16 Ryman Auditorium

  7 /10

  

  The Ryman Auditorium was known as the Grand Old Opry House, which originally was the home to the Union Gospel Tabernacle, and later home to the famous Grand Ole Opry. It was built in 1892 by Thomas Ryman to hold revival meetings, and where Sam Jones, a celebrated revivalist, entertained visitors with his amazing wit and great story-telling. This building is considered a national landmark.
  
  There are still many events that occur at the Ryman Auditorium that visitors can enjoy year around, such as:
  
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• 17 Nashville Zoo

  7 /10

  

  Children and adults of all ages will enjoy the Nashville Zoo. This zoo houses animals from all over the world and regardless of whether the interest lies in birds, mammals, fish, or reptiles, this wonderful zoo can accommodate every enthusiast. The have a wide variety of habitats and many projects and activities that children and adults alike can participate in and enjoy throughout the year ...

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• 18 Memphis in May Festival

  7 /10

  

  Need something to do during of May? Try the Memphis in May Festival. This is a month long celebration highlighting the music of the area, featuring fabulous food that everyone will enjoy, and providing special events that are sure to excite all visitors to the area. Its illustrious history dates back to the 1800s when African American musicians would gather around Beale Street to perform ...

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• 19 Sun Studios

  7 /10

  

  Sam Phillips started Elvis, B.B. King, and many other greats at the most famous Sun Studios in Memphis. It was originally named the Memphis Recording Studio, sharing the same building with Sun Records – quite convenient for everyone. The birthplace of rock and roll began in 1951 with Jackie Brenston and The Delta Cats ...

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• 20 Mud Island

  7 /10

  

  A really fun place to spend the day is Mud Island – and no, it's not a great place to take a mud bath – in fact it's not even an island, it's a peninsula jutting into the Mississippi River. Opened in 1982, soon became home to restaurants, an amphitheater, a museum, a monorail, and several other attractions that entice guests to linger and enjoy the place.
  
  There are a variety of activities to do in and around Mud Island, with such things as:
  
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• 21 Memphis Zoo

  7 /10

  

  The Memphis Zoo is a delightful zoo that is home to more than 3500 animals from around the world. It was built in 1906 as part of Overton Park, and sets on 76 acres. It began with 23 simple cages and a row of concrete dens for the bears, expanding over the years by adding an elephant house, a primate habitat, aquarium, and much more.
  
  There are four zones in the Memphis Zoo that visitors can spend a day or two roaming through, such as:
  
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• 22 Rock City

  7 /10

  

  Rock City is quite the spectacular roadside attraction on Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Described as a "citadel of rocks" on top of a mountain – the sightseers and visitors are stunned at the enormous size of the boulders and how they are "arranged". During a Civil War battle both sides claimed that seven states could be seen from the lookout of the Rock City summit ...

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• 23 Walnut Street Bridge

  7 /10

  

  For those who have never witnessed a truss bridge, the Walnut Street Bridge is an amazing sight. It spans the Tennessee River in Chattanooga, and was built in 1890. The top chord of this bridge is designed in five sections, which is similar to the Camelback design. This is a significantly historical bridge because it is spans a half-mile and is about 120 years old ...

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• 24 Bluff View Art District

  7 /10

  

  Chattanooga offers such a variety of activities and the Bluff View Art District is a paradise for visitors who love the arts. This is set in a historically preserved neighborhood where visitors can find art galleries, gardens, restaurants, beautiful plazas and courtyards, and just a host of activities to refresh and rejuvenate the spirit. This art district is set atop stone cliffs affording an incredible view ...

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• 25 Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel

  5.2 /10

  

  Named after the famous 1941 song, the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel is an amazing hotel housed in a historic landmark – the famous Chattanooga train station. The building is beautiful and charming and contains some original artifacts from the original 1908 train station, although it has been wonderfully restored. With Victorian-style train cars for the guest rooms, this is having an intriguing allure.For visitors staying at the hotel, there are some remarkable things to see and do here ...

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