Tennessee families...

[Disney Mommy 3]

Help me out here!! I posted a while back for some good places to vacation when we are not at Disney. We are from Texas and as bad as I want to go up the East Coast, driving that far is not an option right now. Tennessee is sounding really good, but I don't want to have to research a ton of stuff and miss out on something great. So......could all you Tenn. people help me out and give us some pointers on a trip to your state?

What are a few top must sees, best/worst times to travel,etc. We are in southeast Texas, so we are HOT & HUMID!! What are your best hotels/resorts? Or, should we rent a motor home and stay at RV sites? My kids are boy(12),boy(9), and girl(5). We couldn't go until after the first week of June due to Little League-but after that we are pretty flexible. TIA & help plan our summer trip!!

Oh-hey this could be a contest-people from other states could try to sway us their way I think I like this idea much better!!!

 

[earthyfamily]

My favourite place to visit here is Chattanooga. Luckily it's only a daytrip for us. There's a REALLY great children's museum and an awesome aquarium within walking distance from one another...like you can stand at the aquarium and see the children's museum. The zoo there leaves A LOT to be desired though. As far as a place to stay there, we really like the Holiday Inn Express in Hixton, only a few miles from these places. I know a lot of people might would recommend Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge...I'm just not a fan of those areas though. Oh and btw, I'm a former Texas gal as well.

 

[MissAlaineous]

Ok... We live in Tennessee now. I was born here, but lived in Texas most of my life (El Paso, E. Texas, College Station (Gig 'em), Houston suburbs, Arlington). We have been here a little over 4 years - Knoxville area.

I will second what the previous poster said about the Chattanooga area. There is a lot. The acquarium is really nice, and I love Rock City. It is dorky, but I do love it. The kayaking, etc... for the Atlanta Olympics was done near here, so they have some great rafting in the area.

The Great Smoky Mountains are wonderful. There is Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge right at the entrance. Pigeon Forge - some people love it, some hate it. I think it is ok. We mainly go there for Dollywood.

Dollywood - Really nice amusement park. I like the SHOWS there. There are some great rides, but the shows really make the park.

A little drive away you have Townsend - There you can go and tube. We haven't done it yet, but we might do it this year.

You can also of course hit Memphis and Graceland on the other end of the state.

 

[Utfootballdiva]

I'm in TN.

I would recommend Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. You can rent a VERY NICE cabin for about $100 to $150 per night. We have Dollywood, Splash Country, Nascar race track and tons of other amuesments. Great outlet shopping too!

Good luck!

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Thanks guys! What about the weather? How hot do you get in summer and do you have humidity?

 

[princesslibby]

My favourite place to visit here is Chattanooga. Luckily it's only a daytrip for us. There's a REALLY great children's museum and an awesome aquarium within walking distance from one another...like you can stand at the aquarium and see the children's museum. The zoo there leaves A LOT to be desired though. As far as a place to stay there, we really like the Holiday Inn Express in Hixton, only a few miles from these places. I know a lot of people might would recommend Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge...I'm just not a fan of those areas though. Oh and btw, I'm a former Texas gal as well.

Hixson

Just moved from Chattanooga. Very beautiful area.
Rock City,Coolidge Park,Creative Discovery Museum (childrens museum),Lookouts (AA baseball), The Tennessee Aquarium.
Checkout www.chattanoogafun.com
One caution Riverbend (musical festivel) is June 6-14. It's downtown and they block off some of the roads and parking can be hard to come by. I'm not sure who's scheduled to be there this year. We usually go at least a couple of nights. Fun but crowded.

weather.com Chattanooga zipcode 37421 In June probably 90's.

 

[lisaland]

I'm in North Alabama, about an hour from the Tenn-Ala state line. We love Nashville!!! If you've never been, it's a great country music experience. Most of our "out of town" family members love going. Our favorite restaurant is DEMOS. There is also a Jack Daniels Distillery south of Nashville. I'm not a whiskey drinker but this is a fun little excursion and it's free. My kids even enjoyed it. If you drive south of Nashville to North Alabama, be sure to see the Space and Rocket Center.

I also agree with the poster who suggested the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Favorite restaurant there is Big River Brewery. Delicous food!

Lisaland

 

[jennifer293]

I live about 25 minutes from Chattanooga and I frequent the area more than I do anywhere in my own hometown. I live about 15 minutes from the WhiteWater Center where the Olympic Kayaking was held, but I am not a swimmer so I steer clear of fast moving water.. We love the Creative Discovery Museum and it is only $8.00 per person or so to get in. Rock City and Ruby Falls are nice places, Raccoon Mtn. is cool to go caving if you have never been. The Riverbend Festival is something that I absolutely LOVE!!! It is very congested and busy, but for $30.00 and get to see a different concert every night is fun for me. ZZTop, Black Crowes, and Mercy Me are some of the acts that will be performing next month. There are also plenty of places to go shopping either downtown or surrounding areas.

Go a little further south about 1.5-2 hours(depending on how you drive ) and you can visit Six Flags over GA..very fun place!!!

 

[lemondog]

We are in Nashville and Gatlinburg is one of our favorite vacations! Dollywood is VERY nice...clean, family friendly and fun. The Ripley's Aquarium is not-to-be-missed. The mountains are beautiful. We always rent a cabin in the Chalet Village area of Gatlinburg because it comes with 3 pools/clubhouses to swim at. We rent thru www.mountainchalets.com

In the summer it is hot, but the humidity is NOTHING like Florida/Lousiana and the like. Up in the mountains it is very comfortable even in the summer.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

www.oakhavenresort.com Beautiful luxury cabins near the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area, but far enough out to be secluded.

 

[Disney Mommy 3]

Thanks for all the info guys! We are definitely gonna check this out!

 

[earthyfamily]

You know I knew I was spelling Hixson wrong. I typed it, looked at it, erased it, typed it again...and did this a couple of times before I just gave up.
I can definately get really hot here in the summer...humidity here is a hit or miss situation, being on the river here in Knoxville it can get sticky some days. In the summer though, we really enjoy the riverwalk in Knoxville and the fountains at World's Fair Park. Fun times.

 

[mom2twingirls]

You can also of course hit Memphis and Graceland on the other end of the state.

I lived in Memphis, and personally.. I would stay away from graceland. Unless you are a die hard elvis fan. I went when I still lived there and it is outrageously expensive and personally not worth the money. My mom is a die hard fan and felt she wasted money. Not to mention, it isnt the best part of town and you would be crazy to get caught over in that area after dark . I used to go to pigeon forge and hit up the shops and Dollywood. It is beautiful. Gatlinburg is a great choice as well. HTH.


ETA: Memphis is extremley hot in the summer, doesnt have the FL humidity, but it sometimes felt hotter there than in FL sometimes.

 

[utkscvol1]

I live 20 minutes north of chattanooga. we like going down there. I will warn you of pigeon forge. it is almost always bumper to bumper. Dollywood is ok, but you pay just about as much for it now as you do disney and it is definelty not disney. They have a couple of outlets and there is no shortage of go cart tracks or mini golf.
Chattanooga has some of the best restaurants downtown near the aquarium , creative discovery museum, and imax. Plenty of shopping around the hamilton place area.

It is hot and humid here in the summer. Come prepared!