Margaret Littman - Moon Tennessee: With the Smoky Mountains: Outdoor Recreation, Live Music, Whiskey, Beer & BBQ

Roaring Fork Auto Nature Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

My first visit to Tennessee was when I was a teenager. Back then I wasnt able to articulate what drew me to this Southern destination. But in the years since, Ive moved away and come back, and now am quite verbose when it comes to the state where I make my home.

Tennessee offers a suggestion for every season, every mood, and every personality. Its the cradle of country music and the birthplace of the blues. Its produced Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, and history-making statesmen. Creativity of all kinds seems to flow in the rivers and in the veins of the folks who call the Volunteer State home.

That creativity is evident even to visitors just passing through. It fosters an entrepreneurial energy that results in funky, offbeat music clubs for jamming, quirky boutiques for shopping, and one-of-a-kind roadside eateries for... well, eating. Introduce yourself to bluegrass and the Nashville Sound, to Appalachian crafts and Black heritage quilts, to meat-and-three, hot chicken, and barbecue. You will soon become well acquainted with (and enamored of) them all.

The creative spirit seems to inhabit the landscape as well. East Tennessee has mountainsscenic peaks that climb up to kiss the clouds and plunge down into valleys. Moving west, the mountains become the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee and then the plains toward Memphis and the mighty Mississippi, the countrys lifeblood river.

breakfast at The Memphian

the Duckmaster at The Peabody Hotel Memphis

National Civil Rights Museum

Come to eat, to drink, to distill, to study, to shop, to hike and climb, to fish and run rivers, to hear music, to play music... it doesnt matter. No matter what brings you here, Southern hospitality ensures that youll feel at home minutes after your arrival. Tennessees geography, its arts, its history, and its people all guarantee you can be here a lifetime and never be bored.

John Oliver Place in Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains

Hattie Bs in Nashville.

Bald River Falls off the Cherohala Skyway

Listen to Live Music: Whether its blues on , live music goes deep in Tennessee.

Meet the Legends: Get to know the stories behind your favorite entertainers: Elvis at .

Honor the Fight for Civil Rights: The Civil Rights Movement can be traced across the state from the in Clinton.

Experience Mountain Culture: Theres a rich heritage in the mountains. Start at the .

Take a

Go Chasing Waterfalls: For three of the best waterfall vistas, check out .

Indulge in : From Memphiss barbecue to Nashvilles hot chicken, your taste buds are in for a treat.

: Tennesseans are expert distillers, thanks in part to the water bubbling up from the states springs. Sample some for yourself.