East Tennessee is a Great Place to Staycation! Ten to Consider

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Lori Riverstone-Newell

With fuel prices doubling over the last two years, many families are opting for 'staycations' over destination vacations. What's a staycation? Put simply, it's a vacation spent at or near home, an increasingly popular choice and an easy one if you live in East Tennessee! According to a recent Rand McNally survey, "two-thirds of U.S. adults who planned to take a road trip this summer have altered their plans because of rising gas prices. According to the survey, more than half--57%--said they will shorten their trip's duration or distance."


Photo by Dave Oby.

Families on staycation have gotten really creative, relying on cook-outs, local pools, and area attractions to occupy their time off - but some want just a little bit more. East Tennesseans looking about for activities won't have a hard time finding them! Here's ten fabulous area staycations to consider:

1.    Spend a day on a lake. Pack a picnic and rent a boat or canoe and navigate the beautiful area waters. Take advantage of the area's whitewater! Go fishing!
2.    Go camping at any of the area's 200 campgrounds!
3.    Take a Planned TN Vacation through Nashville and East Tennessee, exploring the history of country music!
4.    Visit the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for biking, hiking, fishing, horseback riding and more!
5.    Hike a portion of the Appalachian Trail - or all of it!
6.    Plan a few days around a sports museum or a sporting event such as golfing, motorsports, or baseball.
7.    Get away to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for outlet shopping or a day at Dollywood or the Dixie Stampede.
8.    Plan an area wine tour, perhaps with antique shopping along the way!
9.    Plan a tour of East Tennessee's main streets.
10.  Take advantage of the numerous music and arts festivals the state has to offer.

For more information about East Tennessee's activities and attractions, inquire here.

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Music Lovers Turn Attention to Tennessee Farm: Bonnaroo

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Jeremy Floyd

Beating the likes of Lollapalooza, Coachella, and Burning Man, April's Rolling Stone Magazine named Tennessee's Bonnaroo the "ultimate, over-the-top" Best Festival! Bonnaroo is in its seventh year with a full slate of musical, comedic, and other entertainment events to appeal to each of the 80,000+ folks who will attend this year. As a massive caravan in the middle of farm country, they arrive in campers, cars, on bikes, and foot to camp out for this four-day event (there is an RV park for those with campers). Bonnaroo is held each June in Manchester, southwest of Knoxville, on a 700-acre farm, upon which multiple stages are set for "some of the best performers in rock and roll, along with dozens of artists in complementary styles such as jazz, Americana, hip-hop, electronica, and just about any contemporary music you can think of." Promoted by Knoxville based A.C. Entertainment and Superfly Productions, last year's line-up included the Police, Wilco, Widespread Panic, Tool, among many others. The event caught, once again, national attention with write-ups  by the New York Times,  E! Online, Variety, MSNBC, and more. This year's schedule starts with Pearl Jam, Metallica, and Jack Johnson, but the list seems endless - the event organizers have promised over 100 bands!

Sunset at Bonnaroo

Besides music, there are several other activities and events, many of which offer air conditioned spaces to hot and sweaty festival-goers. Some of those activities include the cinema, which runs a variety of movies around the clock; the Arcade Discotheque offers Xbox games galore; a new yoga tent will host classes; and the Broo'ers tent offers a wide variety of "hearty bocks, revitalizing pilsners, crisp pale ales, and more, offered up by great microbreweries from around the country."
 

If this sounds like a modern day Woodstock, you're not the first to make the connection. All of the things that happened there are likely to happen in Manchester, despite rather successful attempts to curb the more questionable behaviors. And festival-goers seem to revel in the hippy-esque environment. Although all aren't into the long skirts and flower themes, those who are rather set the tone. If you are thinking of attending, you must also be prepared to suspend access to some of the creature comforts that most of us consider instrumental to a civil society. Soap is scarce, showers aren't for everyone, and it's June - so it's hot. But for those who can make it, there's a marathon of memories to be made at the Best Festival in the country!

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