First time visit to Tennessee
 

Will be flying into Nashville and driving to the Sevierville area. We are spending a week touring the area. Since we are new to this area, we would appreciate suggestions for not to miss items. We are older and not in search of highly active activities. Are there any "not to miss places" on our drive from Nashville? We will be returning to Nashville and spending a full day there before flying home. Would love music venues that you would recommend other than the Grand Ole Opry as it is not open on our night in Nashville. Thanks for any recommendations.

I'd say a "not to miss place" in Nashville is Andrew Jackson's home, the Hermitage.

Thank you. We love historical sites and this will definitely be added to our itinerary.

You might enjoy going past Sevierville to visit Asheville and the Biltmore House.

We loved our tour of the Ryman in Nashville. You can get on the stage and sing or "pose" for a photo. We had a blast!:) If you have time in Nashville and you like history I would add "Franklin" to your trip. It is a little outside of Nashville but it is a great site for history buffs (The Battle of Franklin).
Are you spending a week in Sevierville or is the week the length of the trip? That would change some suggestions.

I, too, loved the Hermitage and the tour of the Ryman. I also liked the Country Music Hall of Fame (I had a to-die-for fried green tomato and bacon sandwich there!). If you'd like to see a performance, try the Wildhorse Saloon.

In addition to thee places mentioned, we liked Belle Meade, the Tennessee State Museum, the State Capitol, the Frist Center, the Parthenon.

We stopped in Knoxville for a few hours on our way to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park--they have an art museum an a history museum, and we went to the top of the Sunsphere.

We love going to Gaylords Opryland Hotel. It's a really nice hotel. They have these huge botanical gardens. My wife and I love visiting them. You don't have to stay in the hotel. All kinds of people just come and walk thru the gardens. They also have shops and stuff. You can spend several hours there. It's really beautiful. They do charge about $20 to park.
It may be too far off route but goggle Renfro Valley,Ky.' they have lots of older ,traditional music. It' i-75 exit 62 about 2 hours north of Knoxville. Biltmore in Asheville is great. It's a good hour and a half past Sevierville.
There are several music and dinner shows in the area. There is Dollywood the amusement park; but this time of the year it's most the rides, roller coasters, etc. The National Park is beautiful. I think most people never make it to the Park.

Thanks for your wonderful suggestions. Looking forward to a fun filled week. We will only be in Nashville for one night so have to select wisely.

Given that we only have an afternoon and evening in Nashville, please help us decide. We are thinking the Hermitage and dinner at the Wildhorse Saloon for the music. Grand Ole Opry is closed the evening we will be there. Would like to do a city tour but will not arrive there until around 1 p.m. Staying by the airport because of morning flight home.

Given your interests, the Hermitage sounds like a good choice for the afternoon, and it's on the right side of town. I think to help decide on dinner, it would be good to know whether your priority is the music or the food. The Wildhorse is not known for its food, but is a fine place if you want to eat and line dance (or watch line dancing) and listen to that kind of music. Nashville has <i>tons</i> of great restaurants, but most do not have live music. The Nashville entries on this list include some of my favorites, but there are lots of other options.

http://www.southernliving.com/travel...0417000083883/

You could do an earlyish dinner and then catch a show at the Bluebird Cafe. Very different vibe than the Wildhorse, though - the Bluebird is for singer/songwriters and puts the focus on the music (no phones/loud talking, small venue). All depends on what you're looking for.

Our priority is on food. Actually have eaten at many on your attached list. Charleston and New Orleans are two of our favorite cities. In selecting a restaurant we would want to select a place that specializes in southern cooking. Monell's has been recommended, but the reviews are mixed. So would appreciate your recommendation. We will taxi to restaurant and music venue so distance is not a problem.

It's not Southern, but we stayed at The Hermitage Hotel and had by far the best meal in Nashville at the Capitol Grille.

http://www.capitolgrillenashville.com/homepage.aspx

If your priority is food, skip the Wildhorse Saloon. While I enjoyed the fried pickles with jicama ketchup, it was pretty standard bar food.........

jent103, if you had to choose between the Loveless Cafe or the Bluebird, which would it be? I, too, will have a limited time in Nashville and was wondering if I should try to do both.

We were able to get a reservation for Husk and then we will check out the Bluebird. Thanks for the recommendations.

Husk is SO GOOD. Seriously. Great choice. The menu changes constantly, and I went back in the spring, but the pimento cheese and pokeweed fritters were definitely a highlight. And the peach cornmeal cake.

Do make reservations for the Bluebird - it sells out regularly anyway, and since <i>Nashville</i> has highlighted it, it's been harder to get tickets. Enjoy your trip!

tenthumbs, personally I would pick the Bluebird. However, I grew up eating food like the Loveless's at my grandparents', so it's not so much of a novelty for me. If traditional Southern food is a priority for you, it's a good pick - though there are other options closer to town (Arnold's and Monell's, for two).

Thanks for the distinction, jent! I'll pass that on to my travel partner!

tenthumbs, one other thing - if you want food that isn't what my grandmas made but does emphasize Southern/local ingredients, Husk, Lockeland Table, and Marche/Margot (same owner) are the great places that come to my mind first. (Those are all moderate to high end - for more casual, Fido and Burger Up both do a lot of local sourcing.) Sean Brock, the owner of Husk, has a philosophy that "if it isn't Southern, it doesn't come through the door." I read somewhere that at the first Husk in Charleston, that meant he didn't cook with olive oil till he found some sourced from Georgia.

Rolf & Daughters's menu isn't quite so Southern-focused (though they do source a lot of local ingredients), but it is so good. I think that's where I'm picking for my birthday dinner next month!

We are very happy with our Husk selection and will report back after our trip. Any suggestions for the Gatlinburg area that we should not miss?