Story Ideas

Take a detour and experience authentic southern Appalachia as it looks, feels, and sounds today. The back country roads offer a cultural and scenic route to your vacation destination.

The Tennessee Agriculture Museum is located in Nashville on the grounds of Ellington Ag Center and is home to an extensive collection of home and farm artifacts from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Start your tour here and then travel the Appalachian Quilt Trail to experience the history firsthand.

Farm Markets & Agritourism - Enjoy the best of each season season by picking fruits and vegetables or visiting a collection of local farmers’ markets along the Appalachian Quilt Trail.

It's well-known that the number of family and small farms has declined over the years. Ritter’s Farms just outside Rutledge uses the hiring of legal immigrants, modern agricultural techniques, value-added products, & agritourism to make ends meet. 500 farms exist in Grainger County, from dairy farms to U-Picks. Some, such as the Rolling Acres Farm at the base of Joppa Mountain, are Century Farms that have been in continuous use by the same family for 100 years or more.

Heritage Gardens in Greeneville sells not only roses, irises and other sunny perennial favorites, they also sell a variety of Tennessee native plants. Native plants are low-maintainance, are ideal for adding natural curb-appeal, and enhance wildlife habitats among Tennessee homes, gardens, and businesses. Got a tough spot? Too much shade, water, or too dry? Ask the experts what works best in your part of Tennessee.

The New Deal focus on Appalachia brought missionary education of Melungeon children on Newman’s Ridge at Vardy School & Church. The school collapsed but the church remains, as well as the home of infamous Melungon moonshine family matriarch, Mahala “Haley” Mullins.

Drowned for Modernization: The Lost City of Xenophon, Bean Station Tavern, the Civil War Battlefield at Bean Station, & the Kentucky Road/Wagon Trail Historical Crossroads at Bean Station

The slippery slope of Progress: Tour Douglas Dam & Cherokee Lake Reservoir. Appalachia gained modern conveniences and farming assistance but simultaneously lost communities, farms, family homesteads, and entire towns as a result of Roosevelt’s New Deal, the formation of the TVA, WWII, and the Manhattan Project. The newly formed TVA employed photographer, Lewis W. Hine to photograph the area that would be affected by the construction of hydro-electric dams. Many of these photos chronicled rural Appalachia on the eve of major change but many felt were used by others to portray people in rural Appalachia as ignorant hillbillies. Some of Hines’ earlier photos taken for the NCLC were used to erect anti-child-labor laws. The legacy brought about by Hines’ photos was of great significance to but was not limited to the Appalachian region.

Bean Station - The place where Boone and his men turned north became known as Bean Station, which, as the population and commerce grew, became an important crossroads for travelers coming from as far as New Orleans and Baltimore. Travelers found an assortment of taverns and inns, the most famous of which was the Bean Station Tavern, a place that in its 1830s heyday could accommodate 200 people. Guests such as Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, and Henry Clay hobnobbed in parlors and had access to one of the finest wine cellars in the entire South. It was said that Nancy Hanks Lincoln, the mother of President Abraham Lincoln was a waitress at the tavern.

Fall Mountain Leaves - Each fall various East Tennessee destinations offer breathtaking beauty as the vibrant colors splash the southeast. With more then 300 miles of scenic road to explore, the Appalachian Quilt Trail has it all this fall.

Grainger County - The only county in the state of Tennessee to be named after a women. Mary Grainger was the wife of John Sevier, the first governor of Tennessee. On the grounds of the Grainger County Courthouse, in the middle of Rutledge, stands a brick building so small that it looks like a playhouse. This modest structure was once the tailor shop of Andrew Johnson. And of course, Grainger County is famous for great-tasting, Grainger County Tomatoes, which are celebrated annually at East Tennessee's third-largest free festival, the Grainger County Tomato Festival.

Pressman’s Home - This fascinating area of rural East Tennessee was established as the headquarters for the International Printing Pressman and Assistants Union of North America in 1911. All that remains of the former Trade School, vacation spot, TB hospital, chapel and retirement home is a ghost town. Within fairly close proximity to the Tennessee Printing Museum & Historic Depot located at Rogersville.

Come to Horton’s Store and hear some of the best authentic bluegrass music this state has to offer. Then follow Haley’s Loop around to River Place on the Clinch for food, fun, and then a well-deserved rest, far off the beaten track.

River Place on the Clinch - an ecotourism getaway and environmental educational facility located at the Kyles Ford Preserve and Wildlife Management Area. Find out why the Upper Clinch River is considered by The Nature Conservancy to among the “Last Great Places” on earth.

Hamblen County is a national example of a successful, county-wide, city/rural recycling program. From antique shops to the Goodwill Recycling Facility in Russellville, Hamblen County works the "3Rs" and builds a record of success.

Tennessee offers an amazing panorama of wildlife, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, natural wonders, mountains and gardens. With 42,000 miles of outdoor activies to enjoy, the Appalachian Quilt Trail offers an array of hunting, fishing, cycling, backpacking, hiking and camping activities.

See also: Stories & Photos from the Trail. If you would like to donate your stories or high-resolution photos from the Appalachian Quilt Trail, please send them to the AQT Director, along with your contact information. We welcome contributions from the Appalachian community.