We recently vacationed in Tennessee and one word popped out of my mouth continually: “beautiful.”
I’d been there before, but on this trip we aimed for two specific locations we’d not visited: Lookout Mountain and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
April is a fine month to travel: the roads are good, the weather warm but not humid, the skies clear and the landscape green with spring.
Beautiful.
See?
I’d always loved the name “Lookout Mountain,” but had no idea how it erupted from the gentle pastureland into a pinnacle above Chattanooga and the Tennessee River.
We approached through Alabama, climbing from rich green farmland into pine woods and onto the narrow ridge with a spectacular lookout in all directions.
Magnificent.
We got confused by the time zones and were quite surprised to discover our B&B was in Georgia, but beyond that our day on the mountain was splendid, awe-some and eye-full.
(The Georgia part of the mountain is in the Eastern Time Zone, the Tennessee section is in the Central Time zone; the state line marks the difference.)
We loved the view over Chattanooga from Lookout Mountain’s Battlefield Point Park–run by the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park— with detailed explanations of the battle that took place on the mountain during the Civil War.
My military guy assessed it all with a practiced eye and shook his head at the audacity of the US troops climbing the mountain during the Battle above the Clouds.
The view of the Union troops must have been spectacular for the Confederates up top in late 1863, but when the Confederate lines broke, so did the war.
Sobering to consider
Even if the views were beautiful.
The Smokies
From the mountain top we drove several hours east to Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Smokies). Friends had posted gorgeous photos of the “smoky” mist sifting through the trees and 
hillsides.
We followed the one-way loop road to Cade’s Cove where we were surprised by four different bears peering out at the tourists from behind trees.
I never got out of the car!
Despite prominent signs warning folks to stay at least 50 yards away “because these animals (elk, bear) can kill,” people were out of the cars with their phones and cameras clicking away.
I took my photos from the car.
A variety of old buildings dot the park, remains of the families and farms that lived in these valleys before the National Park drew its borders in the late 1920’s.
There’s a timelessness about the old cabins, and at Cade’s Cove, I caught my breath while walking across a lush meadow. The clapboard farmhouse and the water-run grist mill nearby could have belonged to my Hanks and Hill ancestors 200 years ago and not very far away.
The land felt more like home once I realized that.
The beautiful scenery is best seen in person, not captured on pixels:
The Smokies look gorgeous even out a car window!
10 million people a year visit the Smokies; it’s the most visited US National Park.
April was a splendid month to go.
But then, Tennessee is beautiful year round!
Tweetables
A beautiful Tennessee trip. Click to Tweet
Springtime at Lookout Mountain and the Smokies. Click to Tweet
A bear in the Smokies and other photos. Click to Tweet
Pixels can never really see what we do as confirmed by many camera shots i’ve taken and look at later saying, “Why did i take that?” And yet so many awesome things to see if we slow down long enough to see them.
You’re right. Something about the true experience using all the sense– seeing the river,yes, but feeling the warm air, hearing the singing birds and humming insects, smelling the water and the flowers– all make it rich and a real moment.