Tennessee Outdoor Adventures
| |
| |
| |
|
- Camping
- Equestrian
- Festivals and Events
- Hiking and Backpacking
- History in Action
- Natural Settings
- Notable Tennesseans
- Unique Features
- Water Sports
Current Focus: Parks Honoring Notable Tennesseans
Tennessee State Parks bring history to action with re-enactments, workshops, demonstrations and special events that educate and inspire. Learn how Tennesseans helped shape this country by visiting a park near you.
Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park, located in Pall Mall, pays tribute to Sgt. Alvin C. York. Born in 1887 into an impoverished farming family from the mountains of Tennessee, York became one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I and was honored with a dozen medals, including the Congressional Medal of Honor and the French Croix de Guerre. The York homesite museum includes a collection of wartime and personal mementos, including historical photographs, family portraits and personal items. Visitors will enjoy the 3/4-mile trail and a swinging bridge allows park visitors to walk from the York home, General Store and Gristmill to York’s burial site.
Cordell Hull Birthplace and Museum is a 58-acre historic park on the Highland Rim in Pickett County. Born in a log cabin in 1871, Cordell’s thirst for knowledge served him well. Hull was appointed Secretary of State by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933 and served until 1944, longer than any other secretary. He was given the sobriquet “Father of the United Nations” by Roosevelt and in 1945 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for his role in establishing the United Nations. The park consists of a representation of Hull’s log cabin birthplace, an activities center and a museum housing documents and artifacts as well as a replica of his Nobel Peace Prize. The park also features the beautiful Bunkum Cave Trail leading to an overlook and the entrance of historic Bunkum Cave where Cordell Hull’s father made moonshine many years ago.
Davy Crockett Birthplace in Limestone (Greene County) celebrates the 1786 birthplace of Davy Crockett in northeast Tennessee. A pioneer, soldier, politician and industrialist, Crockett moved to middle Tennessee and served as a justice of the peace, a colonel of the militia and state representative. He established a diversified industry, consisting of a powdermill, a gristmill and a distillery. All three operations were washed away in a flood in September 1821.
David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg recognizes the business operation Crockett built on the banks of Shoal Creek before financial difficulties from the extraordinary flood caused him to move to West Tennessee where he was elected to Congress. Crockett died at the Alamo 1836 while aiding the Texans in their fight for independence from Mexico.
Montgomery Bell - Montgomery Bell, early Tennessee industrialist and ironmaster, was a manufacturing entrepreneur crucial to the economic development of early Middle Tennessee. The iron industry in Dickson County has been long silent, but the 3,782 acres that make up Montgomery Bell State Resort Park still show the signs of its presence. The park is also the site of the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America. Visitors to the park enjoy a variety of activities – from mountain biking to hiking and fishing. Additionally, the park has campgrounds and RV campsites, rustic group camping cabins and a 120-room, 5-suite park inn and a restaurant.
T.O. Fuller State Park honors Dr. Thomas O. Fuller for his life spent empowering and educating African Americans. The 1,138-acre T.O. Fuller State Park was the first state park east of the Mississippi River and second in the nation to be open to African Americans. The park is located in Shelby County within the southern limits of the city of Memphis and offers an abundance of wildlife for the nature lover. This urban park offers many activities and amenities, like the 6-mile continuous loop Discovery Trail with a number of scenic points of interest including the Chucalissa Indian Village and wetlands. Swimming, picnicking, camping and 18-hole golf course are favorites.
