Discoveries Along the Tennessee River

What would you like to do along the Tennessee River?

The rolling pasturelands of Tennessee are dotted with charming little towns. Along the banks of the peaceful Tennessee River and Cumberland River, raging battles of the Civil War once reined. Now, the peaceful  and historic region is filled with the remnants – stories of Civil War history, battlefields, and monuments. A travel along its banks also brings stories filled with the likes of tobacco crops, eking out a living on small family farms, and life in magnificent mansions along Millionaire’s Row or small cabins where a musical style dubbed “The Blues” was born – influencing generations to come. Small river cruise ships offering jam-packed itineraries are perfect for exploring this region –  docking right in the heart of these small towns were you can just step off the gangway and wander into town.  Are you ready to step back in time and hear a story?

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The Tennessee River Cruise

Chattnooga – The soaring skyline around Chattanooga is not filled with skyscrapers, but rather the natural beauty found in amazing towering cliffs. Ride the thrilling incline railway to the top for outstanding views. If you’d rather head downwards, head underground into the caves at Ruby Falls or Raccoon Mountain Caverns for outstanding rock formations and even a waterfall. If you’re a fan of big band music, you’ll have to catch a photo near the “Chattanooga Choo Choo” at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum for a look back to a the golden age of train travel in this specialty museum and vintage train ride depot. If cars are more your style, try the Coker Museum filled with vehicles to get any car enthusiast’s heart racing.

Decatur – You just never know what you can find in a small town….  In Decatur, Alabama you can visit the U.S. Space and Rocket Center to explore the future and worlds beyond, or step back in time at the Cook Museum of Natural Science to discover Tennesee’s wild past with exhibits on paleontology, geology, and zoology.  If more recent history is your interest, you may want to explore Mooresville, an intact village dating to 1818 – earning it the nickname “Alabama’s Williamsburg.” Here you can try your hand at a flower pressing workshop, see a demonstration of natural dyeing print process, visit an 1821 Stagecoach Tavern and an 1839 brick church. Alternately, you can visit the Old State Bank and Union Depot filled with working model trains and railway memorabilia as wall as historic bank displays to experience life in the 1830s.

Lake Barkley – Spend the day top deck cruising on the lake as two rivers join, leaving “The Land Between the Lakes” a National Recreational Area and a great place to view wildlife along its shores.

Florence – Not the medieval masterpiece in Italy, but a quiet small town in Alabama with a few surprises of its own. This area, known as “The Shoals,” offers a museum dedicated to the Father of the Blues, W.C. Handy.  It also has one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most magnificent homes, the Rosenbaum House. But many come for the Shoals Studio tour, where you can sit at the piano where Lynyrd Skynyrd created “Free Bird” or where Aretha Franklin and Bob Dylan once stood and The Rolling Stones first recored “Brown Sugar.”

Savannah – Not to be confused with the ocean front city found on the southeast Atlantic coastline (you can travel there on the Southeast Golden Isles cruise) this Savannah is found in Tennessee  and has laid back treasures of its own. The area has a full Civil War story to tell at the Shiloh National Military Park.  See Cherry Mansion which served as General Grant’s headquarters.

Paducah – The world of arts and crafts. This creative city sits at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River. Founded by William Clark (of Lewis & Clark fame) yet is surprisingly known as ‘Quilt City” once it became the home of the National Quilt Museum. The city’s long history means there is a wide variety of museums for every taste here. You can choose between The Paducah Railroad museum, The River Discovery Center or Inland Waterways Museum to discover its maritime past, The Civil War Museum & Tilghman House tells a story on its influence on the outcome of the  Civil War.

Nashville – A Mecca for music lovers of many varieties – whether your music tastes run towards country and western, the blues, or rock and roll, you’ll find it all in Nashville. Here you can enjoy a complimentary show at the Grand Ole Opry, visit the Johnny Cash Museum or upstairs to the Patsy Cline Museum, both filled with hundreds of artifacts and personal belongings. Visit the original Honky Tonk Row, the Country Hall of Fame Museum where you can see Elvis Presley’s custom Cadillac to outfits and instruments used by favorite artists. Love that Cadillac? See more vintage vehicles at the Lane Motor Museum.  If rock-n-roll isn’t your style, head to the quieter home and gardens at Cheekwood Gardens where you can wander flower-lined paths, see the art collection, and learn about the family’s ties to coffee and art history.

The Music Cities Cruise

Travel through time – the history of American music in all its many different forms. This is the root of American rock-n-roll with its basis in the blues. Travel between Memphis and Nashville to explore the many varieties of music and their various influences around the world. The reverberations of these musical styles are still influencing music today. In addition to Paducah and Nashville, you can explore new towns on this cruise itinerary:

Memphis – Music + Memphis = Elvis. The city’s most famous resident is still a popular draw. Tour his home, left intact in the style he enjoyed at the time his passing.  Wander around Beale Street – a neon-lit hotspot brimming with live music.  Dive into a barbecue spot and discover why the area’s bbq is world famous.  A fun stop in Memphis is the Peabody Hotel, where they have a Duck Master in charge of the famous Peabody Ducks who are paraded into the lobby every day to be allowed to swim in the lobby’s fountain to the delight of visitors.  If you love gardens, you might want to vitas the Dixon House and Garden or step back into 1871 at the Woodruff-Fontaine House, built along “Millionaire’s Row.” Art lovers will enjoy a visit to the Metal Museum – filled with the art of metal, from traditional gazebos and fences to modern art sculptures.

Dover – Explore some of the pivotal moments in US history which happened in this seemingly quiet, quaint town. Visit Fort Donelson National Military Park to learn about this pivotal Civil War battlefield and its outcome.  If a more peaceful pastime is your style, travel a little further back in time at an 1850’s living history farm – the Homeplace 1850s Working Farm & Living  History Museum. Period interpreters go about their daily chores including a carpentry shop, an herb garden, a tobacco barn, animal barns, and more.

Clarksville – One of the few towns not named after William Clark (of Lewis and Clark fame) but rather, his brother, General George Rogers Clark. This area was once a bustling tobacco crop hub, but now offers so much more to explore. Here you can explore the city’s musical past including stories featuring stars from Roy Acuff to Benny Goodman. Explore the sculpture garden outside the Customs House Museum, sample the creations at Old Glory Distilling Co., delve into Civil War history at Fort Defiance which has an especially well preserved Civil War feel, or just relax and enjoy wandering in and out of the many little galleries and shops downtown.

On this cruise, you also enjoy 3 full days of scenic cruising along the river!