Groups take center stage in Tennessee
Stretching 450 miles from Memphis on the bluffs of the Mighty Mississippi to Mountain City nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains and countless places to visit in between, Tennessee has set the stage for tour groups!
Rich in history, culture, scenery and most of all, music, the Volunteer State – so called for the valor displayed by its volunteer soldiers during wartime – offers enough excitement within its three grand divisions to keep any group endlessly entertained.
It all began as the State of Franklin Prior to becoming our sixteenth state in 1796, Tennessee was part of North Carolina. Frustrated over proceedings and the lack of representation in the North Carolina legislature, settlers on the frontier of present-day East Tennessee formed the independent State of Franklin in 1784. It lasted only four years, failing in 1788 and reverting back to North Carolina, until it was transferred to the United States government in 1790. The name Tennessee reportedly comes from a former Cherokee village called Tanasi, located along the Little Tennessee River.
Distinctive regional differences are reflected in the state’s three grand divisions:
East Tennessee anchored by Chattanooga, Knoxville and Bristol; Middle Tennessee, the heart of which is the state capital, Nashville; and West Tennessee, boasting Memphis, the most populous city in the state.
Tennessee has produced three United States presidents – Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson. (Jackson’s home, The Hermitage in Nashville and the James K. Polk home in Columbia are popular attractions.) Davy Crockett called Tennessee home. Daniel Boone spent a lot of time here. Alex Haley’s “Roots” began here in the west-Tennessee town of Henning.
By Melinda Hughey
Courtesy of leisuregrouptravel.com
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