Tennessee

Hop on the trolley-style Incline Railway and get ready for one of the steepest rides of your life as you make your way to the top of Lookout Mountain, where you’ll not only find views that will make your heart flutter, but you also can wander among Civil War points of interest.

Rock City, still advertised by painted signs on time-worn barns, has enjoyed its share of accolades from the likes of National Geographic and Southern Living. Don’t miss the Enchanted Trail that takes you through 14 acres of lush gardens, a 100-foot waterfall and a dramatically balanced 1,000 ton rock. The Swing-A-Long Bridge offers ideal photo ops, while Lover’s Leap allows for views of several states. And all three attractions feature musical events and special attractions during the summer.

Ruby Falls, 1720 S. Scenic Highway, Chattanooga, 1-423-821-2544

Rock City, 827 E. Brow Road, Lookout Mountain, 1-423-821-4454

Incline Railway Bottom Station, 3917 St. Elmo Ave., Chattanooga, 1-423-821-9056, www.lookoutmountain.com

2. The Hermitage

Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, purchased the Hermitage on July 5, 1804, and lived there until his death on June 8, 1845. A visit to this grand estate, which played the role of plantation, thriving farm, dairy and family homestead, is far more than a museum experience.

Wandering through the Greek Revival plantation on just over a thousand acres is a journey back in time. Walk along the pathways and pass by the restored one-acre formal flower garden next to Andrew and Rachel Jackson’s tomb. Enter the mansion and you’re among the actual furnishings and accessories that belonged to the Jackson family.

The Hermitage was home to 150 slaves from 1804 to 1865, and visitors can learn more about them through the exhibit Stories from the Hermitage Slave Communities. The Hermitage offers several types of tours, including the lantern-led evening tours. Day visitors are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy near the visitor center or the Hermitage church.

4580 Rachel’s Lane, Nashville, 1-615-889-2941, www.thehermitage.com

3. Chattanooga Choo Choo Historic Hotel

Whether your family trip includes taking in the Tennessee aquarium, the children’s museum or spending an afternoon aboard one the many boats and ships that cruise the river, at some point you’re going to need a place to sleep. And if you’ve got small kids in tow, the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo should provide the most fun. After all, what kid wouldn’t want to sleep in a Victorian train car?

Saved from being razed in the 1970s, Terminal Station got a major transformation from rail station to a vacation complex that placed the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel features 48 restored train cars along with standard rooms and suites, and the dramatic glass dome of the terminal now makes up part of the hotel’s lobby and lounge area. Restaurants in the complex range from a casual cafe to the Station House, which dishes up steaks, seafood and live entertainment. The hotel features three swimming pools, one of which is indoors.

1400 Market St., Chattanooga, 1-800-872-2529, www.choochoo.com

4. Dollywood

You couldn’t have a theme park owned by Dolly Parton and expect it to be a one-trick pony. At Dollywood, visitors can experience a little time travel, some serious thrill rides, myriad festivals throughout the year and plenty of live music. And that’s just the beginning.

With its proximity to the Great Smoky Mountains, Dollywood offers up a peek into the past in Pigeon Forge. In Craftmans Valley, you’ll find a wood carving shop and a blacksmith and foundry where hand-made metal items are created. You’ll also come across an authentic grist mill, custom glassworks and a candle shop where the candles are made by hand.

Adjacent to Dollywood lies the 30-acre Splash Country Water Adventure Park, designed with more than 23 water thrill rides, including the River Rush water coaster and the drenching Big Bear Fire Tower. Splash Country also features two interactive children’s playgrounds. Nearby, visitors will find abundant lodging ranging from well-appointed cabins with mountain views to family-friendly suite hotels.

2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd., Pigeon Forge, 1-800-365-5996, www.dollywood.com

5. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

With stunning overlooks that will have your camera working overtime, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, balanced between Tennessee and North Carolina, is billed as the nation’s most visited national park. Hikers will find 800 miles of trails and anglers can fish from 700 miles of streams.

Visitors can bike, travel through woods on horseback and visit waterfalls and cascades through old-growth hemlock and rhododendron forests. From October to early November, the park is blazing with fall colors. But nature buffs who also appreciate a taste of local history will not want to miss some of the park’s historical buildings; it boasts one of the best collections of log buildings in the region, with an impressive array of historic homes, barns, churches, schools and grist mills.

While there’s plenty of primitive camping available in the park, there are no hotels or rental cabins within the park except the Le Conte Lodge, which is a hike-in, back-to-basics establishment for those wanting a taste of raw nature. Visitors will find a variety of accommodations outside the park.

107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, 1-865-436-1200, www.nps.gov

6. Nashville hot chicken

Move over barbecue, because Nashville hot chicken is in the house. This Tennessee dish, an incendiary take on fried chicken, got its start with the family-run Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack. While relatively new on the food scene, hot chicken has hit culinary tall cotton with Prince’s recent James Beard Foundation honor of the America’s Classics Award.

Not to be confused with Buffalo-style chicken, hot chicken is fried chicken prepared with enough hot sauce or cayenne and paprika paste in the crust to make you want to have a fire extinguisher nearby. To temper the heat a bit, the chicken often is served on a piece of white bread with a pickle slice or two. While Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack nabs credit as the first to introduce this spicy bird to Nashville, it’s not the only flaming chicken in town.

400 Degrees Hot Chicken owner Aqui Simpson cut her teeth on Prince’s hot chicken and now owns her own hot chicken joint, which sports just a couple of tables but a healthy take-out business. The name refers to the degree of spiciness, with 100 degrees at the relatively mild end.

Preparing hot chicken isn’t just for the pros. On July 4, Nashville holds the Music City Hot Chicken Festival, which includes an amateur cooking competition. Happily for those who need to cool the fire, the free event also features a beer garden.

Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, 123 Ewing Drive #3, Nashville, 1-615-226-9442

400 Degrees Hot Chicken, 319 Peabody St., Nashville, 1-615-244-4467, www.400degreeshotchicken.com

Music City Hot Chicken Festival, mchcf.blogspot.com

7. Shiloh National Military Park

The Battle of Shiloh, named for a tiny log church situated on the isolated battlefield, lasted only two days, but when it ended it earned the reputation as the bloodiest battle in American history up to that point. Casualties on both sides totaled nearly 24,000.

Today, the pristine Civil War battleground welcomes visitors, who have access to a wide variety of landmarks and monuments that include the Shiloh National Cemetery and Shiloh Indian Mounds. The museum features a range of exhibits, including tools used in the war. The park is home to more than 200 original Civil War pieces of artillery.

You can tour by auto, and bikes are allowed on paved surfaces. As you wander through Shiloh, you’ll find that the battlefield landscape looks much the same as it did in April, 1862. And for those who want a more authentic experience, there’s a living history event each year when the blue and gray ride once again on the battlefield.

While there are no camping facilities at the park, there are plenty of places to stay in nearby towns. You might want to bring your own water and snacks because vending machines are the only source of food and beverages at the park.

1055 Pittsburg Landing Road, Shiloh, 1-731-689-5696, www.nps.gov

8. Blackberry Farm and Farmhouse Spa

Lying snug in the northwestern hills of the Great Smoky Mountains, the 4,200-acre Blackberry Farm and Farmhouse Spa recently found itself No. 1 on Bon Appétit Magazine’s list of 10 Best Food Lover’s Hotels in America. As if that weren’t high praise enough, Joseph Lenn, executive chef of the Barn at Blackberry Farm, snagged the 2013 James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast.

Blackberry Farm’s wine cellars are well-known, as are the farm-raised East Friesian sheep that provide artisan cheese, the heirloom produce, and the wildflower honey — all used to enhance the simple and satisfying foothills cuisine. Accommodations, from cottages and suites to elegant estate rooms or gracious homes for larger groups, allow guests to immerse themselves in antiques and fine pieces of art.

Along with yoga, biking and hiking, the spa offers a Wellness Boot Camp year-round. Guests also can spend time fly fishing, kayaking and horseback riding. At Blackberry Farm you can enjoy various shotgun disciplines, such as skeet and sporting clays. Guests who like a hands-on experience can roll up their sleeves and participate in culinary and farm activities.

1471 West Millers Cove Road, Walland, 865-380-2260, www.blackberryfarm.com

9. Jack Daniel’s Distillery Tour and Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Restaurant

Lynchburg may be in a dry county, but it’s proud to be the home of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey. The distillery offers free tours as well as a tasting tour for a small fee.

You’ll learn the history of the Daniel family while getting a first-hand look at how different types of whiskies are made. The mostly outdoor tour takes visitors up and down plenty of stairs, so comfortable shoes are advised.

When it’s time for lunch in Lynchburg, Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House is the place to get your fill of Southern home-style staples. Served family-style, lunch favorites include fried okra, fried chicken, meatloaf and mac-and-cheese. And don’t be surprised to find a bit of the sour mash whiskey sprinkled in the cooked apples.

This gracious Federal-style restaurant only offers a few lunch seatings each day, and reservations far in advance are strongly recommended. While there really was a Miss Mary, the restaurant is now owned by members of the Daniel family.

Jack Daniel’s Distillery, 280 Lynchburg Highway, Lynchburg, 1-931-759-4221, www.jackdaniels.com

Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Restaurant, 295 Main St., Lynchburg, 1-931-759-7394

10. National Civil Rights Museum

Situated in the South Main Arts District of downtown Memphis, the National Civil Rights Museum is made up of a collection of buildings assembled around the Lorraine Motel, where on April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Exhibits include a replica of a bus from the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 and a lunch counter from the sit-ins of 1960.

The museum’s collections, research and educational programs serve to illustrate the history of the civil rights movement. The most poignant exhibit is Room 306 and the balcony where King stood when he was shot. Currently, the museum is undergoing renovations, but many of the exhibits and audio-video elements are available.

450 Mulberry St., Memphis, 1-901-521-9699, www.civilrightsmuseum.org

Hidden gem: Leiper’s Fork Historic Village

Once home to Cherokee, Chickasaw, Shawnee and Creek Indian s, Leiper’s Fork later became a booming village, with general stores, lumber mills, churches, a college, a bank and the Middle Tennessee Railroad.

Surrounded by rolling hills and rich farmlands, Leiper’s Fork became endangered when suburban development threatened to steamroll the quaint village. In 1995, residents came together and restored Leiper’s Fork, now listed as a Registered National Historic District.

Today, visitors come to get a look at what a 19th-century village looked like in Williamson County. Residents of the peaceful hamlet include farmers, musicians and artists.

Music and good food are two big draws , and both come together perfectly at Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant, where your shrimp boil might be served with a side of country music on open mic night.

And for fresh organic produce and farm-to-table meals, don’t miss Joe Natural’s Farm Store and Cafe. Whether you come for a free outdoor movie at the Lawnchair Theatre, the Bethel Fish Fry and Dance or to visit the alpaca farm, you can immerse yourself in the simple life lived at Leiper’s Fork.

For overnight stays, the village offers several quaint inns, including Miss Sweeney’s Inn for women only.

Leiper’s Fork, Franklin, 1-615-

595-8190, www.visitleipersfork.com

Puckett’s Grocery and Restaurant, 4142 Old Hillsboro Road, Franklin, 1-615-794-1308, www.puckettsgrocery.com

Miss Sweeney’s Inn, 4220 Old Hillsboro Road, Franklin, 1-615-579-3959, www.misssweeneysinn.net