The Lincoln Theatre was opened in 1929 and its history is quite fascinating. My friends live in…read moreMarion and wanted me to see the local offerings. We went into the theater shop midday and they asked the lovely woman running the theater if we could have a tour? She was in the middle of getting ready for that night's Rocky Horror Picture Show, but in true sweet Southern hospitality, cheerfully let us in so we could look around and she could talk to us about the establishment. The theatre was lovingly restored in the 1980s by locals who turned it into a nonprofit. PBS broadcasts its Song of the Mountains show here monthly. The woman we spoke to was working on grants to bring in movies and other performances to the theater. It would be a great venue for all of the above. As I had an early flight home the next day, we didn't come back to see the show, but I truly believe this is a gem to be checked out in Marion.

Perfect venue in a small town, have seen great entertainment here! All seating has great views,…read moreprices are reasonable

Super cute spot. Looked like someone had just gotten married there because there was confetti…read moreeverywhere. Great stop for pictures and easy to walk too. Wheelchair accessible as well.

A beautiful covered bridge in the Historic district. This modern (1998) covered bridge connects the…read moreVisitors Center with the Historic district. We stopped here for a little walk about on a Sunday morning so we didn't happen upon many people and nothing was open at the time. It was peaceful walk in a pretty area.

While visiting in the area we stopped at the Fort Watauga replica at the Sycamore Shoals State Park…read morein Elizabethton, TN near Johnson City, TN. It is located along the Watauga River. Fort Watauga, more properly Fort Caswell, was an American Revolutionary War fort that once stood at the Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River in what is now Elizabethton, Tennessee. The fort was originally built in 1775-1776 by the area's frontier government, the Watauga Association, to help defend Watauga settlers from Native American (primarily Cherokee) attacks, which were in part instigated by the British. Fort Watauga was originally named Fort Caswell after North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Watauga Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park 1651 W. Elk Avenue Elizabethton, Tennessee FREE Park. Free to view and tour the Fort Watauga, and FREE to tour the Visitors Center. The visitors center was not open when we stopped there but we did walk around the Fort.

For fans of The Hunger Games films, this is a must-see!…read more We stopped in on a beautiful spring day. We were given an informative tour by Donavan, who was hilarious and full of knowledge. After the tour, we were free to explore the 78 acres. It's a beautiful place and we had a great time looking at the mill homes and the surrounding terrain. They also offer a military discount which is always appreciated! Great place!

Excellent self guided tour, was very cool to see........however.......there are NO SIGNS stating…read moreit's "more of a museum" and that you have to pay to walk thru. That being said the guy that runs the place was very rude to me and my elderly mother!

We traveled to Blowing Rock, NC to visit friends and to explore the area - what I didn't know is…read morethat our friends live only a few hundred yards from this beautiful marvel in a cliff side home over-looking the beautiful valley below. The Blowing Rock itself is an immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea-level overhanging John's River Gorge 3,000 feet below. I've read the legends of this rock and my friends have told me during the winter storms the snow blows upward from the cliffs and from their back porch the snow rises from the valley and appears to fall upward. The air currents that flow upward prompted scientists to surmise this location is "the only place in the world where snow falls upside down". I climbed up the blowing rock that protrudes over the valley to get the best view possible and felt the breeze rising upward, it was pretty cool while a little unnerving at the same time, I admit it was a crawl to the very edge and not a place I felt comfortable standing it's very steep and treacherous in my opinion. The entire facility is well maintained and the staff here was very friendly and knowledgeable. They have a snack bar with outdoor tables and a nice gift shop. On the day we arrived there were several artists with their canvases painting the blowing rock and backdrop. There's plenty of parking and as beautiful as it is I think allowing less than an hour here is more than enough time to see it all and explore the observation platform and hiking trails...

I went here for the penny, I have to admit but I'm glad that I did. The views are stunning from the…read moreobservation area. It was beyond foggy the day we went, they warned us before we paid but I wanted to press on. The gift shop is nice and has literally something for everyone. The properly has 3 kitties roaming around. The rock itself is sorta a gimmick but the story behind it is full of culture and myth. The property is VERY well maintained and beautiful. There is a small cafe/snack shop halfway to the observation tower. There are some stars but also a ramp. There is a view finder for a few quarters on the deck you can make use of. The paths are short and this place is pretty accessible. I really liked the gem room too it was very interesting, there is also a tiny museum with some history and artifacts. Blowing rock is pet friendly!!

About five miles out from Abingdon and well worth the drive down the country roads to get there,…read moreWhite's Mill and mercantile is a restored/working 18th century water mill that produces the best coarse ground yellow grits I have ever had (my first taste was the White's Mill Grit Cakes served at Abingdon's Bone Fire Smokehouse and I've never looked back/had better since). The goodness of those yellow grits are the main reason I'm writing this review, but the mill itself and the adjacent "mercantile" country store (where you can find said grits available for purchase stored within a chest freezer alongside other White's Mill milled grains (like cornmeal, flour, white grits etc.). I've never seen anyone attending the mill any time I have visited thus I cautiously wander around inside with at least one buddy in tow as the interior looks every bit as old as it's 1790 establish date (the 1866 restoration notwithstanding). From the entrance level there are rooms both upstairs and down, the lover level revealing a cool living room type of space complete with a hearth/fireplace and a lot of huge, aged and complicated-looking gears and other oddly quiet antiquated mechanics in motion. It feels like entering a portal to another time; braving the creaking stairs within the mill is an adventure in and of itself. The mercantile is an old house-turned-store next to the mill stocked windows-to-walls with goods, wears, and--let's be real--junk. If you like being overwhelmed with multiple rooms full of stuff and sifting through troves seeking treasures, get thee to this out-of-the-way country store. Aside from grain, jellies, and jams, you can find all kinds of antiques and other random oddities that only rural bric-a-brac magnets like this place can accrue. As a final testament to the boss quality of White's Mill yellow grits: when I moved to Japan I brought two bags with me that I keep squirreled away in the freezer for days when I have a fever for the flavor. To cook coarse yellow grits: boil 4 parts water and add 1 part grits. Stir every few minutes for about 25 minutes until they reach a naturally creamy consistency. Experiment to find your flavor by adding seasoning, cream/milk/water, cheese, other stuff etc. -or- let them cool and make polenta-like grit cakes :)

7/25/26 My husband…read moreand I like to go on a cave trip every year for our anniversary. This year, we traveled from Ohio to the Bristol area. We took a trip to Appalachian Caverns on the second day of our trip and it became the 28th cave/cavern that we have visited in the US. We loved our tour here and our tour guide Roger was great! He was so funny while having a great balance of knowledge to share. We heard so much new information while on the tour and loved hearing about the bat population. We also got to see two bats while walking through. The bridges over the water were our favorite part. So beautiful! We highly recommend stopping in for a tour!

So they give tours about every hour or so. I think it was about 45 minutes. They had 2 tour guides…read morewhile we were there . But our tour guide complained alot about his life. We did joke around about some things, but at least pretend you enjoy your job. They had a couple cute doggos that greet you while you are there. They also have a little store with a lot of different kinds of rocks if that is your thing.

Toured the Carter Mansion today ($7 per person) Tours are not everyday. Call Sycamore Shoals, or…read morecheck their Facebook site for tour days, and time. We got to see every room in the house, except the basement, which has wood floors. A painting over the fireplace was pretty cool. It was painted over with white paint years ago, and while the restoration group was taking paint "samples", they realized something was under the white paint, which turned out to be a painting. Only one piece of furniture was original to the house, which was a chair. We checked out the family cemetery, and walked down to the Watauga river which is actually in front of the house. This is the oldest framed house in Tennessee. Interesting piece of history.

Great venue, organizers did a fantastic job reenactor did a great job portraying local militia and…read morethe burning of the baggage shows how desperate the British were.

Revolutionary War battle site featuring original cabins, a mass grave and a beautiful .3 mile loop…read morewalking trail. Very peaceful and educational.