This was a great way to see part of Asheville and learn the history and the present. The drinks…read morewere great the views were awesome and the guide was very knowledgeable.

What a terrific addition to the roster of Must-Do Activities in Asheville. This isn't just for…read moretourists, either! We are locals, and this experience made us feel the magic of being tourists in our own town. Looking down several stories and gazing out several miles, both, gave us such unique perspectives of the City. And yes, you can go to these rooftop bars on your own, but the Asheville Rooftop Bar Tours provides endless historical and architectural anecdotes of the area. Sam even shared numerous photos dating back to the 1800's, giving unique snapshots to the past while you gaze upon the present. You also gain access to the reserved premier seating on the decks, dedicated wait staff, and oftentimes off-menu craft cocktails and mocktails. Ask for the witty and charming Sam, but if he is busy, you will have fun with the rest of the staff! Ten outta Ten!!!

It is rare to find something this unique and enjoyable for free, I'll try and put aside my bias as…read moresomeone from the UK, but I never knew Bush's had such an interesting history. Free parking, a museum, a free sample, a funny gift shop and some interactive exhibits make this a fun little experience if you're in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area. Although we didn't try the restaurant, the menu looked varied, well priced and was busy with both regulars and tourists, and they spoke highly of it. I have recommended this fun little side quest to a few people already and it's definitely worth a little detour to learn more about the beautiful bean journey.

My wife, daughter, and I had a great time at the visitor center. We learned about the Bush family's…read morehistory and how the Bush company started and grew over the past century. Highlights for us were: stepping on the scale and getting our weight in beans (I'm well north of 100,000), watching the film on how baked beans are produced and canned, and creating our own baked bean can labels.

Coming from Cherokee, this is the first Visitor's Center you will find as you drive into the Great…read moreSmoky Mountains. You may see elk, there's a lot of signage mentioning them. You may see bears, so drive slowly and be prepared to stop (carefully!) for wildlife! The farm here was so peaceful and next to the stream, and there's a museum on site as well. There were baby birds screaming from a nest above the bathroom, too, which was bonus wildlife since I saw a bear slightly further in, but no elk this time!

Oconaluftee Visitor Center is a must-stop during your roadtrip through the beautiful Great Smoky…read moreMountains. There's plenty of parking, clean restrooms, an indoor museum with a gift shop, the Mountain Farm Museum, hiking trails, and a large pasture where you might have the opportunity to see elk. We had a quick stop over so we didn't get to explore too much of the area, especially because we had our dog with us and it was quite a hot day. The indoor museum was curated well and was informative on the life in the Appalachians. The gift shop was nice, well stocked, and had plenty of options. I always buy something from National Park centers as a donation. I bought a sticker, a patch, and a magnet. They also have stamps for your National Park Passports, too!

Forbidden Caverns was such a fun family adventure! Our kids really enjoyed exploring the caves and…read moreseeing all the unique formations along the way. The highlight for us was definitely the underground river. It made the whole experience feel like a real adventure, and the kids loved seeing the water flowing through the cave. Great activity for the whole family, especially if you're looking for something a little different from the typical Smoky Mountain attractions. Definitely worth checking out!

Fun stop to view the caverns it is a walking guided tour that takes about an hour. Knowledgeable…read moretour guide. Caverns were amazing, 58 degrees so many formations. Narrow areas and low overhanging so lots of ducking. Hand rails in some areas.

Ramsey House was built in 1797 by Knoxville's first builder, Thomas Hope, for Francis Alexander…read moreRamsey. The home is constructed of Tennessee pink marble and blue limestone. It was known at that time as the finest home in Tennessee. The structure is significant for its original interior and exterior architectural features and its period decorative art collection. The home is said to be haunted, and I feel quite drawn to it, and did feel a presence, will have to keep coming back. It sat empty for many years, and was refurbished in 1952. The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities took it over. It is a historic treasure, you step back in time. They have tours go on their website, blacksmith class, music events, haunted tours, etc...

This is a great spot to learn a little more about the founding families of East Tennessee!…read moreFun fact, the Ramsey House has the first attached kitchen to a home in East TN because the stone house was less likely to burn down. They have great events all year long. Love the free vintage baseball games in the summer where they dress up all old timey and play without gloves. The candlelight tours around Halloween and Christmas are beautiful and actually different from the tours they give normally during the year so you can learn even more. Also love the Christmas marketplace and spring marketplace to shop local with a great variety of vendors. Staff is so nice and it's a great stop on a series of tours if you're interested in historic homes in the area.

This Visitor's Center is beautiful and clean, and is in a great location…read more The lady at the counter was helpful, and offered a map and brochure to assist us in finding our chosen activities. There is a room full of informative They have coffee and bottled water available at a charge.

This is our first stop on the way home from Gatlinburg. Restrooms are clean, with paper towels, as…read morewell as a blow dryer. There are benches to sit on when you exit, and a lovely gift store next-door. There are still recycling receptacles in the parking lot, and complimentary poop bags for cleaning up after your dog. Past the parking area are places to eat under shaded alcoves.

This "Tennessee Christmas" candle hand poured by my new friend Megan of Valentine Mills is so…read moreamazing! We got a few fun things at their shop that I'm so excited about! We bought the Tennessee Christmas jam, honeysuckle jam, blueberry syrup, and their pancake mix which they milled. We were privileged to have a personal tour of the mill which was a wonderful, informative lesson of history, hard work, and love. The Valentine family is rooted in a deep heritage and is blessing their community and town with their hard work. I highly recommend going to their store and supporting their family while getting you and yours something lovely.

Very limited hours, but if you get there when they are open, ask for the tour. Clive Valentine…read morebuilt the place from the ground up. Very interesting history and old time mill. I am new to Tennessee and I talked with Clive for several hours and came away understanding how a flour mill from the early 20th century served the community. I will be back in the Summer to partake in some of the fresh made items.

This tour is amazing and a must do visiting Tennessee. Our guide, George Wyatt, was absolutely…read moredelightful and entertaining. He was an actual inmate at the prison and tells so many interesting stories. You just need to get use to his accent, which is the best thing about him! After the tour make sure to eat at The Warden's table in the gift shop. The brisket French Dip was delicious. Maricela, who works in the gift shop, was so helpful and sweet. I would go back again and again!!!

Visited Brushy Mountain Penitentiary with an interesting start--I was supposed to meet up with a…read morewomen's group, but their GPS sent them somewhere else and they ended up 4 hours away, so only two of us actually made it! First tip: make sure you go straight to the gift shop to buy your tickets, which were around $30. Honestly, I think that's a bit pricey for this area--it should probably be about half that. You can tour about half of the buildings on the property. When you go in, you pick up an audio guide and tap the numbers to listen to what's going on. Make sure you really pay attention, because some have a video and an audio track, and they are not the same. There is a ton of history here and some crazy stories from when it was active. Just a heads-up on the layout: the numbers aren't all aligned in the exact locations they say they are, and some are upstairs in the main building while others are downstairs. They also show a little 15-minute history video, and they mentioned the old caves and mines were shut down (which is a bummer, because exploring those would be awesome). People say it's haunted, but we didn't notice anything spooky.