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.

Been driving through this part of Tennessee for the last 10 years or so and have been wanting to…read morevisit here that whole time. Finally made it. I've have visited 3 other shuttered prisons over the years and they all are pretty neat. This one was physically the smallest but was very impressive. We did like most folks and did the self guided tour. Took us about 2 hours and I think we visited everything that was open. They claimed that former staff or guides would be around to answer questions- sadly I never seen anyone. Now reasoning for my rating was based on not seeing staff for questions as well as the price. I know it's a neat historic place but $25 a person was a bit high. They did offer a small discount for military but again a self guided tour for $25 was a bit much. So I do recommend this historic place. But be aware of the cost and that your questions might not be answered.

What a cool stop!! Soooo much to see! The Jail, the offices, a dog rescue building and all the…read moregrounds with the original items. Not too far off the beaten path for driving and a beautiful area!

I'm always all in when it comes to historic bridges especially when I can experience them first…read morehand and if I can walk across them then that's gets it to a entirely different level. I actually found this foot bridge by happenstance, I was driving down the highway and saw it connecting the two sides of the river, which is the intended purpose. Getting to this little gems is quite tricky and as you approach it on the residential side of the river you may be a little hesitant to pull into the narrow lane that sits between two homes but trust me the neighbors know what they have on the backside of their riverfront property - one friendly owner was outside and invited me in to check it out. These bridges are so cool but they were simply constructed to provide a solution which was "to get to the other side" I'm sure there is some correlation to "why did the chicken cross the road" but I'm not certain. The water below was running at a good pace and is very shallow you definitely wouldn't want to jump from or fall from this bridge the rocks would break you fall immediately after the splash. You could probably see everything you want to see here in about 10 minutes I stayed about 20 minutes - besides the bridge being super cool and the fact that it is historic there is more to it, the "love lock" phenomenon which symbolizes "unbreakable love" has attached itself to the structure. The love padlock phenomenon is like a weird alien growth that just won't die so think about this before placing your lock...

A little awkward to find but so beautiful!! It's lovely and well worth the hunt. Lots of fun. We…read morealso saw turtles near the creek below

This castle was originally built as a home by a man who believed that he would live with Jesus for…read more1000 years after Armageddon. After he died, it passed into disrepair and then into the hands of Dean Fontaine, who has embraced this unique homestead, and vastly improved it. The tours are fun, educational, and whimsical. The improvements have allowed them to open the venue for private events such as weddings. Honestly, there's not a lot to see in Alcoa, but if you're ever in the area and you like castles, quirky places and stories, this is a must see.

From the owner: This is a real, authentic castle built in 1937 by a man expecting to survive Armageddon, and then…read morelive here for 1,000 years. It’s on the National Historic Registry, and it’s an amazing place. Everything is made of stone, even the 3 foot thick roof! It’s a nonprofit, and the renovations and repairs are ongoing. There’s a medieval weapons display, and a real functional cannon. Open summer weekends for a guided tour lasting 45 minutes to 4 hours, depending on how interested you are. Also available week days by appointment. There’s been a half dozen weddings here, and a few parties. You will be impressed by what one determined old man was able to build by himself. The before and after pictures of the renovations are stunning. $15, or a maximum charge of $40 for a group up to 8 people. Highly rated on Google.

You need to know something about me: I don't eff with bears. I stay away from them so they'll stay…read moreaway from me. This means I don't go camping (in general, but especially in bear country), I don't go on hikes where there are known bears, and I don't visit parks where a bear might stumble into my picnic and try to get my food. I don't visit the bear section of a zoo. I even moved to the place where I live partially because there are zero reported bears in the state. (Not really, but that was a bonus that I learned after I moved to Indiana.) So, of course I'd find myself in a situation where I was obligated to go on an open Jeep tour through Smoky Mountains National Park, a part of the country that is swarming with bears. And of course it would be in the spring, right when the bears are waking up from hibernation and at their hungriest. But Pink Jeep Tours was great. Apparently, there is a possibility of seeing a bear at some point, because they're just everywhere. My tour guide, who had been giving tours for many years, told me that he had seen several dozen bears last week on his tours. OK! I didn't like that we got out of the Jeep a few times to walk around a couple of scenic spots, because bears, but I never ended up seeing any, and I'm sure you, a normal person who doesn't have an irrational fear of bears, would appreciate getting out of the Jeep and wandering around. One of the stops was at the official Smoky Mountain National Park area, and we got a good 30 to 45 minutes to just explore. We also drove through Gatlinburg a bit, where we were told that the bears will just mosey down the streets sometimes. (Lord help us all.) The Jeep itself is very comfortable, and there are spots underneath the seats to put your bags or water bottles. At the end of the tour, we went off-roading, which was an extremely bumpy ride, but there are handles above the seats to hold onto. The tour was about two hours, which was a little long for me, but you really get to see the forest and other parts of this area of Tennessee. Plus, the tour guide was funny and informative, and he was available to take pictures of us, so we didn't have to do selfies.

Can't believe we had to pay $500+ for family of 4 to advertise pink jeep tours on the main strip in…read morePigeon Forge and Gaitlinburg. Of the 3 hrs spent in a hot jeep, less than 1hr was actually in the national park. Lot of cruizin the tourist areas. In no way do you need hiking shoes. We only got out of vehicle 4 times for a couple minutes...we were forced to take a photo by state park sign, we quickly walked up to a cabin, we stood on asphalt in a parking lot... and looked at a cemetary. It was FAKE! He said it was a children's cemetary. We kept pulling over to let cars pass. Never actually getting out to look around. Psyche. Tour guide had no info or history. Pointed out a melted light post. Commented on things we passed. He kept pointing out random places he once saw a bear. Constant conversation about the other couples vacation or his back story or the guy making bank selling merch at the edge of the park. The actual worst part was how you have to sit in the jeep. Load in through the back woth backs tobthe side. You can't see anything on one side.fail. You can very easily drive through park on your own, pull over in spaces. Sorry. No photos because there was nothing to see. Don't WASTE 3hrs -save your money.

I find it a privilege to be the first to review this place. Recently found myself in Knoxville for…read morea few hours this Thanksgiving break. When my family is in a new city I try to find us Free interesting things to sightsee in the new area. The center is based it of house. Entrance is in the back where there is free parking. The staff were friendly and informative. Glad to know they also bought the house next door and plan to expand. It was great to hear and learn about the African American history in Knoxville. There are many artifacts and photos to look at. They also keep obituaries of every African American from Knoxville. Cool thing to know if you are trying to look up your family history. I also want to make special note that they have a nice event space. I'm not sure if they rent it out but if I was looking for a place I would check it out.

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center is one of the largest African American Historical Museum…read more This beautiful black history non-profit museum has so many preserved African-American artifacts and exhibits. It's a great place for visitors from all across America, to explore our African- American Cultural.

Took the moonshine and wine tour! It was such a great time!! We all laughed and joked. Tried a…read moreton of moonshine, some amazing wines, and even some hard ciders! Our whole tour had an absolute blast. We took snacks on the bus for during the drives between to help soak up some alcohol. It also helped cleanse the palate. Would definitely consider doing this again. I think I bought 2 hard ciders, a moonshine, and 4 bottles of wine.

Probably the best tour we have ever been on. The driver was a wealth of knowledge about the Smoky…read moreMountains, the history of early settlers, stories of how the national park came to be and of buildings we visited. Tennessee Mountain Tours is above every other tour company we have used before. I highly recommend booking their tours.

Today was amazing! We went to see a castle right here in Tennessee! Floyd "Junior" Banks built the…read morecastle out in Loudon County TN called the Greenback Castle or Fortress of Faith. He dedicated this castle to the Lord and encourages everyone to come out and see it for themselves. He never charges a fee to visit, but donations are very much appreciated. He was excited to meet us and take us for a tour. He is a fascinating gentleman with some really interesting stories. He built the castle himself with donated items over the past 30 years and still works on it. Junior told us he never used a level or measuring device, God guides him. He lives in a house nearby on the many acres of property. I highly recommend touring this incredible castle (AT YOUR OWN RISK) and spending some time listening to Junior. I immediately went on Amazon and bought 2 of his books because he was so intriguing. Fortress of Faith: Art, Science, and Divine Intervention at the Greenback Castle What In Another World Is Going On At The Greenback Castle?

(Not a restaurant) If you love the bizarre and unique visit…read morethe Greenback Castle. A retired old gentleman built this "art project " over 30+ years. And loves to greet people and explain the (mostly religious) meaning of all displays. Fun, weird, unique!