After crossing I-81 into Morristown, this marker caught my eye. It points out the home and final…read moreresting site of a Revolutionary War hero. The marker reads, "Colonel Robert McFarland, 1759-1837. The homesite and grave of Revolutionary War officer, Colonel Robert McFarland, is located two miles north at Springvale. Born in 1759 in Orange County, North Carolina, he served in the Virginia Militia from 1776 to 1781. In 1783, McFarland moved from Washington County, Virginia to Greene County, North Carolina, now Greene County, Tennessee. He became the first sheriff of Jefferson County, part of which is now Hamblen County, Tennessee." The first account of him is in 1780 as a Lieutenant in the battle of Kings Mountain North Carolina. In 1781, he took part in the Battle of Cowpens with Morgan's Men. In 1792, now a Lieutenant Colonel of the militia, he took part in an expedition against the Cherokee and Creek Indians. In 1793, Robert was commissioned Sheriff at the first County Court in Jefferson County. This is marker number 1B-65 and was erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. [Review 20139 overall - 465 in Tennessee - 1115 of 2023.]

Beautiful over look of Panther Creek. The State Rangers were awesome helping us get the TN passport…read morebook when the visitor center was closed. Bathrooms amazed at how clean they are!! Overlooking was well worth going out of the way to see this state park.

Real customer service is hard to come by these days, but two of the Panther Creek crew deserve a…read morestanding ovation. It is Thanksgiving day, at 4:30 pm and we discovered that our 50 amp power outlet was only working on one side. That meant that our fireplace/ heater was not working on the coldest night so far with 20's forecast for tomorrow night. The new camp host, Mike, called the office and Ranger Brown was there in 15 minutes and resolved the problem. End of shift after a long day serving alone on a holiday and he never hesitated. Kudos, Kudos, Kudos. This is our 14th year at Panther Creek- even more of a favorite now.

Amazing space for theatre! Clean and accessible to all. Multiple halls for rent! Parking across the…read morestreet or on the street but it's not hard to find.

While taking our Urban Hike through Morristown, we happened across this architectural gem. I…read moreusually travel with my hubby and daughter but on this trip we had our little doggie, Sammi so we were limited on what indoor activities we could do. This location was closed the day we were there, but I am more into the history of the old buildings and I love to go inside and see the inside architecture as well. I wish it had been opened. History: Rose Center is Morristown and Hamblen County's community cultural center. Located in Morristown's first coeducational public high school built in 1892, the facility is named after Judge James G. Rose, Civil War Hero and Chairman of the School Board at the time when plans for construction of the school were initiated. The building operated as a school until 1975, at which time a group of local citizens organized, raised funds to replace the vintage roof, and re-opened the building as a museum and cultural center. This effort was part of the community's celebration of the nation's bicentennial. Thirty years later, the "castle" - as it is referred to by many of the thousands of school children who visit the Center on field trips and other occasions - is a busy place. The Center offers classes for children and adults, meeting space for community groups including the attractively renovated Jean Keener Community Room, rotating exhibits of artwork in the Edith Davis Gallery, historical displays in the Hal Noe Gallery, a look at early schooling in the Historic Classroom, concerts, summer programs for young people, and produces major annual events such as the Mountain Makins Festival, From Africa To Appalachia Celebration, and the International Festival. If you are ever in the area, gps the address and go by and check out this old school building that the locals refer to as the Castle..you will love IT...I promise

We came out to the Avondale Haunted Barn this evening and had such a great time!!! They did such…read morean incredible job, definitely the best haunted house I've ever been to! Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a good scare!

From the owner: PERHAPS YOU’VE HEARD OF IT… ...a dark, lonely hollow,…read morenestled deep in the mountains of Tennessee, the birthplace of countless local legends passed down through the generations. But the grim tale of Avondale Hollow is no mere bedtime story. From the grisly murders at the old Pickett farm, to the specters of lost soldiers said to haunt the nearby Langley manor, and the rumors of strange curses and haunting, disembodied cries told by those who strayed too far into the hollow after dark… Oh yes, there are plenty of folks who still remember the stories. And to those who doubt, who don’t believe in the Avondale curse, they’d all ask the same question… are you brave enough to find out for yourself? This fall, take the adventure to Avondale Haunted Barn to uncover the mystery of the Avondale curse. Ranked among the top fan-voted must-see haunted attractions in the state, Avondale Haunted Barn is a terrifying, immersive journey into a dark world of twisted folklore and sinister secrets. Located on a historic property and based on real local legends, Avondale Haunted Barn offers a unique and authentic haunt experience you won’t find anywhere else.

15 Acres of Spooky on Halloween! 3 haunted houses for the…read moreticket price plus Monster Selfie Museum & The Jack O Lantern halls. There are a bunch of add ons: 3 jumps x 1 ticket off the Lexor Jump ( a free fall off a tower) Axe throwing 10 throws x 1 ticket Nightmare challenge- Fridays only. Any combo of some fear factor type stuff- eat something , drink something, do something. No thanks but I might pay the $5 to watch next time. If you complete it without throwing up, you get the money you paid back. We only went through the haunts and MSM/ JLH 1st: Lexor Manor : The first haunted house is set up using the upstairs and down stairs of the original house of Jeremiah Lexor. Waiting in line was no big deal, I wouldn't pay for the fast pass. There are multiple actors that come around decked out and in character interacting with the crowd. The make up & costumes were really great. Also there is a giant black and white projection of a video showing the people as they are scared , jumping, screaming and even running away inside. Watching it while you're waiting is fun. This place has a lot of history I didn't know about beforehand. Of course inside the Manor I was trying to look at everything on the walls and stuff . I didn't get frightened, but we did get jump scared a few times for being distracted and laughed so hard. It was great. 2nd: Carnival Outcasts Was probably the most fun and thrilling vs scary or otherwise. Plenty of clowns and jumps scares, fun & creepy sounds. Avoid this one if you dont want to be touched. They don't grab you just get real close might brush against your ankles or shoulder with something. I actually scared one of the actors myself and my friend fell out laughing; it came back to me and said " that wasnt funny" in the best and creepiest voice they could do to stay in character, which of course made us laugh more and her "twin" character also broke character to laugh. The walking path is wooden & goes up and down so beware. On the way out they chased her with the chainsaw and she loved it. The Lexor Jump is somewhere off the side of this attraction or above it. 3. Backwoods of Rage: IMO was the best one that had us more involved and engaged, feeling "lost" in the moment than the others did. The theme and overal demeanor of the characters was less playful scary & more sinister than the others. The actors never broke no matter what we said back. Which was good for us because we got our kicks in the first two. There is a lot less light in this one which adds to the fear factor for some. It was eerie walking through the part that is close to the woods but the guy in the front of our group here, kept screaming terrified every time someone jumped out at him. They knew who to get jaja. Well, so we didn't really get any scares until we got caught up in the fog and separated from the group..then the Cucuy found us. They did a really great job on this set with all of the turns and obstacles and placements of the actors. It was set up farther back on the property in the woods in what looks like a slaughter house for pigs. It had a lot of fog machines at one point and multiple false exits; it limited all ability to see so if you have breathing issues beware of getting disoriented in there. The bit of fear I felt was at the end in whatever kind of exit that was because I'm claustrophobic...I did run that bit out jajaja. I wont spoil it for you with the details. * Go through the Museum and Jack O Lantern halls last as there are no lines. They converted old shipping containers to make this. A different music is playing inside here than what you hear in the park and there is much to see. We danced around inside while checking things out. Spent another 20-30 minutes here inspecting everything. * Unless you have a big group or plan to hang about, you'd probably get through everything and be ready to leave in about 2 hours. *The music is loud and epic throughout the screampark. There is a gift shop/stand that also offers water & soda *Bathrooms are portapotties so make sure you bring hand sanitizer at least. *Parking is card only; $10; guided in the grass so be prepared to walk to the entrance. I've heard they change a lot of it every year, so I would definitely go again.

Definitely a fun experience- we went on a Saturday and it was packed, but the lines moved pretty…read morewell. The scares were well placed and I really loved the monster selfie museum and inflatables. Probably not for everyone but looking for a fun spooky season night, definitely check it out. All of the staff were kind and helpful!

I booked the 90 minute Swincar tour for my birthday while visiting Chattanooga and we had a blast!…read moreIt was way more fun than I had anticipated! Jacob, our tour guide was great! He assessed our driving skills throughout the tour and adjusted the pace accordingly. We finished the tour earlier than normal (he said we were one of the fastest groups) so we were able to have more driving time on the way back. There was only three of us plus Jacob. We lucked out being the only group to book that day, so we essentially had a private tour. They provide extremely helpful info prior to your tour once you've booked. Strongly recommend sunglasses or even goggles if you have them. I had my own sunglasses but the dirt kicks up with intensity through out the tour and will get into your eyes through the sides of your sunglasses. Definitely bring a bandana or a face mask if you don't want dirt all over your face or in your mouth and nose. I wore a face mask and was fine. Long sleeves and long pants are highly advisable due to a chance of ticks, plenty of dirt & the sun. i wouldn't bring anything with you on the actual tour other than your driver's license, tip and an inhaler if you have asthma. If you have allergies you may want to take some allergy pills prior to the tour that won't make you drowsy. If you have clothes with zip up pockets, wear those so you can stash items on hand. Closed toe shoes are required for safety. I would wear sturdy shoes or hiking shoes/boots to really protect your feet if you already own ones. I wouldn't necessarily go out and buy some just for this tour though. Sneakers are fine. The swincars are climbing beasts! They have some powerful throttle going uphill so keep that in mind when you're riding behind someone. On the flats I went full throttle and I was ok. There's one of the many bends and turns (near cliffs/drop offs) that is super sharp & steep that you need full throttle. Trust me you will feel the power going uphill, when you hit the throttle it will buck forward. Steering takes a little to get used to. As instructed prior to driving, don't over correct when turning, just bringing the steering wheel to neutral will do the trick without causing you to fishtail if you were to overcompensate. During the tour you will make several stops to learn about the floral and fauna and some history. If you book on a Sunday, Reflection Riding Arboretum is closed. The tour guide will be wearing a bright orange shirt and will open the gate 15 minutes prior to the tour. Be sure to use the bathroom BEFORE arriving at Reflection Riding Arboretum as there are NO available bathrooms open. The closest bathroom from there, that is open on Sundays are the ones at Ruby Falls about a 10 min drive away. They offer a 60 minute or 90 minute tour. The 1pm tours are the 90 min tours & the 3pm tours are only 60 min. You have to be 18+ with a driver's license to do the tour.

I discovered Adventure Sports Innovation ("ASI") while reading about the Lift e-foil (an electric…read moresurfboard). See: https://liftfoils.com/efoil/ As a fan of EVs, tech, and watersports, this board seemed like a dream for me! ASI is one of very few places in the U.S. that rents the efoil. This is a very unique experience! On the east coast, the next closest location is in Miami! So, I planned a day trip down to Chattanooga for a 90 minute session. At $250/90 minutes, it is one of the more expensive activities offered by ASI. But, it is 100% worth it and I plan to go back. The owners of ASI are great people and made sure that I had a great time. I have never experienced a watersports activity where you (as the rider) control the entire experience without a boat or wave. The wireless hand controller allows you to control speed and hydrofoiling (getting out of the water). If you have experience with wakeboards, surfing, or water skiing, that will be very helpful. But, even with that background, it took me around 30-40 minutes to learn the balance, turns, and speed control. I fell numerous times in the process. Like most watersports, it doesn't hurt to fall and the board stops nearby. ASI has a changing facility, lockers, etc. So, no worries about the logistics of storing clothes or changing. They also provide a trainer for the 90 minute session. My trainer (Madison) was excellent and she offered many suggestions about how to learn the balance and speed. She also took some really cool photos and videos that she later shared with me (see below). Aside from the lift e-foil, ASI has lots of other cool vehicles and a very nice facility. Electric offroad vehicle, smaller boards/scooters, e-bikes, etc. A very unique collection. They also have VR attractions including a simulated hang glider and a "design your own" rollercoaster. My son did the VR activities and enjoyed it. Highly recommend for anyone visiting Chattanooga or, like me, someone interested in the Lift e-foil.