Alvin York State Historic Park Celebrates Tennessee's World War I Hero

Sgt. Alvin York

Tennessee’s state parks are best known as preserves of the state’s natural beauty, but a few highlight Tennesseans who had an impact on the world stage.  For one, that renown began 98 years ago on a battlefield in France, October 8, 1918.

Alvin C. York State Historic Park in Pall Mall, tells the life story of a country boy who grew up to be an international hero as the most decorated soldier of World War I

The park includes the farm and home Sergeant York and his family lived in from 1922 until he died, and the grist mill he operated in the 1940s and 50s. 

A devout Christian, pacifist and conscientious objector, York proudly served his country once drafted into the U.S. Army. When his patrol was ambushed behind enemy lines that October day, he risked all leading the few survivors in a counter-attack. York’s heroism, and the capture of 132 Germans, earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor and international acclaim. These exploits were later chronicled in the film classic Sergeant York, starring Gary Cooper.

Exhibits in the visitor center, a recreation of the store York ran in 1920s tell of his life and heroism, and how he used his celebrity to improve life for others. It’s an inspiring story about an inspiring son of Tennessee. 

Southeast's Only Dark Sky Site Awaits Night Visitors To Pogue Creek Canyon Natural Area

Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area

photo credit: Mike Serkownek/IDA

Have you ever experienced the night sky, as intended —away from the glare and distractions of modern life?

That inspiring thrill awaits all visitors to the astronomy field at Pickett State Park /Pogue Creek Canyon State Natural Area,  near Jamestown in Fentress County. 

It’s the first park in the southeast certified as a “dark sky” viewing area by the International Dark Sky Association . That distinction identifies the  dwindling number of sites around the world where there’s no light pollution. Visitors can explore the night sky in all its glory, as it once inspired generations.  

Tennessee’s Pogue Creek Canyon is currently the only Dark Sky location in the Southeast where the stars, planets and Milky Way will seem so close.( Click here to read the state brochure on the site.)

Summer, winter, spring or fall spend a few hours there and you’ll be humbled, as you ponder the brilliance of the heavens. When you go, schedule for a night around a new or late moon so moonlight won’t disrupt your view. Also, check area weather to make sure skies are clear.

Black History in Tennessee: The Lorraine Motel and National Civil Rights Museum

April 4, 1968
Memphis, Tennessee

 If you’re of a certain age, the date and place stirs the image of a collective memory: men standing around the body of a dying Martin Luther King, Jr., pointing from the balcony of the Lorraine Motel at a building across the way where the fatal shot originated.

It’s a pivotal moment in Black and American history, the tragic loss of a great leader. His words and actions still inspire and challenge we, as one nation, to grow toward our potential and live the principles we aspire to.

When in Memphis make your pilgrimage to the Lorraine Motel, now home of the National Civil Rights Museum. Just to be in that space, knowing what transpired there, forces a soul searching upon you. 

A wreath on the balcony outside room 306 marks the spot where Dr. King fell. The cars parked below, identical to those in that iconic image, are fixed reminders of the tragedy which transpired on that narrow stage. 

To look around the plaza, to realize how near the assassin was as he took aim, to know this is where one chapter ended and another began in the struggle for national equality is to ask yourself what have I done, what more can I do to help realize his dream.

The Museum traces and tells of the struggle for Civil Rights from our earliest history. It’s a worthy education about ugly truths and noble ambitions that can be difficult for white Americans to face. But it is the story of black America, and the empowerment of basic human dignity.

The Lorraine Motel is one of Tennessee’s historic sites one cannot visit, and turn away unmoved.

Start Planning Your Tennessee Vacation

Looking ahead to spring and summer? 

There’s no better time to start planning your Tennessee vacation!

If you’ve never visited the Volunteer State or you’re a resident who hasn’t fully explored the many glories of Tennessee, you’ll be surprised and thrilled with all there is to discover here.  From  the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the banks of the Mississippi River, our western border, Tennessee truly holds something for everyone!

We Tennesseans are proud of our state and it’s breathtaking scenery, unique heritage and destinations, and many contributions to popular music and culture. 

For lovers of the great outdoors, Tennessee State Parks  are second to none.  Scattered across the state, these jewels preserve our natural beauty and archaeological legacy while offering visitors the best in hiking, camping, boating or fishing. Urban explorers will be rewarded for visits to Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, or any of our smaller towns and cities, as well.

Throughout the year The Tennessee Traveler will do our part to point you toward worthy destinations and events across the state. 

Tourists and visitors will also find the Tennessee Department of Tourism has all the resources to to help plan a fun-filled vacation for the entire family here. Plans for your Tennessee adventure should start at the official website, Tennessee Vacation. There you can order or download the official 2016 Tennessee Vacation Guide. 

Anyone driving through our state should take advantage of our Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways program.  Currently this state-wide network features 16 different road trips, each devoted to a theme. Plans are underway to link all trails with a special “musical heritage” trail later this year. The roots of rock and roll, the blues, country, gospel and rhythm and blues all run deep in Tennessee!

Entirely self guided, you can start downone of these trails wherever you are, wherever you’re headed in Tennessee. Each trail map includes recommended stops along your way: historical sites, popular attractions, small towns, natural landmarks, great restaurants and venues!

It’s never too early to start planning a great vacation in Tennessee, and the  maps  and apps to make it easy are easily avaialble!

Y’all come...

Family Fun On Shores of The Mississippi: Memphis’ Bass Pro Shops At The Pyramid

If you’ve shopped any of Bass Pro Shop’s superstores, you know the unique experience they offer. Part store, part amusement park in retail space stocked with anything and everything you could want in sporting goods. All set among dazzling displays celebrating hunting, fishing and the great outdoors.

The company has topped them all with the adventures awaiting shoppers of all ages in Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid in Memphis. Hopefully, with this incarnation, the architectural landmark on the eastern shores of the Mississippi River will find the permanence and purpose it so richly deserves. Hats off to Memphis and the folks at Bass Pro Shops.

Step through the massive entrance at the base of the silver, gleaming pyramid and you’re first struck by the cypress trees towering from the sales floor. Then, as the eyes adjust, you start to take in the your surroundings. Two levels of an unparalleled selection of sports equipment and sportswear await discovery. 

As you move from department to department you meander paths through cypress ponds stocked with giant catfish and gar, among others. There’s also a jumbo freshwater aquarium, alligator pool with live alligators, and faux cliffs teeming with bear, deer and mountain goat. Family members can dine and bowl in the store’s Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl on the ground floor, The lanes are set in an ocean-themed bowling alley, while an adjacent bar submerges shoppers in the remains of a sunken ship. For snackers there’s also a fudge/candy shop nearby.

Across the way, The Big Cypress Lodge, a hotel within this store, welcomes overnight guests. In keeping with the surroundings, they can choose from rustic rooms or treehouse cabins above the cypress swamp.

Then there’s the Sky High Ride. At the center of the expansive sales floor, America’s tallest freestanding elevator invites the adventurous to soar 28 stories up for breathtaking views of the Tennessee landscape, Memphis and the Mississippi River. Another restaurant here, The Lookout, offers an opportunity to dine or drink, immersed in these vistas. 

Most will prefer to simply step outside to take in the scenery on the glass floored platforms set into the sides of the Pyramid, 300 feet in the air. The Sky High Ride costs $10 for adults, $5 for children before 4 pm, and is definitely worth it.

The Mississippi, looking north from The Pyramid .

         Whether you’re an avid outdoors lover, casual shopper, or parents with children, enjoyable adventures await all at Bass Pro Shops at The Pyramid.  It’s a store, and so much more, and should be on the list of must-see attractions for every visitor to Memphis, from here forward.

Smithville's Old Time Fiddler's Jamboree and Crafts Festival next weekend!

It’s Jamboree season once again in DeKalb County! 

This time of year Smithville,  our county seat, invites everyone in for the Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival. This is the 44th year for the event, the biggest thing that happens in these parts. It draws tens of thousands from all over the world for two days of fun and food.

Young cloggers take the stage to dance to some good old time music

at the The Smithville Fiddler's Jamboree and Crafts Festival.

This year's event will be held next Friday and Saturday, July 3rd and 4th, in and around the town square in Smithville, in DeKalb County.
The main stage, where competions are held, sits on the courthouse steps.

Some of the  Jamboree's best music can be heard offstage, though, where musicians gather in the shade for impromptu jams on old time favorites. If you're up for a stroll, there's plenty to see in the many booths which line the square and streets surrounding it. Some celebrate traditional Southern crafts, some more modern renditions of varied arts.

The Jamboree was our first introduction to the area way back in 1977. We’ve been here that long. A third of a century.

Over those years I developed a real fondness for and understanding of  the music the Jamboree celebrates: old time bluegrass and mountain music still popular throughout the South. All acoustic: guitar, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, dobro, dulcimer, and the fiddle of course. 

I now know many of the old time standards contestants play during the various events. Can even strum a few myself on the guitar. One of the joys of country living is to sitting on the front porch in the evening, watching the hills and hollows slip into darkness, strumming some chords on the guitar.

There was a time when that was the only regular entertainment folks in these parts could enjoy, after a long hard day’s work. The Jamboree helps keep those traditions alive. If you're ever in these parts the weekend nearest the Fourth of July it’s worth the trip to Smithville. And if you don’t know what clogging is, well, y’all come.

Snows Hill Battlefied in DeKalb County

Last Friday marked the 152nd anniversary of the Battle of Snows Hill. The Civil War skirmish took place along our road the morning of April 3, 1863, involving several thousand troops. I have a copy of the New York Times from later that month with a front page headline and account of the battle.

The story is based on dispatches from a correspondent traveling with the Union Army of the Cumberland. As much an anecdotal account of the battle and its aftermath as the actual skirmish. Looking out at these hills, it’s hard to imagine soldiers racing through here, ducking minie and cannon balls.

Over the years I’ve done a lot of research on the battle, also combed the fields and hollers with a metal detector. Found shards of cannon balls, used and unused lead shot, remnants of breastworks and fox holes. A friend once found a complete parrot shell that had drilled into the road embankment, deep into dirt where its fuse was extinguished. When we found it was cracked half open, exposing the grape shot and powder.

Our luckiest find was made by my son Marcus. He was 11 or 12, walking through the woods near our house, metal detector under arm, when he found a union boot spur sticking up out of ground.