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Information on Tennessee
Tennessee is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River and is bordered in total by eight other states. It may have been the combined cultural and historical mix infused from its many southern neighbours that assisted Tennessee in becoming the central melting pot of musical styles, eventually coalescing into modern country, blues and rock 'n roll, for which the state is now world renowned.
Tennessee's famous son is the legendary King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley: he may have died close on 25 years ago, but his soul goes marching on, drawing thousands of fans to his former home in Memphis, the state's largest city. And in Tennessee's capital of Nashville is home to a rich musical history.
Tennessee also boasts a vast area of natural wilderness; despite only being a small area it is home to lush landscapes and bubbling mountain streams. In the eastern part of the state a series of beautiful ridges and valleys rise up to the highest point of Clingman's Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which Tennessee shares with North Carolina. The state is blessed throughout with a vast system of reservoirs, which offer 29 appealing lakes, filled with fish and offering water sports opportunities.
Historically Tennessee is also home to some heritage trails, the most prominent being the 'Trail of Tears' starting just east of Chattanooga in the south and stretching for 260 miles (418km) through Tennessee before heading into Kentucky. Along this route 13,000 displaced Cherokee Indians were marched to Oklahoma. Tennessee, which was the centre of the western theatre of the Civil War and witnessed more battles than any other state except Virginia, also preserves and maintains numerous war sites like Shiloh and Lookout Mountain.
