Help me out here…

[gregintenn]

Wife wants out of the house for a bit. I thought the weather looks good tomorrow, so we might drive up to Cummins Falls, maybe do a bit of shopping and eat lunch in Cookeville, then go down and see Rock Island State Park. We might throw in an overnight bag in case we were late coming home.

You get a a general idea of our proposed route. Anywhere else you’d recommend?

Edited December 30, 2021 by gregintenn

[Garufa]

Drive by a Kroger and get a covid shot.

[gregintenn]

Ok. Anybody else?

[Grunt67]

Ever been to Fall Creek Falls State Park?

[gregintenn]

21 minutes ago, Grunt67 said:

Ever been to Fall Creek Falls State Park?

Yep. Several times. It’s nice.

[Pups37110]

Could stop by Burgess Falls while you're near Cookeville. Then have dinner at Foglight Foodhouse while at Rock Island.

[gregintenn]

8 hours ago, Pups37110 said:

Could stop by Burgess Falls while you're near Cookeville. Then have dinner at Foglight Foodhouse while at Rock Island.

I knew there was something else nearby. That was it! Thanks.

[peejman]

2 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

I knew there was something else nearby. That was it! Thanks.

With all the rain, I bet Burgess Falls is roaring. You may not be able to get down to it. 

Also recommend Mama Rosa's in Cookeville. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by peejman

[Erik88]

There is a new-ish state park that looks outstanding called Pogue Creek. Also, if you haven't hiked to the Twin Arches in BSF I would definitely consider that. 

[bobsguns]

Go to Gatlinburg with 50,000 of your closest friends?   

Cookeville area has nice scenery, for sure. Aside from FCF, there's not much between them & Chatt to spend time at. Hwy 111 is a nice little drive though. 

Could spend a couple of days in Pikeville? They have a McDonalds now....................   

Were *I* wanting something off the beaten path, I would head to Tellico, get a cabin on the river. Even if you don't fish (which I don't), it's cool to sit & just watch the river. Maybe smoke a good cigar, sip on something the tiniest bit expensive? Tellico has several restaurants, a neat little bookstore on the square, a fishing guide store across the street from that, several "boutiques" for the ladies. All without crowds or traffic. Peace & quiet reign supreme there.

Or................ ease down to Copperhill. Stay by the river or way up on the mountain, both good choices. Multiple restaurants, excellent breweries, multiple shops. Beautiful mountains to explore, either hiking or driving. Mercer's Orchards just down the highway about 5 miles or so. I swear, I can spend 3-4 hours in there without any problem about getting bored, it's that cool of a store. 

Blue Ridge is about 10 miles from Copperhill, in GA. Total tourist trap, but worth a day visit, IMO. The TVA excursion train runs there as well as Copperhill. 

Pics below are of Copperhill. The TN/GA state line runs right through one restaurant, the line is painted on the floor. Pretty funny.

Personally, *I* am tired of being around crowds & traffic at my age.

Have fun!

[10-Ring]

11 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Yep. Several times. It’s nice.

That was my first thought.  Use your state retiree discount to get 1/2 off on a cabin (they do that for state employees and retirees in the off season).  If you are making it a waterfall themed trip swing by Rock Island while you are down that way. 

[gregintenn]

11 hours ago, peejman said:

With all the rain, I bet Burgess Falls is roaring. You may not be able to get down to it. 

Also recommend Mama Rosa's in Cookeville. 

Burgess falls was quite impressive to me. I can’t believe I’ve never been there.

I meant to go see Window Cliffs, but got distracted and forgot to go back that way.

Edited December 31, 2021 by gregintenn

[gregintenn]

11 hours ago, Erik88 said:

There is a new-ish state park that looks outstanding called Pogue Creek. Also, if you haven't hiked to the Twin Arches in BSF I would definitely consider that. 

Thanks Erik. These didn’t fit the schedule today, but I will keep them in mind. Hopefully this will become a more frequent thing. The state of Tennessee has some really impressive parks to go see. Most folks drive right on by then.

I haven’t been to Big South Fork in a while. I would like to go back and see more of it as well as Pickett State Park. I didn’t even know about Pogue Creek. Neat! Those aren’t far from home for me.

Edited December 31, 2021 by gregintenn

[Dirtshooter]

Hey Greg, Pickett state park also boasts the first International Dark sky viewing area east of the Mississippi. It has views that are very similar to the areas out west. They have a nice parking area with electricity to charge batteries and about 2 acres they keep mowed for visitors.

https://tnstateparks.com/parks/info/pickett

Edited December 31, 2021 by Dirtshooter

[jpx2rk]

If you head over to Tellico Plains for those sites mentioned above, go on up the river (aka Chahalla Skyway) to Bald River Falls.  Go there when it's really cold, or after some heavy rains so the falls will be really flowing.  The Skyway will take you over to Robbinsville, NC, a nice road with good views of the mountains.  There is also a TWRA trout farm on one of the side roads, can see some really big trout as well.  

[10-Ring]

4 minutes ago, jpx2rk said:

If you head over to Tellico Plains for those sites mentioned above, go on up the river (aka Chahalla Skyway) to Bald River Falls.  Go there when it's really cold, or after some heavy rains so the falls will be really flowing.  The Skyway will take you over to Robbinsville, NC, a nice road with good views of the mountains.  There is also a TWRA trout farm on one of the side roads, can see some really big trout as well.  

Though I have done, and highly recommend everything you just said.  I would suggest staying away from the Skyway area any time TN, or NC has a bear season open as the roads will be thick with bear hunters, and they have a tendency to cause traffic. I know the TN is open in that area this weekend as some friends are there hunting Tellico. 

Edited December 31, 2021 by 10-Ring

[bobsguns]

1 hour ago, jpx2rk said:

If you head over to Tellico Plains for those sites mentioned above, go on up the river (aka Chahalla Skyway) to Bald River Falls.  Go there when it's really cold, or after some heavy rains so the falls will be really flowing.  The Skyway will take you over to Robbinsville, NC, a nice road with good views of the mountains.  There is also a TWRA trout farm on one of the side roads, can see some really big trout as well.  

River Road is what takes one to the trout hatchery. Pretty neat place to visit, IMO. 

Tellico is almost the perfect place to spend a 3-4 day weekend, IMO. Good food, good fishing (if one is so inclined), good hiking, good scenery & wonderful motorcycle riding. Little traffic, no crowds, peaceful & quiet. What's not to love?

[gregintenn]

Just now, bobsguns said:

River Road is what takes one to the trout hatchery. Pretty neat place to visit, IMO. 

Tellico is almost the perfect place to spend a 3-4 day weekend, IMO. Good food, good fishing (if one is so inclined), good hiking, good scenery & wonderful motorcycle riding. Little traffic, no crowds, peaceful & quiet. What's not to love?

Sounds like my kind of place.