Interested in strange places in East Tennessee?

By Mike Steely I was going through my photo files recently and ran across several photos of unusual places in our region. With the COVID-19 pandemic clustering many families inside except for needed food shopping I thought I’d share some of the places with you You can...

Let’s go hiking at Norris Dam, Part Two

By Mike Steely Norris Dam, the first project of the Tennessee Valley Administration, has a large number of trails and walking paths not only inside the large state park but also along its perimeters. The paths and trails offer a wide variety of difficulties, from...

Let’s go hiking at Norris Dam, part one

By Mike Steely Norris Dam State Park may be a favorite of Knox County residents as it’s nearby—only a short drive up Norris Freeway—and has lots of interesting things to do. The park offers unique places to visit, camping at two sites, rental cabins, the historic...

Plenty to see at Rock Island

By Mike Steely If you’ve never been to Rock Island State Park, you’ve missed a very different park that has just about everything you’d expect plus some very special sites. Rock Island is located between Cookeville and McMinnville in the mountains along the Caney Fork...

Don’t overlook Panther Creek State Park

By Mike Steely If you’re looking for a surprising park and a great overlook you might think of the Great Smoky Mountains but there’s a 1,444-acre state park near Morristown that’s not as crowded and a nice place to visit within an hour’s drive. Panther Creek State...