Taking a day trip to Bush Beans Visitor Center
A Day Away By Mike Steely
I was at the VA on a medical visit recently and talked with one of the employees there who is new to our area. We chatted about the places most people visit when new to Knoxville and I asked him if he’d been to the Bush Bean Visitor Center or Newport.
He said he and his wife have been to places like Dollywood and Gatlinburg but, no, he’s not been to Dandridge or Newport. So I filled him in on what he might see if he took a day’s trip in that direction.
I’ve written about the Bush complex south of Dandridge before but I thought I’d do a mental trip again and I shared it with him.
We’ve driven over to Dandridge several times and I’m always been fascinated. Dandridge, Tennessee’s second oldest city, was protected by an earthen dam from the rising waters of Douglas Lake. The town sports a Revolutionary War cemetery, a historic courthouse that serves all of Jefferson County, a noted local drug store, and so much more including a beautiful downtown area.
The easiest way to start this trip is to take I-40 to I-81 and go north to the first or second Dandridge exit. Turn south and follow the signs to the historic downtown area.
From Dandridge, it’s easy to visit the Bush Beans Visitor Center without getting into the heavy traffic of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. Take Chestnut Hill Road, Highway 93, south across the lake to Highway 411 and turn right and proceed until you reach the Bush complex.
About 1908, A. J. Bush started a small cannery in the Chestnut Hill Community. In 1969 his great-grandson, Jay Bush, discovered a new recipe and the company grew to become a nationally known canned bean maker.
Today the Bush Visitor Center tells the history of beans and the Bush family with a well-done museum, gift shop, and tasty restaurant featuring, you guessed it, Bush bean products. The free-admission complex features a huge bean can large enough to walk through and many other items. There’s a video featuring the place’s history and the original family dog, Duke.
The center is a great free attraction and the Bush historic home and factory is nearby.
You can double back on Highway 411 and take it to Newport and visit the Tourist Information Center at 115 Mulberry Street. It’s open Monday through Saturday starting at 9 a.m. and seasonally on Sundays.
Newport is on the ancient Warrior’s Path and is the county seat of Cocke County. Newport was the site of several pioneer forts along the French Broad River. It originally was known as Shine’s Ferry.
You could double back on Interstate 40 to Knoxville but there are a couple of places nearby you might want to visit. Just east of Newport is the small community of Parrottsville on Highway 321. Just beyond that small rural community is Swaggerty’s Fort, a blockhouse built to defend from Cherokee attacks. It stands by itself beside the road and was built over a spring to make sure defenders had useable water.
Just north of Parrottsville, along Highway 340, is a natural attraction you will miss if you don’t carefully watch for it. The highway, also called the Oven Creek Road, crosses Oven Creek and the span is actually built atop a natural arch. The natural bridge is marked along the highway and you can park along the highway and walk down to see the arch, which is a wonderful and little-known attraction.
From there you can double back or continue north to Greeneville and come back by Interstate 82 to I-40.
A day away with the family, a friend, or by yourself can refresh your mind and give you a wider outlook of our area. Many newcomers know of our main attractions but learning what else is in our area is the second step in getting to know what Knoxville and East Tennessee offer.
