Taking a Dayton Holiday Loop
A Day Away By Mike Steely
Christmas is coming, the weather is changing, and you might need a break already after the Thanksgiving holiday. Getting out with the family and away from Knoxville to our neighboring counties and smaller towns could be a nice break from the stress and rush.
Consider taking a day trip westward along I-40 to Highway 27, the Rockwood-Harriman exit, and turning south. The small towns are merrily decorated and those lights and displays await you. Even if you miss the special holiday events, you can tour the Christmas lights and decorated homes and buildings.
Rockwood was originally the home and village of a Cherokee Chief who controlled the crossing of the Clinch River, the path up Cumberland Mountain to places like Nashville. The Treaty of Tellico turned the area over to white settlement. Following the Civil War, two veterans bought the land, established a port and steamboat landing, and the town developed by 1880. The town’s Civitan Christmas Parade is today, December 9, at 7:00 p.m. and starts at Gateway Avenue and disassembles at the end of Rockwood Street.
Just east of Highway 27 is the Rockwood downtown area with many historic homes.
Heading south you will come to Spring City which began as a railroad stop and was originally called Sulphur Springs and later called Rheaville and then Rhea Springs, for the county there. The Southern Railroad Depot there is notable, built in 1909.
On Saturday, December 14, Spring City’s Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Depot Festival and Parade starting at 10 a.m. with a “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” theme and photos with Santa and a 2 p.m. parade.
If you continue south along Highway 27 you’ll come to historic Dayton, the site of the iconic “Monkey Trial” at the courthouse there. That town’s parade was held on December 2 with a staged production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The town hosts six neighborhood Christmas Lights drive-through routes and Christmas at the Courthouse kicked off Saturday, December 7 with caroling, crafts, and Santa hosted by Main Street Dayton. There’s a museum in the basement of the Rhea County Courthouse recalling the history of the area and the notorious trial there, plus you can walk up inside the building and visit the actual courtroom where the Scope’s Trial took place.
You could get back on the highway and follow it south toward Chattanooga but I suggest you turn east on Highway 30 and cross the Tennessee River to Old Washington. That little place was once the county seat of Rhea County and the home of Judge David Campbell. Campbell is buried there beside his son-in-law and, it is said, the judge’s favorite horse.
The little community was also a ferry landing and is now served by a highway bridge. Staying on the highway you’ll come to Decatur, the Meigs County seat. Holiday celebrations around the courthouse featured “Cozy Christmas” on Saturday, December 7, one of many events held there leading up to the Christmas holiday.
You can return to Knoxville by way of I-40 from Kingston to the north or I-75 from Athens to the east.
The small towns around our community often are much different than Knoxville and well worth a day trip just to see and explore.
