trip inspiration

When it comes to writing a song, or planning a trip, some of the best ideas seem to appear out of thin air. Or, from articles and itineraries we’ve already built for you.

Compass drawing with purple outline on grid background; shows cardinal directions and needle pointing northeast.

Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started. Here are a few trip ideas to help get you going. For better results, sort them by area or category of interest.

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A busy city street lined with storefronts, cars on a wet road, pedestrians walking along sidewalks.

Have Winter Romance Knoxville

Have Winter Romance Knoxville
Nighttime view of a historic brick building topped with a glowing neon 'Cream City Ice Cream' sign, illuminating the quiet downtown street lined with parked cars and storefronts.

Prettiest Small Towns

Prettiest Small Towns
A pair of cyclists bike through the Upper Sequatchie Valley. As they pedal, the mountains of the Sequatchie Valley rise up in the distance. The road is quiet, peaceful. A slight breeze rustles the leaves of a nearby tree, its branches that overhang above the road, providing brief shade.

Cycling Trip in East Tennessee

Cycling Trip in East Tennessee
Cool off in Tennessee on the Holston River

Caves, Lakes, Rivers and Waterfalls

Caves, Lakes, Rivers and Waterfalls
A variety of barbecue from Nashville's Martin's Bar-B-Que

Made Tennessee Bucket List Barbecue Spots

Made Tennessee Bucket List Barbecue Spots
Children run and play at My Big Backyard, a kid-friendly area within the larger Memphis Botanic Garden in Memphis.

Spring Break Trips

Spring Break Trips
People walk along a curved covered porch of a red-brick building with white columns, trees, and greenery in a campus-like scene. Sponsored

Visit the Towns in Rutherford County

Visit the Towns in Rutherford County
Sprinkled, glazed and frosted donuts in colors of pink, red and orange behind a bakery case at Blackbird Bakery Donuts in Bristol, TN. A girl bends down to see the expansive selection. Tarts, slices of pie and chocolate desserts are lined up in another bakery case to her right.

Must-Visit Donut Shops in Tennessee

Must-Visit Donut Shops in Tennessee
Echoes of the empty are the only sound, Voices from the past whisper through the trees, Rustling up the dead leaves drying on the ground, Only oak and hickory growing where a small town used to be. Written about Tennessee’s Ghost Towns.

Guide to Ghost Towns and Haunted Places in Tennessee

Guide to Ghost Towns and Haunted Places in Tennessee