Just outside of Nashville, the Old Tennessee Trail is waiting for you:  a scenic drive as rich in history as it is in fresh air, gentle rolling hills, and down-home charm. This tour begins in historic Franklin, a short drive from Nashville and certainly worth a day trip or a dinner excursion on its own. But this is just the beginning of the Old Tennessee Trail. Get behind the wheel here and move into a different mindset, a different attitude, a different kind of adventure as you wind through our gorgeous countryside and some of our favorite small towns. Get a glimpse of the original Tennessee, a time when Native Americans hunted on this land, and later found themselves nose to nose with the settlers arriving to lay claim to the Revolutionary War land grants they would shape into homesteads and farmlands. 

You’ll feel, at times, like you’ve been transported back to another era, standing in the very spot where Confederate General Hood watched his troops march to battle at Franklin, where they would suffer 7,000 casualties.  You’ll view history in a new perspective after running your hand over the bullet holes that still mark some of our most magnificent Antebellum homes. 

Stop in to the historic markets that help anchor our communities. Stretch your legs, get a cold drink, and take the time to ask about the faded photos on the wall — there’s a story in each one.  You may even get yourself invited to the local bluegrass jam session later in the evening.  And we’ll make you feel right at home at some of our best-kept secret dining spots, even if you’ve never read the words “frog legs” on a menu in your life.

The Old Tennessee Trail takes some time to explore, and it’s up to you to decide how you want to experience it — from a 6-hour scenic drive to a two-day history excursion with a one-of-a-kind bed and breakfast in the middle. Take this trip on a sunny day, and you’ll swear the sky is bluer here, the grass smells sweeter. The 47 miles of the Old Tennessee Trail will pass like minutes as you wander deeper into Tennessee, and discover life and adventure outside of the attractions that make us famous.

So turn off your mobile phone, fill up, buckle in, grab your camera, and spend some time exploring Tennessee’s backstage. Here’s your pass.

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