Swampland:Tennessee Rules: Places to Experience, Music That Rocks, Vistas That Amaze

Tennessee Rules: Places to Experience, Music That Rocks, Vistas That Amaze

Posted: Jun 16, 2009

This month I want to share with you the incredible diversity and exquisite beauty of my neighboring state, the "volunteer" state of Tennessee. From geography (Tennessee is often referred to as the "three states of Tennessee"), to music (country, blues, and cutting edge rock), to natural beauty that runs the gamut from crystalline lakes and sinuous rivers to the Great Smokey Mountains, Tennessee has something for everyone, and I have been lucky enough to have sampled much of its bounty.

A few weeks ago I traveled to the breathtaking mountains of Sewanee, Tennessee, for a three day weekend. While there I toured the University of the South and attended a fabulous wedding on the grounds of a spiritual retreat center near the Community of St. Mary's convent . I will be posting a series of blogs about that extraordinary wayfaring experience.

This area of east Middle Tennessee is not too far from Pigeon Forge (the home of Dollywood). This year Dollywood will be helping to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I hope to post a feature on a generous philanthropist, an amazing person, and someone for whom I have the greatest admiration---Dolly Parton!

Last Monday, June 8, I had the privilege of attending the unveiling of a life-size sculpture commemorating the Trail of Tears in Pulaski, Tennessee. This magnificent sculpture of a Cherokee family, bearing the Cherokee name "Nunahi-Duna-Dlo-Hily-I" or "The Trail where they cried," was created by two Athens State University art professors Pamela Sue Keller, a resident of Pulaski, and Gail Bergeron. The bronze sculpture graces a corner of the area surrounding the new Trail of Tears Interpretive Center in downtown Pulaski.. I will be providing pictures and commentary of this momentous occasion later this week.

Finally, an event I keep missing, and keep kicking myself every time I miss it, is Bonnaroo!!! This past weekend (June 11-14) ,may have been one of the hottest (in more ways than one---don't know if you can see the sweat running down Elvis Costello's face) but it was also, from all reports, one of the greatest. Headliners featured some of the top performers in the world, including the Shoals' own Drive By Truckers. Check back later on RiverVue for a recap of this star-studded event in the tiny town of Manchester, Tennessee, just 65 miles southeast of Nashville. This coming Saturday the cable channel FUSE will broadcast excerpts from the festival. (Photo by Samuel Simpkins of the Tennessean)

It is never too late to go to the mountains for a summer vacation. When you are planning your next trip, remember that the South has it all, and Tennessee has most of it: Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and natural wonders that will knock your socks off.

Do-`da-ga-g`hv-i--until we meet again.

---Penne J. Laubenthal

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