Appalachian Caverns
& Campground
420 Cave Hill Road
Blountville, TN 37617
(423) 323-2337
Deep Below the Earth
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A trip to Appalachian Caverns can lead to many other interesting things here in the region. There are enough things to do within an hour's drive to keep a family occupied for several days with activities. Below there is only a partial list of local attractions with something for just about anyone.
If you like country music you might want to check out some of the following:
- Birthplace of Country Music Museum located in the Bristol Mall
- The Pickin' Porch located in the Bristol mall where live performances can be found every Thursday night.
- The mural located in downtown Bristol on State Street. Live music and jam sessions can be found several nights a week during the summer
- The Tennessee Ernie Ford House located in Bristol.
- Carter's Fold located in Hiltons VA where live performances of traditional mountain music can be heard on the weekends
- The Crooked Trail- a self guided driving tour through much of SW Virginia marking places of importance of traditional and country music
For the outdoors person this area offers:
- Hiking the Appalachian Trail- Appalachian Caverns is located approximately 45 minutes by car from the Appalachian Trail
- Steele's Creek Park- Located in Bristol TN, it offers a 9 hole golf course, hiking and mountain biking trails, fishing and paddleboat rentals
- Rock climbing-Several area outfitters offer rock climbing experiences for the novice to the experienced.
- Whitewater rafting- World class rafting on the Nolichucky River (and others) is just about an hour away from Appalachian Caverns.
- Mountain Biking on the Virginia Creeper Trail- A wonderful ride with Shuttle services available in Damascus VA, (approximately an hour away) to the top of Whitetop Mountain for a beautiful easy ride down.
- Warriors Path State Park offers a disc golf course, paddle boat and canoe rentals, horseback riding, tennis courts, hiking and biking trails and much more.
- Paintball at a local course
- A wide range of golf courses from the Par 3 courses up to the more difficult.
- Roan Mountain State Park has wonderful hiking trails and one of the largest growths of laurels in Tennessee
For the racing fan this area offers:
- Bristol Motor Speedway- the world's fastest half mile. Tours of the track are available as well as a museum located at the track telling the history of BMS. In addition to the NASCAR and Busch series races other smaller races are held at the track including the O'Reilley Truck Races
- Thunder Valley Raceway-Drag races can be found at Thunder Valley almost every weekend. Located adjacent to BMS.
- During the holiday season don't miss the "Speedway in Lights" held each year at Thunder Valley and BMS. About a 40 minute driving tour with infield shops and activities and all proceeds go to benefit Speedway Children Charities. Also found there during the holiday season is York Ice Rink.
- Muddy Creek Raceway located in Blountville TN- One of the top three motocross racetracks in the USA as rated by Motocross America for Motocross Racing
For the theatres and shows don't forget:
- The Barter Theatre in Abingdon VA- Virginia's official state theatre often has several different shows at various times
- The Paramount in downtown Bristol- many different attractions can be found depending upon the season
- Theatre Bristol-various productions of classics and others depending upon the season
- Lamplight Theatre located in Fall Branch TN- a Christian theatre with a variety of performances
For those into history the area is very rich in places to visit and things to see
- Sycamore Shoals-gathering place for the Over Mountain Men
- Rocky Mount- Step back in time to the 1790's as you visit this living history museum
- Carter Mansion- located in Elizabethton TN
- Covered Bridge- located in Elizabethton TN
- Netherland Inn- located in Kingsport TN. Shipping location where stagecoaches met the river barges
- Cannonball House-located in Blountville TN- contains an unexploded cannonball in the side of the house from the Civil War
- East Hill Cemetery-located in Bristol TN- Contains the graves of many unknown confederate soldiers, the founder of Bristol as well as former slaves of the area.
- Tipton Haynes Museum- located in Johnson City TN- a living history museum
- Tennessee's Printing and Newspaper Museum- located in Rogersville TN at the location of the first printed newspaper in Tennessee in 1791
- Greeneville TN Historical District
Casual ways to spend a day or evening include:
- Bowling at several local lanes in Bristol, Kingsport or Johnson City
- Rollerskating at a local rink or try out one of the local skate parks
- PuttPutt Golf in Kingsport or Bristol TN
- Drive in Theatre- yes there is still a few in operation. Our area has two, one in Bristol and one in Abingdon
- Top of the line movie theatres in all the Tri Cities area
- Lazer Tag
- Indoor Fun Center in Johnson City which includes wall climbing, arcades, and go carts
- Wetlands Water Park in Jonesborough TN
- Hand's On Regional Museum in Johnson City, TN
A visit to the
area would not be complete without some of the local restaurants and
flavors. Fine dining abounds especially in Kingsport and Johnson City but
not everyone wants this for every meal. Of course most of the national
chains can be found somewhere in the area but why visit and not try some of
the local favorites?
Please be aware there is no way we could include all of the locals'
favorites but we've tried to list a few so here are some of the local
favorites for fine dining and otherwise:
- Fishtales & Pigtales- Bristol TN- specializing in BBQ and seafood
- Dixie's Corner Dog House- Bristol VA- serving hot dogs any way you can imagine for over 40 years
- Blue Circle-Bristol TN- take a step back in time to the old fashioned drive in
- Troutdale Dining Room- 5 Star dining in Bristol TN
- Little Italy- Bristol TN- not your classic pizza place.
- Tooties-Bristol TN- Classic American food from hand-patted burgers to grilled cheese and about anything for breakfast. Bristol's oldest restaurant
- Pardner's BBQ-Piney Flats TN
- Ridgewood BBQ-Piney Flats TN