Top attractions in Tennessee
18 national parks, ski areas, museums, landmarks and natural wonders in Tennessee, each with when to go, where to stay and what’s nearby. Ranked by how many people look them up and how many visit.
The 18 top attractions in Tennessee
An even mix of how many people read about each place and, where it’s counted, how many visit.
Craighead Caverns🕳 Cave · 4 mi from Madisonville, TN20Kreaders a year7
Shiloh National Military Park🏛 National Military Park · 4 mi from Shiloh, TN347Kvisitors 20258
Cherokee National Forest🌲 National forest · 10 mi from Newport, TN12Kreaders a year9
Centennial Park🌸 Garden · in Nashville, TN10Kreaders a year10
Chattanooga National Cemetery📍 Landmark · in Chattanooga, TN9.9Kreaders a year11
Chota🏺 Ancient site · 6 mi from Kahite, TN9.5Kreaders a year12
Chickasaw Gardens🌲 Park & preserve · in Memphis, TN9.1Kreaders a year13
Burgess Falls💧 Waterfall · 8 mi from Baxter, TN9.1Kreaders a year14
Stones River National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · 2 mi from Murfreesboro, TN455Kvisitors 202515
Fort Donelson National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · in Dover, TN151Kvisitors 202516
Obed Wild and Scenic River🏞 National park site · 4 mi from Wartburg, TN260Kvisitors 202517
Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art🏛 Museum · in Nashville, TN6.6Kreaders a year18
Andrew Johnson National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Greeneville, TN43Kvisitors 2025Photo credits
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Natchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Bell Witch Cave: Www78, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alcatraz East: EricaLewHouse, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blues Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Best to visit in October
Places with a real season where October is one of the best months: mild weather and, where the Park Service counts visitors, quieter than average.
🕳 Cave · 12 mi from Springfield, TNBell Witch Cave26K readers
🏛 Museum · in Pigeon Forge, TNAlcatraz East24K readers
🏛 Museum · in Memphis, TNBlues Hall of Fame21K readers🕳 Cave · 4 mi from Madisonville, TNCraighead Caverns20K readers🏛 National Military Park · 4 mi from Shiloh, TNShiloh National Military Park347K visitors (2025) · 12K readers🌲 National forest · 10 mi from Newport, TNCherokee National Forest12K readers🌸 Garden · in Nashville, TNCentennial Park10K readers📍 Landmark · in Chattanooga, TNChattanooga National Cemetery9.9K readersPhoto credits
Bell Witch Cave: Www78, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alcatraz East: EricaLewHouse, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blues Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Craighead Caverns: Brenda, CC BY 2.0 · Shiloh National Military Park: Ernest Mettendorf, Public domain · Cherokee National Forest: Ryan Rice at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Centennial Park: Ramullins42, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chattanooga National Cemetery: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Most visited
Latest yearly visitor counts (National Park Service, else Wikidata).
Great Smoky Mountains National Park🏞 National Park · 4 mi from Gatlinburg, TN11.5M20252
Natchez Trace Parkway🛣 Parkway · in Tupelo, TN8M20253Stones River National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · 2 mi from Murfreesboro, TN455K20254Shiloh National Military Park🏛 National Military Park · 4 mi from Shiloh, TN347K20255Obed Wild and Scenic River🏞 National park site · 4 mi from Wartburg, TN260K20256Fort Donelson National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · in Dover, TN151K20257Andrew Johnson National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Greeneville, TN43K2025By type
Attractions in nearby states
Every attraction in Tennessee
18 attractions
Great Smoky Mountains National Park🏞 National Park · 4 mi from Gatlinburg, TN11.5Mvisitors 20252Natchez Trace Parkway🛣 Parkway · in Tupelo, TN8Mvisitors 20253Bell Witch Cave🕳 Cave · 12 mi from Springfield, TN26Kreaders a year4Alcatraz East🏛 Museum · in Pigeon Forge, TN24Kreaders a year5Blues Hall of Fame🏛 Museum · in Memphis, TN21Kreaders a year6Craighead Caverns🕳 Cave · 4 mi from Madisonville, TN20Kreaders a year7Shiloh National Military Park🏛 National Military Park · 4 mi from Shiloh, TN347Kvisitors 20258Cherokee National Forest🌲 National forest · 10 mi from Newport, TN12Kreaders a year9Centennial Park🌸 Garden · in Nashville, TN10Kreaders a year10Chattanooga National Cemetery📍 Landmark · in Chattanooga, TN9.9Kreaders a year11Chota🏺 Ancient site · 6 mi from Kahite, TN9.5Kreaders a year12Chickasaw Gardens🌲 Park & preserve · in Memphis, TN9.1Kreaders a year13Burgess Falls💧 Waterfall · 8 mi from Baxter, TN9.1Kreaders a year14Stones River National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · 2 mi from Murfreesboro, TN455Kvisitors 202515Fort Donelson National Battlefield🏛 National Battlefield · in Dover, TN151Kvisitors 202516Obed Wild and Scenic River🏞 National park site · 4 mi from Wartburg, TN260Kvisitors 202517Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art🏛 Museum · in Nashville, TN6.6Kreaders a year18Andrew Johnson National Historic Site🏛 National Historic Site · in Greeneville, TN43Kvisitors 2025How we rank: an even mix of how many people read about each place on Wikipedia (a typical month, so one viral week can’t sway it) and, where it’s counted, how many visit (National Park Service for park units, else Wikidata, last 5 years). Places without a visitor count rank on readers alone. Closed, destroyed and private places stay listed but aren’t ranked. Sources: National Park Service · OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia · photos via Wikimedia Commons.
Attractions in Tennessee
What are the top attractions in Tennessee?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Natchez Trace Parkway, Bell Witch Cave, Alcatraz East and Blues Hall of Fame, ranked by how many people read about them and, where counted, how many visit.
What is the most visited attraction in Tennessee?
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with about 11,527,939 visitors in 2025 (National Park Service).
How many national parks are in Tennessee?
1 national park (Great Smoky Mountains National Park), plus 5 other National Park Service sites.
Where should I go in Tennessee in October?
Bell Witch Cave, Alcatraz East and Blues Hall of Fame: October is one of their best months, with mild weather.