- Tennessee is known as the “Volunteer State” due to its large number of volunteers who served during the War of 1812.
- The state is home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most visited national park in the United States.
- Tennessee is the birthplace of many famous musicians, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and B.B. King.
- The world’s largest underground lake, the Lost Sea, is located in Sweetwater, Tennessee.
- The state is famous for its barbecue, with Memphis-style barbecue being one of the most popular varieties.
- The first bottled Coca-Cola was produced in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- The world’s longest pedestrian bridge, the Walnut Street Bridge, is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
- Tennessee is the birthplace of the modern-day miniature golf course, which was invented in Chattanooga in 1927.
- The state’s capital, Nashville, is known as the “Music City” and is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
- The city of Bristol, Tennessee, is known as the “Birthplace of Country Music” due to the historic recordings made there by early country music artists.
- Tennessee is known as the “Birthplace of the Blues,” with Memphis being a hub for blues music and the annual Memphis Blues Festival attracting visitors from around the world.
- The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located in Tennessee and North Carolina, is the most visited national park in the United States, with over 11 million visitors per year.
- Tennessee is home to the world’s largest freshwater aquarium, the Tennessee Aquarium, located in Chattanooga.
- The world’s first ever miniature golf course was built in Tennessee in 1927.
- The state of Tennessee is named after the Cherokee village of Tanasi, which was located near what is now Knoxville.
- Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union during the Civil War and the first to be readmitted after the war ended.
- Elvis Presley’s Graceland mansion, located in Memphis, is the second most visited house in the United States after the White House.
- The Jack Daniel’s distillery, located in Lynchburg, Tennessee, is the oldest registered distillery in the United States.
- The world’s largest cedar bucket, standing at 4 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter, is located in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
- The official state song of Tennessee is “Rocky Top,” a bluegrass song about a fictional place in the Appalachian Mountains.
- The world’s oldest and largest wildflower pilgrimage takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park every year.
- The Memphis Pyramid, originally built as a sports and entertainment arena, has been repurposed as a massive Bass Pro Shops megastore.
- In 1982, Tennessee became the first state to have an operating mini-nuclear reactor for powering a university campus.
- The tallest underground waterfall in the United States, Ruby Falls, is located in a cave in Chattanooga.
- The famous “Rocky Top” song, considered by many to be the unofficial anthem of Tennessee, was written by a husband and wife duo in just 10 minutes.
- The legendary “King of Rock and Roll,” Elvis Presley, lived at his Graceland estate in Memphis for over 20 years until his death in 1977.
- The Nashville Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original in Greece, is located in Centennial Park and serves as an art museum.
- The Frist Art Museum in Nashville is housed in a former post office building that was saved from demolition by local preservationists.
- The world’s only freshwater pearl museum, the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum, is located in Camden, Tennessee.
- Tennessee is home to the United States’ largest underground lake, The Lost Sea, which is part of a network of caves in Sweetwater.
- The famous novel “Gone with the Wind” was written by Tennessee native Margaret Mitchell while she was living in Atlanta.
- Tennessee is home to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, which has been making whiskey for over 150 years.
- The iconic rock and roll song “Rocky Top” is one of the state’s official songs and was written by two Tennessee natives.
- Dolly Parton, one of the most famous country singers of all time, was born and raised in Sevier County, Tennessee.
- Tennessee has an official state reptile: the Eastern Box Turtle.
- The famous Bristol Motor Speedway, located on the border between Tennessee and Virginia, is known as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.”
- The state is known for its hot chicken, a spicy fried chicken dish that originated in Nashville.
- The Memphis Pyramid, a huge pyramid-shaped arena, was once home to a professional basketball team and now serves as a Bass Pro Shops megastore.