Our Time In the Volunteer State

“Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.”  -Dalai Lama

In the hustle and bustle of life, as we know it these days, it is a relief to find a place to rest your mind and refuel your soul. Sometimes we enjoy slow-paced travel that allows us to immerse ourselves in a new place. This summer, for us, that place was the State of Tennessee, The Volunteer State.

Tennessee delighted us with cooler temperatures and rain that we had not seen at home in months! We enjoyed a unique place to stay and new cities to explore.  Understand that this trip was not rigidly planned except that we knew where we were going to stay.  Everything else was a happy accident.  A trip that I definitely recommend to everyone once in a while. 

Tracy City, Tennessee was our home for the week.  Our adorable, cozy Airbnb was nestled in a lake community, well off the beaten path, where we enjoyed mornings of Canada Geese floating gently by on the lake as we woke to the world on our screened porch.  “The Teacher’s Lounge,” as the house was named, was just right for us, allowing us to enjoy the peacefulness of the lake while still being a short drive between Chattanooga and Nashville where we spent a couple days exploring.

“The Teacher’s Lounge”

Chattanooga

Nashville Murals

Now, you should know that we did drive through downtown Nashville to see the country music scene but honestly, that really wasn’t our thing, and we only took a look out of curiosity. What impressed me most about the city was its charming murals. Throughout the city’s neighborhoods, colorful murals are everywhere expressing beauty, local culture, and adding color and a brief online search helped us to see part of town that we would’ve skipped otherwise. If a mural scavenger hunt sounds fun, I would recommend that you research a bit. As you research, be sure to check the dates of the resource. We found that some of the murals we really wanted to see were no longer there or they were REALLY hard to find.

If you’ve never visited The Volunteer State, be prepared for beautiful mountains, peaceful lakes, and some of the most polite and friendly people you can find.