Les Jones: Top 50 Tennessee Tourist Destinations

November 30, 2006

East Tennessee > Top 50 Tennessee Tourist Destinations

2005 report, though the 2004 report is more useful because it includes visitor counts. Via Michael Silence.

I'm a little surprised that Nashville's Ryman Auditorium (home of the Grand Old Opry and a popular venue for all kinds of concerts) only gets 270,000 visitors per year. On the other hand, I'm sorta shocked that Loretta Lynn's Ranch gets 578,000 visitors per year, especially since I've never heard of it. I'm also surprised that Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg - an attraction that's maybe five years old - is ranked second with 1.6 million visitors. Dollywood is number one, which doesn't surprise me.

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Comments

Crap. Look at that list! Where the hell is Knoxville? Chattanooga has way more top attractions. That's a disgrace. Considering that the vast majority of the top places require people to drive past Knoxville to get to them, we should have a bigger share of that pie.

Our Marketing team sucks hard. The Knoxville Zoo ought to be higher. It's right off the Interstate. And it is better than any other zoo around.

Now we are developing the riverfront, and it is all residential. Tourist dollars are the best. They come from other states and cities and stay here. Knoxville dollars are just circulating. I hope there is a more themed plan for the river that will make it a destination for tourists and not just a huge ugly condo hallway.

I just want to go downtown and yell "What's wrong with us?!"

Posted by: Swanky at November 30, 2006

We really do have the best zoo. Admittedly, it's been a long time since I've been to the Memphis Zoo, but I went to the Nashville Zoo last year and Knoxville's is way better.

Posted by: Les Jones at November 30, 2006

I can't *believe* that Casey Jones Village in Jackson pulls 700,000 visitors a year. Something fishy is going on with the numbers, I think. That's over 2000 folks a day, and there's just no way... The intersection with the 45 Bypass couldn't handle that many carloads.

Posted by: Paul Simer at November 30, 2006

I graduated from UT back when the Volunteers could WIN football games. Back then, the Knoxville Zoo was a couple of chicken coops and, I think, a squirrel on a leash. They really must have fixed that place up in the last 40 years! LOL

Posted by: Tom King at November 02, 2007