Tennessee folks will entertain you, feed you good southern cooking, show you gorgeous antebellum houses, lead you on trail rides, let you relax in their Great Smoky Mountains or help you choose from a number of other diversions — all depending on what you’ve a mind to do. Tennessee’s fans have a solid centric to authentic base, but the state has enough venturer fans to commend it to that group, too.

Venturers single out the scenic mountains in eastern Tennessee and enjoy the natural beauty and recreation to be found there. Those who lean toward the authentic side never stop talking about the entertainment value in the Nashville and Memphis areas. In addition, the Volunteer State has plenty of history for travelers who like this type of sightseeing. It is second only to Virginia in Civil War battles fought on its terrain. These and more recent developments like the Tennessee Valley Authority and Oak Ridge provide authentics with lots of the significant sightseeing they like.

They also say that, as country-music fans, they enjoy the “country” atmosphere and appreciate the fact that Tennessee is easy to get to from other parts of the country. (Sixty-five percent of the U.S. population is within a day’s drive of Tennessee.)

All visitor types cited the unspoiled and lovely nature to be found in Tennessee, but it’s the music that gets the most attention from prospective visitors, and indeed a lot of music comes out of Tennessee: Nashville reigns as the home of country music and Memphis historically sings the blues. Centrics, as well as authentics, enjoy the entertainment possibilities in these cities, augmented by the hospitality of the locals. Centric visitors also praise Opryland, the theme park that surrounds the Grand Ole Opry, for its homespun shows, rides and other attractions. If the obvious options (Grand Ole Opry, Dollywood, Graceland, etc.) don’t sate the appetite for music or its lore, visitors can drop in at many clubs in Nashville (or almost any Tennessee city) to listen and two-step the night away.

Camp in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; you also can enjoy fishing, boating, swimming and hiking nature trails. Take your hiking trip in the autumn for the extra benefit of a colorful foliage outing.

Go to the races, car races, that is. Tennessee counts more than 45 speedways, racetracks and dragways (three are major tracks) and the NASCAR Speed Park.

Take a canoe trip on the Harpeth River. You can make that a two-hour sampler or up to a five-day journey.

Visit Oak Ridge. The entire “secret city” was built as part of the Manhattan Project that produced the first atomic bomb. Be sure to tour the American Museum of Science and Energy, then buy or rent a CD or cassette to guide you through the Oak Ridge Driving Tour.

It’s a sobering experience that you can relive by attending one of a selection of living-history events, a famous battle of the Civil War at Shiloh National Military Park. The bloody battle lasted two days and cost almost 24,000 lives. Check www.nps.gov/shil/planyourvisit/events.htm for event schedules.

Stay at a dude ranch for horseback riding, white-water rafting and more. For a more rustic experience, join a trail ride that could last a few days and involve campsites of various types (with and without electricity).

Rent a cabin in the mountains. Or, in a less-rustic setting, choose a B&B where you will stay in a log cabin.

Take the NashTrash Tour, which is both entertainment and a sightseeing expedition. For a few extra bucks, you can tour RCA’s Studio B, where Elvis Presley recorded some of his hits.

In Nashville, music can be heard in many venues. Go to the Grand Ole Opry, of course, but consider these choices, too: Attend a free writers’ night at one of several cafes; writers are giving new songs a trial run. And, do the rounds of honky-tonk on Lower Broadway where you will hear bands in the same places where pretty much everyone in country music has played at some time; entry is free but bands live on tips.

Hike, bike or ride horseback on the Norris Watershed Hiking and Biking Trail. Part of the route heads into the Norris Dam State Park.

Attend a performance or workshop (events offered from June to October) at the International Storytelling Center in Jonesborough. Even better, show up for the National Storytelling Festival in the autumn.

Visit the wineries (in Gatlinburg, Hampshire and Livingston) and distilleries. The latter choices are Jack Daniel in Lynchburg and George Dickel in Normandy for whisky, and rum-maker Prichard’s in Kelso.

View the Great Smokies from the air; a handful of companies provide helicopter tours. In addition, several offer whitewater rafting and canoeing opportunities in the Smokies.

Go to Chattanooga’s Tennessee Aquarium, called the world’s largest freshwater aquarium, and pet a sturgeon.

In Nashville, grab a meat-and-three lunch (that’s meat and three sides for one price), a local standard.

Outfit yourself like a country western singer with a few new clothes. Or, at least, shop for records; they are all here.

Go golfing. The state boasts that you will find a state park golf course with challenges for every golfing level within an hour and a half of any point in the state.

Go to Nashville for country music, and go to Memphis for blues. Stay for a few days in the city on the Mississippi to hear some of the best jazz and blues musicians in the world. Remember, Memphis is the city that launched the “king,” Elvis Presley.

See historic Downtown Memphis in a horse-drawn carriage.

Follow your interests in scenery or history, or both. Tennessee has singled out a number of driving routes around the state that focus on scenic byways, heritage sites or Civil War sites (www.tnvacation.com/history-heritage/roads-trails) Here are a couple of examples: the Tennessee Antebellum Trail, described as a scenic route that will take you to “seven of the South’s grandest plantations” (including homes of former presidents Andrew Jackson and James Polk), and the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail.

Visit the Holiday Inn Chattanooga Choo Choo because it is not just a hotel, but a complex that starts with a lobby, restaurant and bar in a former railroad station. You will find on the grounds a replica of the original 1880 wood-burning Chattanooga Choo Choo locomotive (nonworking) and an authentic 1920 New Orleans trolley that provides transportation around the complex. And, if you stay over, ask to sleep in one of 48 Victorian train cars.

At Rock City Gardens near Chattanooga, walk the 4,100-foot Enchanted Trail that leads to the point on Lookout Mountain where you will be treated to a panoramic view of seven states (Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, as well as Tennessee).

For more information, consult the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development at www.TNVacation.com

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