Over the summer, I traveled to different parts of Tennessee with my boyfriend’s mom to pick him up from Lincoln Tech. Lincoln Tech is in Nashville, so that’s where we started our trip. We got there late at night, and then we picked him up in the morning and got him all packed up. Before leaving to head to Sevierville, we went antiquing at a little shop nearby. I found some really old newspapers, dolls, and even some signed records of Elvis Presley, which I thought was cool. Overall, I would say Nashville is a very busy, hectic place with a ton of traffic. I enjoyed being there for a couple of days, but I would be okay with not going again and going somewhere else in Tennessee. After we were done in Nashville, we went on to get some lunch from Cookout and then headed to Sevierville to our hotel. 

The next day, we went shopping in some little stores on the strip in Sevierville. We went to some beach-like stores, some clothing stores, and even a metal-making store, where I bought a nice keychain for my dad. Then, we headed to get some lunch at The Old Mill Restaurant, which was a country-style place. I got chicken and dumplings, collard greens, and mashed potatoes. It was so good, and the service was very good. After that, we decided to head back to the hotel and go swimming in the pool. We spent a couple more days in Sevierville, and we went to a pirate dinner show one of the nights, which was cool. Sevierville is a tourist place, but it is nothing like Nashville. It is a lot more lowkey and easy to get around. Although it does get busy, you can still make the best of it and it is still enjoyable. If I were to stay in Tennessee, I would stay in Sevierville. 

The last place we went to was Gatlinburg. We decided to take a drive to Gatlinburg and go to Ripley’s Aquarium and do some shopping. I had never been to the aquarium, so my boyfriend’s mom decided to buy the whole package so I could get the full experience. It was so cool getting to see all the animals, and some of my favorites were the seahorses and the sharks. My dad and his friend fish every year at the beach for sharks, so I’m used to being close to sharks. I thought it was cool being able to walk through and have the sharks swimming on top of me. After the aquarium, we went shopping, and then we stopped at a milkshake spot, called The Crazy Mason. I got the banana pudding one, and it was incredible. I have never had anything like that, so I was very happy to see how they had decorated the milkshake. I even got to keep the cup!

Out of these three places, I would go back to Sevierville and Gatlinburg again. I liked Nashville, but it was just too crowded and chaotic for me to enjoy myself. Sevierville is more lowkey and a better place to stay for a week, and Gatlinburg is a good place to spend a day and do some shopping and exploring.

Included below is a map of the places I went to in Tennessee.