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Bordering eight states, landlocked Tennessee sits at a crossroads of American music, food and whiskey, shaped by the routes and cultures that pass through it.

Sitting on the northern edge of the Deep South, Tennessee combines Southern food and musical heritage with diverse landscapes, from the Appalachians to the Mississippi Delta. Nashville and Memphis anchor the experience in different ways. Nashville centres on songwriting, recording studios, and live venues, with country, Americana and contemporary sounds woven into everyday life. 

Memphis draws on blues, soul, and rhythm and blues, shaped by the Mississippi River and a working history that still informs the city’s music scene. You can take a Tennessee holiday on a curated Deep South multi-centre trip or self-drive itinerary, or tailor a route around your preferred cities, landscapes, and hotel stays with one of our USA specialists.

How to get to Tennessee

Tennessee holidays from the UK start with a long-haul flight across the Atlantic Ocean. British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to Nashville International Airport several times a week, with a flight time of around nine to nine and a half hours. Flights to Memphis usually involve a connection through a US hub such as Atlanta, Chicago or New York, making a twin-centre stay a tempting idea. Tennessee also fits neatly into wider Deep South itineraries, with clear interstate routes linking it to neighbouring states. 

How to holiday in Tennessee

Tennessee lends itself brilliantly to a self-drive holiday. Longer trips often extend south to New Orleans or east toward the Smoky Mountains. Driving also opens up scenic routes between regions. The Natchez Trace Parkway is a 440-mile scenic road running from Nashville southwest to Natchez, Mississippi, following a historic trade route. It is designed for slower travel, with light traffic and frequent pull-offs. If you’d rather not drive, trips can also be planned using trains and long-distance coaches, with a focus on city stays and guided experiences. Nashville also works well as a standalone city break, while a twin-centre stay with Memphis is an easy combination, with the drive between them taking around three to three and a half hours on a direct interstate route. 

Things to do in Tennessee

There’s plenty you can book in advance if you want structure on a Tennessee holiday, from music-led experiences and guided city tours to outdoor activities in the mountains and along rivers. We can help arrange those, but they’re not essential to enjoying the state. Much of Tennessee’s appeal comes from how easily interest folds into the day. Short walks, small museums, scenic viewpoints, and local food stops appear naturally as you travel, turning journeys into part of the experience. Live music is widely accessible, often without tickets or formal schedules, and tastings of local whiskey and moonshine add another layer to understanding the state’s traditions.

What’s the weather like in Tennessee?

Weather varies across the state, but broadly follows a four-season pattern. Spring and autumn are comfortable times to travel, with mild temperatures and manageable humidity. Summers are hot, particularly in Memphis and Nashville, with afternoon heat that encourages slower pacing and early starts. Winters are cool rather than severe, though the Smoky Mountains can see snow and road closures at higher elevations. Rain is possible year-round but rarely disruptive for long, and checking forecasts matters more for mountain travel than for city stays.

Hotels and places to stay in Tennessee

Accommodation in Tennessee ranges from practical and good value to more indulgent options. In cities like Nashville and Memphis, you’ll find everything from reliable chain hotels to design-led properties at the higher end of the scale. Outside the main centres, choice is more limited and tends toward simple, functional hotels that work well as overnight bases. This suits how many people travel through the state, moving regularly to cover ground rather than settling in one place. Location usually matters more than facilities, and the best option depends on whether you plan to explore locally or set off early the next day. We can help find you the best options for the trip you have in mind.

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Tennessee - Perfect for

  • Feast for the senses


    Trips built around live music and food culture, with evenings spent at working venues, neighbourhood restaurants, and long, unhurried meals.

  • Country & blues


    If you have an interest in American music beyond stadium shows, including where songs are written, recorded, and played as part of daily life.

  • Full of flavour


    Eating regionally, from Nashville’s hot chicken and meat-and-three lunches to Memphis barbecue and noticing how flavours shift as you move across the state

  • For culture vultures


    People who have been to the US before and want a Deep South itinerary that experiences culture through food, music, and movement, rather than ticking off landmarks.

Tennessee Regions

Our recommendations for the best places to visit in Tennessee

Nashville & Memphis Holidays

Land of country music and Delta blues – Nashville & Memphis holidays are old southern soul and su...

Holidays in Tennessee

  • Tennessee
  • 3 Star

A modern, friendly bolthole just a short drive from the local attractions of Pigeon Forge.

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  • Tennessee
  • 4 Star

This place has far more Jolene than kitsch, with just enough Dolly DNA to remind you whose dream you’re standing in

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  • Tennessee
  • 4 Star

This is a polished, contemporary hotel that’s a little playful, balancing good design and a relaxed confidence.

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 4.5 Star

Historic, opulent, classic

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 4 Star

This ain’t no Heartbreak Hotel – The Guest House at Graceland embodies southern charm and is woven with an Elvis theme throughout. What’s more, it’s right next door to the Graceland Mansion.

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 3 Star

Hotel Indigo brings a little character to its prime spot on Printers’ Alley in Nashville. It’s easy to get to the honky-tonks of Broadway, and it’s within walking distance of the Nissan Stadium.

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 4 Star

A super modern, super stylish hotel in the heart of Music City, Virgin Hotels Nashville brings a carefree sense of fun and vivacity that few other hotels can match.

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 4 Star

A touch south of Nashville’s famous Broadway, the SoBro neighbourhood is home to live music venues, restaurants, and bars. At the heart of it is the Cambria, a hotel that harnesses the area’s energy.

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 4 Star

The essence of Nashville’s personality is brought into the folds of Omni Nashville thanks to thoughtful touches and design quirks in this large, perfectly located hotel. 

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  • Nashville & Memphis
  • 4.5 Star

Sitting prettily on Nashville’s Printers’ Alley, Noelle is an elegant enclave swathed in Art Deco charm. It attracts a well-heeled crowd to its acclaimed social hotspots.

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Roaring Fork Smoky Mountain Tour

Climb aboard a Pink Jeep Wrangler in nearby Pigeon Forge and head into the Great Smoky Mountains, a vast national park known for its forests, waterfalls, and misty views. With a certified Adventure Guide at the wheel, you’ll travel through Gatlinburg before entering the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a narrow, one-way scenic loop that follows a lively mountain stream through dense woodland. While your guide navigates the twists and turns, you can relax, take photos, and enjoy the ride.

Along the way, you’ll pass waterfalls, preserved log cabins, and historic homesteads that tell the story of early mountain life. The road climbs through oak, maple, magnolia, and tulip trees to viewpoints with sweeping views across the forested hills.

You’ll stop at key sites such as the Noah “Bud” Ogle Place, the Alfred Reagan Place, and Tub Mill, where you’ll hear stories of the settlers who once lived and worked here. As the Jeep winds back downhill, the stream gathers speed, creating rushing water and dramatic photo opportunities.

The tour finishes with a lively off-road drive on private land, adding a final touch of adventure. You’ll leave with fresh air in your lungs and a memorable introduction to this rugged corner of the Smoky Mountains.

• Duration: 3 hours
• Daily departures 
• Operates May to November
• Group experience

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Nashville Old Town Trolley Hop-on Hop-off Day Tour

Famed for its thriving music scene, this hop-on, hop-off day tour around Nashville Old Town welcomes you to traverse a buzzing network of entertainment venues, eateries and unique speciality shops all in one action-packed day trip. For the avid theatregoers and music enthusiasts, Opryland, The Ryman Auditorium and Tootsie's Orchid Lounge serve great spots in which to watch a show, while the Country Music Hall of Fame and Bicentennial Mall State Park lend a glimpse into Music City’s rich history. Hop on and off the Old Town Trolley at your leisure and delight in all that this energetic hub has to offer!

• Duration: Full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Good to know
Bus departures run every 30 minutes. Refreshments are not included but can be purchased on the day at the various different stops.

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The Soul of Music City Tour

As dusk descends, harness the opportunity to explore Nashville at nightfall with our Soul of Music Night Tour. Taking you on a glittering journey through the beating heart of Nashville, this expertly guided tour is every music buff's dream. Immerse yourself in the city’s vibrant rhythm & blues heritage, honky tonks and esteemed music venues, all beneath the soft glow of the star-studded velvety night sky. Stealing vistas of some of the city’s most sought after sights, you’ll also enjoy a leisurely saunter across the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, as well as getting an exclusive insider scoop on some of Nashville’s best loved hotspots. 

• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Good to know
Tour begins at 7pm. Expert guides lead the tour, sharing stories and original songs. Refreshments are not included.

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Graceland Elvis Experience Tour

Walk through Graceland as if you belong there. This tour lets you follow in Elvis’s own blue-suede footsteps, with an audio guide featuring stories and commentary from Elvis himself and his daughter, Lisa Marie. You’ll see the rooms where he lived, laughed, worked, and unwound, from the living room and music room to the TV room, pool room, and the famously untamed Jungle Room (no lions, plenty of legend).

Explore more of the 14-acre estate, then take a quiet moment in the Meditation Garden, where Elvis now rests with members of his family. Step aboard Elvis’s custom jet, then wrap things up at Elvis Presley’s Memphis Entertainment Complex, where the story keeps rolling. This sprawling mix of museums and exhibits invites you deeper into Elvis’s world, from dazzling jumpsuits and gold records to his beloved cars and memorabilia, with spots to eat, browse, and linger. Thank you very much.

• Daily departures 
• Operates year round
• Group experience

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Fun Nashville Attraction Pass

Think of this as your backstage pass to Nashville. The Attraction Pass lets you line up some of the city’s greatest hits in advance, saving money and leaving you free to enjoy the show. There’s no rush either. The attractions don’t have to be done in a single day, so you can set your own tempo.

Start things off at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery, where you can sample moonshine, cocktails, and local beer by the glass, fuel up on crowd favourites like White Duck Taco and Prince’s Hot Chicken, and take home a jar or two for later. Nashville believes in souvenirs you can sip. Step into the spotlight at Madame Tussauds Nashville, an interactive celebration of American music where legends past and present are always ready for a photo op. Then head to the Country Music Hall of Fame, where the story of country music unfolds through iconic instruments, costumes, and moments that shaped two centuries of sound. Go deeper behind the music with a visit to historic RCA Studio B, once home to recording greats like Elvis Presley, Chet Atkins, Eddy Arnold, and the Everly Brothers. Prefer ink to vinyl? Opt instead for Hatch Show Print, the legendary letterpress poster shop that has been hand-printing Nashville’s look for generations. To tie it all together, hop aboard the Old Town Trolley for a one-day hop-on, hop-off tour that lets you see the city at street level, with stories included and walking optional. Finish on a high note at either the Johnny Cash Museum, home to the most comprehensive collection of artefacts from the Man in Black’s life, or the Patsy Cline Museum, a heartfelt tribute to one of country music’s most unforgettable voices.

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Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum & Memphis Music Hall of Fame Combo Ticket

With one ticket, you’ll visit two museums that make a very strong case for why so much of the world’s music seems to trace back to this city. Begin at the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, a lively, ever-changing space that tells the story straight from the source. You’ll see personal, sometimes unexpected memorabilia from the artists who put Memphis on the map and hear their stories in their own words.

Elvis is here, of course, along with B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash, and Justin Timberlake, proof that Memphis doesn’t belong to just one era. Stand next to Jerry Lee Lewis’s custom Cadillac, admire Isaac Hayes’s legendary Stax organ, and test how well you really know those lyrics you’ve been singing for years.

Then head to the Memphis Rock ‘n’ Soul Museum, created by the Smithsonian Institution and located beside the FedEx Forum. This gives you the big picture. Through music, film, and sound, it charts how artists pushed past racial and social boundaries to create rock and soul and change the world while they were at it. The journey runs from rural blues and early gospel to the rise of Sun, Stax, and Hi Records, and on to Memphis’s global influence today.

A rich digital audio guide, packed with songs, stories, and behind-the-scenes moments, leads you through seven galleries filled with instruments, costumes, and archival footage.

• Departs Wednesday to Sunday
• Operates year round

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The things to know about your trip to Tennessee

TIME DIFFERENCE

GMT -6 hours

CURRENCY

US dollar

FLYING TIME TO DESTINATION

Nashville: 9½ hours
Memphis: 12 hours (not including stop over times)

RELIGION

Christian (majority Evangelical Protestant)

LANGUAGE

English

Nashville

You’ll hear music in Nashville almost everywhere you go, and the main sights are easy to find. Broadway is the obvious starting point, a compact strip of live music bars running from late morning into the night. Nearby, the Ryman Auditorium and the Country Music Hall of Fame add depth and context, whether or not country is already on your radar. Centennial Park’s full-scale Parthenon offers a left-field break from music entirely. Hop-on, hop-off trolley tours are a practical way to link key areas such as downtown, Music Row, Opryland, and Bicentennial Mall. Beyond the centre, neighbourhoods like East Nashville and 12South offer cafés, shops, and smaller venues, including songwriter-focused spaces such as The Listening Room Café.

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Memphis

Memphis is compact and easy to navigate, with the Mississippi River setting the scale from the outset. Beale Street is often a starting point. It’s short, lively, and full of energy, but it’s only part of the city. The National Civil Rights Museum, set at the former Lorraine Motel, is an essential visit, providing a clear historical context. Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former home, sits south of downtown and is now a large museum complex covering his life, music, and cultural impact. It works best as a dedicated visit. Music comes into its own after dark, and we think guided evening tours are a fantastic way to understand how soul, blues, and rhythm and blues shaped the city beyond the main strip.

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The Smoky Mountains

The Smokies are less about reaching summits and more about access to the landscape. From Nashville, the park is about a four-hour drive east. From Memphis, it’s closer to seven hours, making it a natural addition to a longer Deep South itinerary. Most visitors enter via Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge on the Tennessee side. Roads are designed for slow travel, with scenery unfolding gradually from the car and on foot. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail offers a good introduction to the region, looping past streams, historic cabins, and short walking trails. Nearby, Sevierville, Dolly Parton’s hometown, has a compact historic centre, while Pigeon Forge acts as the region’s attractions hub, including Dollywood.

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Chattanooga

Chattanooga sits at the southeastern edge of Tennessee and works well as a stop between Nashville and the Smoky Mountains. The city is framed by the Tennessee River and surrounding hills, giving it a more outdoors-focused feel. Highlights include the Incline Railway up Lookout Mountain, Ruby Falls beneath it, and walking the Walnut Street Bridge into the North Shore district. The riverfront supports walking trails and paddleboarding, while the Songbirds Guitar and Pop Culture Museum adds a musical thread that fits naturally with the state’s wider story. Chattanooga is compact enough to explore in a short stay, making it a useful pause on a longer route.

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Southern flavours

Food in Tennessee sits firmly within the Southern traditions. Nashville is known for hot chicken, while Memphis leans towards dry-rub barbecue, with regional loyalty taken seriously. Menus favour comfort over novelty, portions are generous, and leftovers are expected, so they’re boxed up and taken with you. Biscuits, meat-and-three lunches, and classic diners appear frequently once you leave the cities, often alongside family-run barbecue joints and roadside cafés. Seasonal produce, slow-cooked meats, and time-honoured recipes shape the food scene, reflecting a culture where meals are unhurried, and hospitality is part of the experience.

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Whiskey traditions

Whiskey is part of Tennessee’s working identity rather than a niche interest. The state has its own style, which filters the spirit through charcoal before ageing. Distilleries are spread across the state rather than clustered in one place, making them easy to fold into a wider route. Well-known names include Jack Daniel’s in Lynchburg and Uncle Nearest, whose histories are closely linked, alongside producers such as George Dickel and smaller, newer distilleries. Tastings are usually informal and accessible, and visiting distilleries offers insight into both the production process and the communities that grew around it.

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