National Parks Near Nashville
National Parks near Nashville. There’s so much more to the Volunteer State than the Tennessee Titans. In this article, More Than Just Parks takes you to five incredible national park sites that are within a day’s drive of Nashville.
I’ve been to so many of these amazing places since retiring from teaching in 2018. Did I mention that I taught history? I spent a lifetime teaching about the history behind these momentous sites. Then I got to see them firsthand. And now I’m sharing the stories of these incredible places with you. It doesn’t get any better than that!
To be clear, this list includes national park sites (as in sites managed by the National Park Service) as well as full-fledged national parks. To learn more about the difference between the various National Park Service designations check out our article that explains everything!
Now let’s go ahead with 5 reasons why you’ll want to hop in your car and make a day’s drive from Nashville to one of these truly amazing places.
Table Of Contents
- Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Nashville?
- Meet The Parks Brothers
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
- Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
- Fort Donelson National Battlefield
- Map Of National Parks Near Nashville
Why Trust Us About National Parks Near Nashville?
You should probably know that we don’t just make this stuff up out of thin air. My sons have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands.
As for me, I’m a retired lifelong educator and a proud dad of these two wonderful guys who are hopelessly obsessed with the national parks. I taught history for over a quarter of a century. Now I enjoy researching and writing articles for More Than Just Parks. I’m always on the hunt for topics where nature and history intersect so please feel free to share any ideas that you might have with me.
We’ve worked with the National Park Service, the Department of Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service for years creating films on important places and issues. Our work has been featured in leading publications all over the world and even some people outside of our immediate family call us experts on the national parks.
Meet The Parks Brothers
We’re Jim Pattiz and Will Pattiz, collectively known as the Pattiz Brothers (and sometimes the Parks Brothers) and we absolutely LOVE the national parks.
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
Best National Parks Near Nashville
1. Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Distance From Nashville: Three hours & 40 minutes via I-40 E.
As a retired history teacher who enjoys nothing more than researching and writing articles for More Than Just Parks, I relish the opportunity to take a deeper dive into the past.
Andrew Johnson was an impactful President of the United States, but not necessarily in ways that would endear him to today’s Tennesseans.
The Worst Possible Person
It is the view of most historians that he was the worst possible person to have served as President at the end of the American Civil War.
As Professor of History Elizabeth Varon notes,
“Because of his gross incompetence in federal office and his incredible miscalculation of the extent of public support for his policies, Johnson is judged as a great failure in making a satisfying and just peace.
He is viewed to have been a rigid, dictatorial racist who was unable to compromise or to accept a political reality at odds with his own ideas.
Instead of forging a compromise between Radical Republicans and moderates, his actions united the opposition against him.”
Andrew Johnson opposed the Freedmen’s Bureau Bill, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, and the Fourteenth Amendment.
Most importantly, Johnson’s strong commitment to obstructing political and civil rights for blacks is principally responsible for the failure of Reconstruction to solve the race problem in the South and perhaps in America as well.
Johnson’s decision to support the return of the prewar social and economic system—except for slavery—cut short any hope of a redistribution of land to the freed people or a more far-reaching reform program in the South.
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Things To Do At The Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
I recommend beginning your visit at the visitors center.
Here you will find the site’s 13 1/2 minute orientation film and the Eastern National bookstore. Adjoining the Visitor Center, the Memorial Building houses the presidential museum, as well as Andrew Johnson’s original 1830’s Tailor Shop.
Andrew Johnson’s Early Home tells the story of the tailor-turned-politician. Andrew and Eliza’s family lived in this house from the 1830’s until 1851, when they moved into the larger Homestead several blocks away.
After visiting the early home you can take a tour of his homestead (1851-75) where Johnson lived for 24 years, both before and after his presidency.
Johnson was only Democrat from a southern state who did not leave the Senate during the Civil War. His home was occupied during the war by soldiers and left in disrepair.
Visitors can also see The National Cemetery where Andrew Johnson and his family are buried at the crest of Monument Hill.
CHECK OUT: 5 MUST-SEE HISTORIC SITES IN ALABAMA
2. Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
Distance From Nashville: Two hours & 48 minutes via I-40 E.
Encompassing 125,000 acres of the Cumberland Plateau, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries.
The area boasts miles of scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs, is rich with natural and historic features and has been developed to provide visitors with a wide range of outdoor recreational activities.
Outdoor activities are plentiful and include the following:
- Enjoy A Sunrise Or Sunset: There are overlooks all along the Big South Fork River gorge where you can catch the suns first or last rays of the day.
- Take A Hike: You can choose from any number of hikes ranging from a lazy stroll along the river to a multi-day hike through the backcountry.
- Go Horseback Riding: Big South Fork has miles of horse trails, stabling facilities at Bandy Creek Stables and even two equestrian campgrounds at Station Camp in Tenn. and Bear Creek in Ky.
- See The Wildflowers: In the spring time you can find spectacular displays of wildflowers and native plants along many trails in the park.
- Biking, Climbing Or Whitewater Rafting: Try whitewater rafting the Big South Fork River, mountain biking through the backcountry or rock climbing on the miles of cliff lines throughout the park. (Source: NPS)
3. Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park | National Parks Near Nashville
Distance From Nashville: Two hours & 15 minutes via I-24 E.
During the Civil War, Chattanooga was the “Gateway to the Deep South.” Battles were fought there and at Chickamauga which proved decisive in the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy.
History buffs remember that it was at Chickamauga that Union General William Rosecrans was beaten by Confederate General Braxton Bragg.
The Battle of Chickamauga was a successful attempt by the Confederate army of General Braxton Bragg to halt the Union advances through Tennessee.
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The Greatest Victory For The Confederates In The West
It resulted in the greatest victory for the Confederates in the Western theatre of the war and was the second bloodiest battle of the entire war, with 16,170 Union and 18,454 Confederate casualties.
And it occurred at a time when the Confederates were meeting with defeat at the Siege of Vicksburg in the West and at Gettysburg in the East.
The Union Army was saved from complete annihilation by the stubborn defense of George Thomas and his soldiers.
This defense earned Thomas the nickname of the “Rock of Chickamauga.”
It’s important to remember, however, that Chickamauga was the opening act in this drama.
A new leading actor, by the name of Ulysses S. Grant, was about to take the field.
CHECK OUT: 10 BEST CIVIL WAR SITES IN AMERICA
A Union Victory at Chattanooga
The battered Union forces were then reorganized under the leadership of Ulysses S. Grant.
They went on to win battles at Orchard Knob, Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. These victories opened the west to Union forces.
At the Battle of Lookout Mountain, Union forces under the command of General George “Rock of Chickamauga” Thomas swept the Confederates from the field.
The victories forced the Confederates back into Georgia, ending the siege of the vital railroad junction of Chattanooga and paving the way for Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign and march to Savannah, Georgia, in 1864.
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Relive That History Today
Today, you can relive part of this exciting history at the Chickamauga Battlefield Visitor Center. The center is located at the north end of Chickamauga National Military Park. Inside are museum exhibits on the Battle of Chickamauga and Campaign for Chattanooga.
And If You’re A History Buff Like Me . . .
If you love history as much as I do and you’re particularly interested in how this conflict impacted the men who fought in it then I heartily recommend Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns by Steven E. Woodworth.
Woodworth is a gifted writer who uses primary sources skillfully to take his readers into the hearts and minds of the everyday soldiers.
4. Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Distance From Nashville: Three hours & 56 minutes via I-40 E.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park lies along the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. Pinnacle Overlook has views of Cumberland Gap, a pass in the Cumberland Mountains once used by pioneers headed west.
From May through October, visitors can tour the historic Hensley Settlement which includes numerous historic buildings and structures.
The settlement is an Appalachian living history museum on Brush Mountain, Bell County, Kentucky in the United States.
It’s part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and is located approximately 10 miles north of the park visitor center on Ridge Trail.
If you prefer the indoors to the outdoors then you can explore a hidden world found underground.
In Gap Cave are stalagmites and bats. Park trails include the Ridge Trail, running the park’s full length.
The restored structures of the early 20th-century Hensley Settlement perch on Brush Mountain.
There are also spectacular overlooks, cascading waterfalls and an extensive system of trails which you will find to be simply breathtaking.
CHECK OUT: 6 BEST KENTUCKY NATIONAL PARKS WORTH VISITING
5. Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Distance From Nashville: One hour & 33 minutes via I-24 W & US-79 S.
The Battle of Fort Donelson, which took place from February 11-16, 1862, was one of the Union’s first major victories.
Following his victory at Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, Union General Ulysses S. Grant marched his troops to Fort Donelson.
On February 13th, a Union gunboat opened fire on the fort.
Additional ships and soldiers arrived, giving Grant an almost three-to-one advantage over the Confederate forces. On February 15th, Confederate troops counter-attacked.
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“Unconditional Surrender” Grant
The unflappable Grant reorganized his men, occupied the outer defenses of the fort and applied pressure which led many Confederate soldiers to flee.
When Confederate General Simon Buckner asked Grant his terms for surrender, he gave an historic reply:
“No terms except an unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted.” Grant’s response earned him the nickname “Unconditional Surrender Grant.”
The victories at Forts Henry and Donelson helped make Grant a hero in the Union.
Vastly outnumbered, the Confederates immediately surrendered and gave the Union control of much of the Cumberland River.
To learn more about this important battle, I recommend The Battle of Fort Donelson: No Terms but Unconditional Surrender by James R. Knight.
CHECK OUT: 5 MUST-SEE HISTORIC SITES IN SOUTH CAROLINA
The General Who Would Be President
Did you know that Grant was an average student at West Point? Well, there’s obviously more to life than book learning which is painful for a former history teacher to admit.
Of all the generals to become president, only three were professional soldiers who spent their entire lives in the military before becoming president. Grant was one. The other two were George Washington and Dwight Eisenhower.
CHECK OUT: 25 BUCKET-LIST FAMOUS HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN AMERICA (MUST-SEE)
Grant Was A Gifted Writer
Here’s another interesting fact. For an average student, Grant was a gifted writer. After leaving the presidency, he became ill.
Grant was also financially destitute due to bad investment decisions which he had made.
Worried about his wife’s financial future, he decided to write his memoirs. He wrote them as he was dying from throat cancer, show a clear, concise style, and his autobiography is considered among the best, if not the best, written by a President.
I highly recommend The Complete Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant written by none other than Ulysses S. Grant.
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Things To See & Do At Fort Donelson
Located along the beautiful banks of the Cumberland River, the Fort Donelson National Battlefield is a wonderful place to visit.
You can drive the actual battlefield grounds. First, however, I would recommend a trip to the visitor center.
There’s a great park film that helps you understand the battle and why Fort Donelson was so important for the Union forces.
A 6-Mile Trail With 11 Stops
The park has a 6-mile trail with 11 stops.
It’s a self-guided driving tour that takes you through battlefield sites, the spot where Union soldiers camped for the night before the surrender, and into the small town of Dover.
There you can see the historic Dover Hotel. It’s the site where Ulysses S. Grant accepted the Confederate surrender of the Fort from his old friend Simon B. Buckner.
While you’re there, you may also want to visit the Fort Donelson National Cemetery. The names of the soldiers interred in the Fort Donelson National Cemetery have been compiled from original cemetery records.
Map Of National Parks Near Nashville
List Of National Parks Near Nashville
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
- Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area
- Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
- Fort Donelson National Battlefield
Our goal here at More Than Just Parks is to share the beauty of America’s national parks and public lands through stunning short films in an effort to get Americans and the world to see the true value in land conservation.
We hope you’ll follow our journey through the parks and help us to keep them the incredible places that they are. If you’re interested in joining the adventure then please sign up below!
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