Morristown puts visitors on the doorstep of Cherokee Lake and within easy driving distance to the Smokies or the Clinch Mountain Range. A revitalized downtown keeps its historic small-town appeal, complete with overhead sidewalks and boutique shops, antique dealers and cafes.
If you're looking for a bit of East Tennessee heritage, you can learn about the old ways at the long-running Mountain Makins Festival. Visitors can also get in touch with folk hero Davy Crockett's roots and follow some of the lesser-known footsteps of Confederate Gen. James Longstreet in Morristown.
FAST FACTS
-Location: Hamblen County
-Time zone: Eastern Time Zone
-Population: 29,137
-Founded: 1855
-Most famous resident: Davy Crockett
NOTABLE EVENTS
-Mountain Makins Festival: The historic Rose Center will present this year's 42nd annual Mountain Makins Festival the weekend of Oct. 27-29. See demonstrations by authentic craftspeople practicing traditional Appalachian folk life skills such as blacksmithing, basket weaving, wood turning, beekeeping and making apple butter and brooms. Visitors can purchase high-quality handmade jewelry, pottery, wood carvings, candles, folk art and more. The festival also features plenty of live bluegrass, newgrass and old-time music and storytelling. It's a kid-friendly event with pumpkin painting and pony rides. (442 W. Second North St.; 423-581-4330; rosecenter.org)
-Frightmare Manor: Frightmare Manor's Screampark offers five attractions and a money-back guarantee in nearby Talbott. The haunted house experience is located on 20 acres of abandoned plantation property once owned by Jeremiah Lexer, a sadistic serial killer who took his own life after brutally murdering his family in 1902. He has been credited with over two dozen homicides in addition to performing inhumane biological experiments on animals and people alike. The attractions feature professional special effects and high-tech animatronics. The 2017 fall season opens Sept. 29 and ends Nov. 4. (7588 W. Andrew Johnson Hwy., Talbott, Tenn.; 865-471-2878; frightmaremanor.com)
-Tennessee State Disc Golf Championships: The championships play out over four rounds of 18, plus a final nine at four locations: Kiwanis Disc Golf Course, Panther Creek Disc Golf Course, Rotary Disc Golf Course and Cherokee Disc Golf Course. It features pro and amateur divisions, including advanced, intermediate, junior and recreational classifications. (270-843-3313; bluegrassdiscgolf.org/TENNESSEE_STATE_DISC_GOLF_CHAMPIONSHIP.html)
WHERE TO EAT
Morristown has plenty of homegrown restaurants, cafes and bakeries for all kinds of visitor tastes.
-Davy Crockett Restaurant (3282 E. Morris Blvd.; 423-586-4567)
-Hillbilly's Cabin Restaurant & Catering (308 McCrary Drive; 423- 587-2343; hillbillyscabinrestaurant.com)
-Java Garden Cafe (203 W. Main St.; 423- 587-1030; javagardencafe.com)
-Jersey Girl Diner (174 W. Main St.; 423- 254-1304; jerseygirldiner.com)
-Little Dutch Restaurant (115 S. Cumberland; 423- 581-1441; littledutchrestaurant.com)
-Timeless Elegance Tea Room (156 W. Main St.; 423- 318-9292)
-Yummy Cakes & More (161 W. Main St.; 423- 327-4692; yummycakes.us)
WHERE TO PLAY
-Panther Creek State Park – Located about six miles from Morristown on the Cherokee Reservoir, this 1,435-acre park offers hiking, horse trails, mountain biking, pavilions and nearby commercial marinas, which provide boat launches and rentals. Hikers can choose from 17 different trails covering 30 miles of ground and 15 miles of mountain bike trails, with varying degrees of difficulty. Horse riders have seven miles of trails, with more under construction. Bass, bluegill, bream, catfish, crappie and rock fish make for year-round catches at Cherokee Lake. (2010 Panther Creek Park Road; 423-587-7046; tnstateparks.com/parks/about/panther-creek)
-Morristown knows disc golf. Visitors can check out the town's three courses, which cater to all ages and skill levels:
- Cherokee Park Disc Golf Course (Cherokee Park, 3075 Floyd Hall Drive)
- Rotary Disc Golf Course (Frank Lorino Park, 3100 Lorino Park Road Drive)
- Kiwanis Disc Golf Course (Wayne Hansard Park, 5100 Dearing Road)
LIVING HISTORY
-Crockett Tavern Museum: This reconstruction of the 1790's John Crockett Tavern, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014, stands on the boyhood home of frontiersman Davy Crockett. The museum tells Crockett's story and its collection features historical artifacts from old homes and buildings from Hamblen County and the surrounding area. Tours last approximately one hour. The 2017 season ends Oct. 21. (2002 Morningside Drive; 423-587-9900; crocketttavernmuseum.org)
-General Longstreet Museum: Confederate Gen. James Longstreet used this Russellville home as his headquarters in the winter of 1863-1864. Saved from demolition by the Lakeway Civil War Preservation Association, the building now serves as a historic center commemorating Longstreet's Knoxville campaign, which followed his departure from the forces besieging the Union army in Chattanooga. Open April-December. (5915 E. Andrew Johnson Hwy., Russellville, Tenn.; 423-438-0968; longstreetmuseum.com)
A LOOK BACK
-Morristown is named after farmer Gideon Morris, the first European settler to live in the area.
-Settlers of Scotch-Irish and German descent first settled the region in the late 1700s, coming from North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Sources: mymorristown.com; visitmorristowntn.com; tnstateparks.com