1. The U.S. Civil Rights Trail in Tennessee
The U.S. Civil Rights Trail covers 15 states and more than 100 locations that were significant to the civil rights movement – and you’ll find more than a dozen of these locales in Tennessee. In Memphis, visit a handful of sites including the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel as well as Clayborn Temple next to I AM A MAN Plaza, where sanitation workers protested in 1968. Then, travel a little more than 200 miles northeast to visit Nashville’s seven stops, ranging from the Civil Rights Room at the Nashville Public Library to the National Museum of African American Music.
2. Titanic Museum Attraction
Owned and curated by the man who co-led the diving expedition to the Titanic in 1987, this impressive museum in Pigeon Forge brings the history of the legendary ship to life. The top-rated Titanic Museum Attraction houses artifacts from the Titanic Historical Society, maintaining more than 400 relics and memorabilia from the ship. The exterior of the building is about half-scale of the actual ship size, but the interior recreated rooms are true to life. Inside, you’ll find an exact replica of the Grand Staircase – which you can climb – as well as galleries filled with information about the ship and stories from survivors. There’s even a Memorial Room dedicated to the more than 2,200 passengers and crew members. Travelers suggest spending at least two hours in the museum so you can listen to the emotional stories of the survivors and come away with a better understanding of what happened that fateful evening in April 1912. You’ll need tickets to enter, which can be purchased online in advance.