Great River Road – TN

Story of the Byway

The Mississippi River in West Tennessee is home to the ebb and flow of American history across hundreds of years and cultural pillars that continue to influence and inspire its modern-day visitors. This section of America has a mythical quality that springs from its one-of-a-kind historical, cultural, and natural attributes. Not simply a body of water, the Mississippi River in Tennessee churns with robust stories and legends known and beloved throughout the world. Thoughts of this windy, rugged section of the Mississippi conjure images of barefoot boys floating downriver on rafts, riverboats full of hopeful settlers looking for a new home in a New World, the haunting notes of Blues musicians, distant reverberations of Civil War cannon, paddle-wheelers and barges transporting goods to a nation, and an ongoing struggle for freedom and human rights. These experiences are the lifeblood of our river's unique charm, and the legendary waters are part of America's national story – the story of the Great River Road.

The Great River Road in Tennessee is a 185.5-mile collection of roads that meanders south, between the Mississippi River immediately west and the Chickasaw Bluffs to the east. When entering Tennessee from Kentucky, the byway cuts through a lush rural landscape in northwest Tennessee, an area complete with multiple tributary rivers and thousands of acres of cotton fields. Travelers on this byway are joined by 40% of all North American birds migrating through the corridor twice a year – a testament to the region's natural abundance. As byway-goers move south through sloping, cycling-friendly terrain, they arrive in the City of Memphis, a destination rich with sites and traditions of the past and the vibrant tastes and sounds of today. Travelers continue their Great River Road experience as they enter Mississippi on Tennessee's southern border.

The Great River Road in Tennessee is a byway of unparalleled historical and cultural abundance. The distinctive features found along the route speak to the significance of the Great River Road and its place in the country's history. One feature is the location of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. The site has been transformed into the National Civil Rights Museum, a powerful place of reflection and remembrance from that traumatic day. Another feature is a collection of well-preserved sites like Sun Studios, Graceland Mansion, and Stax Records. These sites are closely tied to names that continue to influence generations of music and musicians today. Names like Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and more. A third feature is Reelfoot Lake in northwest Tennessee. This area was forever changed when shifting waters from the Mississippi River flooded forestland thanks to the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811, the country's first great natural disaster. Today, Reelfoot Lake is a visitor-friendly natural area with significant ecological diversity and quite a story to tell. All 14 route features in the application relate to either the Civil War and its aftermath, the nation's struggle for Civil Rights, or how residents of centuries past and present life and experience the river.

The story of the Great River Road in Tennessee is undoubtedly tied to that of the country. The waters in this section of the Mississippi River reflect the challenges and events being seen elsewhere in America, from human struggle in the Civil War and Civil Rights movement to musical innovation and many bold cultural advances.