Photo by A.J. Kaufman
By A.J. Kaufman, Managing Editor
Upper East Tennessee relies upon a relatively low cost of living, reliable business community, and good-natured people to attract visitors and future residents, but few aspects are more appealing than outdoor recreation. Let’s look at what to expect as the weather warms around the five principal locations.
Kingsport
Perhaps the crown jewel of the Tri-Cities is Bays Mountain Park. More than 200,000 visitors pass through the nature park each year, making it one of Tennessee’s Top 50 Most Visited Attractions, according to the State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.
Among the nation’s largest city-owned parks with nearly 4,000 acres, Bays Mountain features almost 50 miles of hiking trails, a state-of-the-art planetarium, wildlife habitats, fun exhibits, a 44-acre lake, trails for mountain biking and more.
The park recently completed major renovations to the Nature Center, including the gift shop area and a new portal leading into the planetarium theatre, with new gallery exhibits in the final stages of installation. Last December, officials broke ground for the Fox Den Playground, an ADA-compliant playground made of wood, logs and other naturally sourced materials. Leadership believes it will offer children an opportunity to be more comfortable in nature and be creative. Future improvements at the park include a new otter habitat and additional renovations and updates to the Nature Center.
“Lots of exciting renovations have been taking place at Bays Mountain Park this past year and more are on the way, most notably the Fox Den playground,” Matthew Lane, communications specialist with the City of Kingsport, told the Business Journal. “If you’ve not been to the park in a while, we encourage you and your family to come up and pay us a visit. You might just be surprised by what you discover.”
Just a couple miles down the road sits the Kingsport Aquatic Center. Considered the region’s most comprehensive indoor-outdoor public aquatic and recreation facility, the center is located in Kingsport’s Meadowview district at the base of Bays Mountain. The facility provides area residents and visitors with the area’s only indoor Olympic-sized pool, the HMG Competition pool, plus year-round swim courses and American Red Cross-certified water safety and lifeguard training. The indoor pools are open year-round, with a seasonal outdoor water park offering recreational activities starting in mid-May.
Last autumn, Kingsport funded a $500,000 maintenance and improvement project at the Aquatic Center to ensure the facility was in its best condition possible. The month-long project had DWR Aquatics perform a variety of work for the city, including installing new starting blocks to the Olympic-sized lap pool; draining, re-caulking and repairing all the indoor pools; and giving a fresh coat of paint to the locker rooms, family bathrooms, lazy river and outdoor water slides.
“The Kingsport Aquatic Center is a recreational facility unlike anything else in the Tri-Cities region,” Lane explained. “The facility is truly for people of all ages. Whether you enjoy daily lap swimming, have young children, or are a senior looking for a low-impact exercise, the Kingsport Aquatic Center can easily meet all your aquatic needs.”
For more than four decades, Kingsport’s Fun Fest has been a staple festival throughout the region. The nine-day summer event with nearly 100 events in more than 30 locations around the city recently was recognized at the Southeast Festivals and Events Association’s 2025 Kaleidoscope Awards Gala. Fun Fest received the top honor of the night, taking the Gold award for Best Festival or Event over $75,000 in budget. The awards were judged based on the description of the event, budget, estimated number of attendees, community feedback and more.
Johnson City
Growth among the Johnson City Parks and Recreation team has brought new features to the area’s numerous parks. Josh Collins was hired as the trail operations manager last year with a role to maintain trails in Johnson City Parks and invest in future projects, consisting of developing new trails and updating maps and signage.
One of the new additions will be the creation of trails at Keefauver Farm. This includes a mile of paved trails and another mile of wooded natural surface trails. Keefauver is a 55-acre pastoral farm that will give the city an abundance of recreational space on its north side.
Visitors can currently see improvements made by Collins and his staff at Buffalo Mountain City Park, Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park, the Tweetsie Trail and Jacob’s Nature Park. Tannery Knobs consists of over 40 acres of lush, wooded landscape with a variety of mountain bike trails designed for riders of all ages and abilities. Last fall, Collins and his crew unveiled a new trail, Vol Holler, built by volunteers and the only hand-built trail at Tannery Knobs.
Nearby, the Tweetsie Trail — a 9.6-mile greenway with opportunities for walking, running and biking — has seen the development of a Storybook Trail, located at the 4.2-mile marker. Parks and Rec staff say the newly created trail is family-orientated by allowing visitors to be active and enjoy a book at multiple kiosks throughout a 400-foot stretch on the trail alongside the Tweetsie.
Those seeking breathtaking views of the city can visit Buffalo Mountain City Park, a 10-minute drive from the Tweetsie Trail and downtown. The park is a 725-acre natural resource with steep topography and a biodiverse forested landscape. Collins and his staff plan to improve the trails, bridges, signage and maps for Buffalo Mountain and all city parks.
Another stop is Jacob’s Nature Park at Sinking Creek, a state-certified arboretum. Johnson City Park Naturalist Connie Deegan provides interpretive programs for visitors related to the different park habitats. A city employee since 2010, she also plans to create an indoor nature space within the administration building at Winged Deer Park to provide educational and interactive opportunities.
Bristol
Made in Bristol is a program funded through a Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development grant, developed in partnership with the Bristol Chamber, Believe in Bristol and the City of Bristol. It was created to recognize and promote the entrepreneurial spirit of Bristol, as well as its local, small-scale producers’ community.
Small-scale producers are defined as all types of small businesses producing tangible goods, including textile, hardware, wood, metal, 3D printing, food, breweries and distilleries and local food production and packaging.
Bristol’s downtown and beyond offers a robust playground for recreation and tourism, including the shops on State Street, culinary, breweries, shores of South Holston Lake and the hills and trails around Steele Creek Park.
“The Made in Bristol branded small-scale producers, grounded in the robust entrepreneurial culture here in Bristol, are integral to our tourism and recreational assets and visitor draw,” Bristol Chamber President and CEO Beth Rhinehart told the Business Journal.
Blue Hole Falls, Carter County, Tenn. Photo by A. J. Kaufman
Carter County
To the east and through the mountains toward North Carolina, Watauga Lake is a main tourism draw due to its scenic beauty and great fishing. It is the only lake in Northeast Tennessee that is part of the Bill Dance Signature Lakes initiative, which was recently started as a collaboration between several state agencies to promote Tennessee lakes for fishing.
Roan Mountain remains a popular spot for tourists, with one of the best stretches of the Appalachian Trail crossing the Roan balds, as well as the world’s largest natural rhododendron garden. Roan Mountain State Park provides cabins and a campground in addition to hiking trails, fishing on the Doe River and more. Other great hikes include Blue Hole Falls in Stoney Creek and Laurel Fork Falls, just east of Hampton.
For cyclists and mountain bikers, the Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce recommends not only the Tweetsie Trail but the Hampton Watershed trails, which had new trails added a couple years ago with plans in the works to add more.
Unicoi County
Tourism in Unicoi County will look a little different this year as the area continues to rebuild.
“While some businesses and attractions are still in the recovery phase, we are focusing on promoting our natural assets and community-driven events to ensure that visitors still have plenty of reasons to explore our area,” Unicoi County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amanda Delp explained to the Business Journal. “The flood had a significant impact on our community, affecting both businesses and key tourism assets. However, our resilience remains strong, and we are making steady progress toward rebuilding and revitalizing our tourism industry.”
Events that will continue to bring people to Unicoi County and downtown Erwin include the Flag Pond Ramp Festival on May 10 which celebrates our region’s unique agricultural heritage, while on May 17, the Strawberry Festival showcases fresh strawberries, vendors and family-friendly entertainment.
Down the interstate, named for the long time U.S. Senator, Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park is more than 2,000 acres of scenic wilderness about 10 miles south of Erwin near the community of Flag Pond. The park is newer than most, having officially opened in 2015. Speaking of Flag Pond, the Upper East Tennessee Fiddler’s Convention occurs April 25-26 in the town, sponsored by ETSU’s Department of Appalachian Studies.
The Appalachian Trail passes many scenic spots through its nearly 300 miles of East Tennessee; within Unicoi County, places like the Beauty Spot and Unaka Mountain — with elevations around 5,000 feet — hold special places in hikers’ hearts.
