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General Tennessee Release
Tennessee Quick Facts

What’s New in 2010

BRISTOL

The Bristol Chamber of Commerce officials unveiled a 20-foot guitar that will commemorate the organization's 100-year anniversary, as well as serve as a gateway to tourism in the region.

CHATTANOOGA

The legendary Delta Queen, the last fully operational, overnight passenger steamboat in the country, is now docked in Chattanooga and functioning as a boutique hotel.  

ETOWAH

The Hiwassee River Rail Adventures is adding a commissary car to the train for 2010 that will include coach seating and food service.

FRANKLIN

The $1.2 million, 7,000 square foot Fleming Center opened recently. This new visitor's center offers event and exhibit space, office space and new restroom facilities.

GATLINBURG

Zip Gatlinburg opened Fourth of July weekend at the north end of town, adjoining Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The zipline canopy tour features nine cables, seven swinging platforms and two skybridges.

GRANVILLE

Granville Fall Celebration Oct. 3, 2009 - Blacksmith Festival - Blacksmiths from all over Middle Tennessee will set up to demonstrate their unique talent as well as selling their items made. They will also participate in the Grand Opening of a new blacksmith exhibit at Granville Museum. The museum has created a new exhibit which tells the history of the three Blacksmith shops in Granville which includes a blacksmith shop of yesteryear.  

Also Granville will dedicate its new Civil War Trails monument by doing a Civil War Reenactment.

Granville will be the Middle Tennessee site for the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit entitled "Journey Stories".  The exhibit will be on display at Granville Museum from October 2 to November 14^, 2010 and the museum will create a new exhibit on its rich steamboat history.  Granville will host the Opryland's Music City Queen Steamboat on October 2 & 3 for special cruises up the Cumberland River with Jazz Bands playing on each cruise. The boat will be docked at Granville Veterans Park which will be hosting Jazz on the Cumberland that day. 

HOHENWALD

The 200th anniversary of the death and burial of explorer Meriwether Lewis on the old Natchez Trace in Tennessee will be commemorated at his grave October 7, 2009, in an event called "Courage Undaunted--The Final Journey." 

JACKSON

The Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum opened a 7,500 square-foot train station expansion to the museum in 2009.

International Rockabilly Hall of Fame Festival reaches a 10^th anniversary milestone in 2010.

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Chestnut Hill will open the new A.J. and Sally Bush Visitors Center in April of 2010 which will include a store, restaurant and museum.

KNOXVILLE

A new first-class exhibition opened at the East Tennessee History Center entitled Voices of the Land: The People of East Tennessee. The exhibition tells the story of three centuries of life in the region, from the Cherokee to the 1982 World's Fair.  East Tennessee's Historical Society had been preserving the region's history for 175 years.

Café 4 is a full-service restaurant/bakery/coffeehouse located in the Historic Market Square District of Downtown Knoxville.

The Square Room is a new, state-of-the-art performance venue located inside 4 Market Square alongside Café 4 in downtown Knoxville.  This contemporary theater space for art lovers and artists alike entertains up to 450 people with a focus on listening in an atmosphere fit for the true appreciation of artistic performance.

Knoxville Zoo has become one of four Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited organizations to hatch the critically endangered Burmese star tortoise.  In late 2008, the zoo's herpetology department hatched five Burmese star tortoises with one more egg currently in incubation.

Two of Knoxville Zoo's newest residents are made their debut in March..

The meerkat babies, known as kits, are making their first foray into their exhibit under the watchful eyes of their parents.

Geoffrey's marmosets. Adorable Geoffrey's marmosets monkeys were born on April 30 to first-time parents Willow and Newton, who will share the responsibility of raising them. They are out and exploring their exhibit, usually while being carried by one of their parents.

The Three Rivers Rambler Train Ride is planning a multi-year restoration of the ex-Southern Railway steam engine, Number 154, located in Chilhowee Park. The engine will be used on the tourist excursion train (the Rambler) on Knoxville's downtown waterfront.

Bicycles sized for all ages are now available for rent at the foot of the pedestrian bridge on Volunteer Landing, just across from Calhoun's on the River. The bicycle rentals are located in the center of a 16-mile greenway route and patrons will receive an adventure map of this greenway route through Knoxville.

Guests visiting Knoxville now have a new lodging choice and opportunity to enjoy the latest technology and amenities at the brand new Country Inn & Suites West Knoxville Cedar Bluff.

For the 12 months ending in March 2009, the Crowne Plaza Knoxville ranked as the world's No. 2 Crowne Plaza Hotel in overall customer satisfaction. 

Comfort Suites North Knoxville features: 100% non-smoking, 72 spacious suite rooms, deluxe 2-room suites, indoor heated pool and hot tub, guest laundry facility, courtesy business center, microwaves and refrigerators, free high-speed internet, free USA Today newspaper, free hot continental breakfast, coffee makers, hair dryers, cable television with HBO and ESPN, exercise facility and all interior corridor.

For the second year in a row, the Four Points by Sheraton Knoxville Cumberland House Hotel has received the 2008 Tiffany award for the #1 Four Points by Sheraton in North America for overall guest satisfaction.

Hampton® Hotels (www.hampton.com), the global brand of more than 1,600 mid-priced Hampton Inn® and Hampton Inn & Suites® hotels, has honored Hampton Inn Knoxville East, located at 7445 Sawyer Lane, with the company's Lighthouse Award, designating it as one of the hotel chain's top performing hotels among more than 1,600 Hampton properties.

The Holiday Inn Central Knoxville recently received updating with new carpeting and the 240 guest rooms received new wall treatments, new bath fixtures, new bathroom vanities, new mirrors and the up-graded Holiday Inn bedding throughout the hotel.

Allegiant Air has selected Knoxville as one of 13 cities it serves to get expanded service and added a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Low-fare airline AirTran Airways is making a return trip to Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport after a nine-year absence and will begin offering nonstop flights to Florida this summer.

Knoxville's McGhee Tyson Airport has a recently completed food court, featuring Starbucks Coffee, Quiznos Sub, Cinnabon and Zia franchise locations.

Whoever said conference meetings are not fun has clearly never been to The Conference Center at Water's Edge, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The resort-like ambiance creates an inviting and relaxing atmosphere for a meeting. With three conference rooms, two of which are patio accessible, and all offering views of either private lakes, unique fountains, or beautiful landscaping, it will be easy to let your clients and team members know they will be meeting in a state-of-the-art facility.

Although the Jubilee Banquet Facility has created many lasting memories and hosted a number of events, impressing all its guests. Featuring the massive 4,000 square foot banquet hall that can accommodate as many as 266 people for big events such as wedding receptions, retirement parties, or class reunions, the Jubilee Banquet Facility is the perfect place to reconnect or make some new memories.

The Knoxville Convention Center is now "Going Green" on the inside and out!

The world's most popular dog magazine ranks an East Tennessee park among the nations best for canines. The June 2009 issue of Dog Fancy ranks Dogwood Park at Victor Ashe Park in North Knoxville as one of the top ten dog parks in America.

On Thursday, July 2, 2009, Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale and former County Executive Tommy Schumpert, along with many other county and Knoxville city officials, officially cut the ribbon to open the new 173-acre Schumpert Park in north Knoxville.

MCMINNVILLE

2010 marks the 200 year anniversary of the discovery of Cumberland Caverns.

Cumberland Caverns is open year-round, seven days a week, offering guided walking tours through the cave and adventure tours through "wild" sections of the cave, scouts and church groups can even spend the night in the cave.

MEMPHIS

Named the No.1 zoo in America by TripAdvisor, the Memphis Zoo recently added a four-acre exhibit featuring grizzlies, timber wolves, elk and trumpeter swans.

Graceland will host the 75^th birthday celebration of Elvis Presley on January 7-10.

NASHVILLE

The Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville will celebrate its 100th birthday beginning in Sept. 2009.

Cheekwood Museum and Botanical Gardens will celebrate its 50^th anniversary in 2010.

OAK RIDGE

The 65^th anniversary of the end of WWII will be commemorated with special tours at the Y-12 National Security Complex, including highlighting their role in the medial isotope program.

PIGEON FORGE

Titanic Pigeon Forge, a 30,000 square-foot ship-shaped structure situated on 5.69 acres is slated to open in April 2010. It will hold 20 galleries with hundreds of artifacts from the Titanic.

Dollywood celebrates its 25^th anniversary in 2010.

SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE

Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association and the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber have unveiled new driving trail brochures uncovering new stories and raising awareness of Southeast Tennessee's extremely significant Cherokee history, a part of America's most important Native American past.

TRENTON

The 30^th anniversary of the Trenton Teapot Festival will take place in 2010.