Activities & Sightseeing
Baltimore
Edgar Allen Poe Grave Memorial | 515 W Fayette St, Baltimore, MD 21201
The life and death of Edgar Allan Poe are just as mysterious as his tales. Whether people wanted to present the American writer as a dark and enigmatic character or things just occurred obscurely, no one can tell. If not puzzling, the events surrounding Poe’s death were at least inexplicable. Poe died on October 7, 1849. At his funeral, there were only seven people. He was buried in an unmarked grave on his grandfather’s plot in Westminster Burying Grounds, Baltimore. 26 years after his death, teachers and students raised money to pay for a proper monument, and Poe’s remains were moved next to the cemetery gate.
Bazaar Baltimore | 3534 Chestnut Ave, Baltimore, MD 21211
Crammed into a Baltimore row house is an oddities shop that sells everything from skulls to dead insects.
Graffiti Alley | N. Howard Street and W 19 1/2 St, Baltimore MD 21218
Graffiti Alley is the only legal art space in Baltimore City where street artists can create their work freely without fear of prosecution. This innovative space helps keep young artists much safer and avoid confrontations with the law. Indirectly, Baltimore City saves money on graffiti cleaning which costs over $300,000 a year.
The Grand Kugel | 2500 W Broad St Richmond, Virginia, 23220
This 29-ton granite ball spins around at the slightest touch thanks to a scientific phenomenon.
Foamhenge | S Lee Hwy, Natural Bridge, VA 24578
Foamhenge is a full-scale styrofoam replica of Stonehenge in Natural Bridge, Virginia. It was conceived and built by artist Mark Cline as a roadside attraction, and opened on April 1, 2004. Foamhenge was relocated to Centreville, Virginia in 2017.
Raleigh
Cloud Chamber for the Trees and Sky | 2110 Blue Ridge Road Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607
Chris Drury creates functioning sculptures in the landscape that appear almost as organic outgrowths of the natural world. This cloud chamber, one of a series, operates as a walk-in camera obscura, or pinhole camera, with a small opening in the roof as the aperture. Once inside (with the door closed for optimal effect), the viewer sees an inverted image of the sky on the floor of the chamber. Instead of looking up at the sky, trees, and clouds, the viewer looks down on them. Drury has reoriented perspective.
Sliding Rock, Pisgah National Forest | 7851 Pisgah Highway Pisgah Forest, NC 28768
Sliding Rock is a waterfall in Western North Carolina, located near Brevard, so named because visitors can slide all the way down the waterfall into the plunge pool below. Sliding Rock is a small slide-type waterfall on Looking Glass Creek, in the Pisgah National Forest, near Brevard, North Carolina. Currently closed with planned reopening June 26
Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 35°36′N 83°31′W
Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. World renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, and the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, this is America's most visited national park. Trail maps and suggestions HERE
Asheville
Asheville, NC
Charming mountain town in the western NC Blue Ridge Mountains. Highly suggest a stop here to walk around downtown and grab a bite!
The Biltmore Estate | One Lodge Street Asheville, NC
Elegance and grandeur abound at Biltmore, America’s largest home. This French Renaissance castle in the heart of Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains is an architectural jewel. The home features 250 rooms, including 35 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. In addition to the house, the 8,000-acre estate is home to forested trails and beautiful gardens, which include one of the country’s most complete collections of azaleas. Biltmore is also where you’ll find the nation’s most-visited winery. Advanced reservations are required, more info HERE.
Douglas Falls | Douglas Falls, Barnardsville, NC 28709
Tucked away in the beautiful Big Ivy area of Pisgah National Forest, the 70-foot Douglas Falls offers the rare opportunity to walk behind a waterfall. The waterfall drops from an overhanging cliff and features an impressive rock wall in the background.
Nashville
Third Man Records | 623 7th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203
Third Man Records was launched by Jack White in Detroit, MI in 2001, and in 2009 opened its current Nashville, TN location, which houses a record store, novelties lounge (featuring the Third Man Record Booth), label offices and distribution center, photo studio, and the world’s only live venue with direct-to-acetate recording capabilities. Third Man is an innovator in the world of vinyl records and a boundary pusher in the world of recorded music, aiming to bring tangibility and spontaneity back into the record business and issue releases that leave no doubt in the minds of listeners that music is indeed sacred. Visits by appointment only HERE.
Grand Ole Opry | 2804 Opryland Dr, Nashville, TN 37214
Home to the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, this 4,000-seat theater is also the site of television specials, concerts and other events. Backstage tours are reopening June 26, more info HERE.
Ryman Auditorium | 116 5th Ave N, Nashville, TN 37219
Revered by many as the “Mother Church of Country Music,” the Ryman Auditorium was the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. The building was built in 1892 and named for Captain Tom Ryman, a wealthy riverboat captain. Ryman was inspired to sponsor the building’s construction after his religious conversion at a tent revival held by Sam Jones. Originally known as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, the building was designed by local architect Hugh Cathcart Thompson. Before its Opry days, the Ryman’s excellent acoustics and large seating capacity made it the unofficial city auditorium, hosting performances by legendary greats as Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt, W.C. Fields, and Booker T. Washington, just to name a few. The Ryman, now owned by the Gaylord Entertainment Company, continues to be a popular entertainment venue for musical performances of all genres. Self-guided tours are reopening June 26, more info HERE.
The Parthenon | 2500 West End Avenue Nashville, TN 37203
The Parthenon stands proudly as the centerpiece of Centennial Park, Nashville's premier urban park. The re-creation of the 42-foot statue Athena is the focus of the Parthenon just as it was in ancient Greece. The building and the Athena statue are both full-scale replicas of the Athenian originals. Originally built for Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, this replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece serves as a monument to what is considered the pinnacle of classical architecture. The plaster replicas of the Parthenon Marbles found in the Naos are direct casts of the original sculptures, which adorned the pediments of the Athenian Parthenon dating back to 438 B.C. The originals of these powerful fragments are housed in the British Museum in London.
RCA Studio B is a music recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee built in 1956. Originally known simply by the name "RCA Studios", it became known in the 1960s for being an essential factor to the development of the production style and technique known as the Nashville Sound. Tours and visits are planned to reopen on June 30, more info HERE.
Robert's Western World | 416 Broadway B, Nashville, TN 37203
Robert's Western World is a honky tonk bar that has hosted and continues to host many big name country artists. Some of the famous artists that have passed through Robert's Western World's doors are Big Ben Keith of Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Don Warden, Dolly Parton's manager; and many, many others, including: Billy Robinson, Lloyd Green, Smiley Roberts, Jack Boles, Ron Elliot, Curly Chalker, and Don Helms.
Tootsie's Orchard Lounge | 422 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203
Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, a Nashville country music institution and world-famous honky-tonk, has operated across the alley from the Ryman almost continuously since 1960.
Craighead Caverns | 140 Lost Sea Rd, Sweetwater, TN 37874
Craighead Caverns is an extensive cave system located in between Sweetwater and Madisonville, Tennessee. It is best known for containing the United States' largest and the world's second largest non-subglacial underground lake, The Lost Sea. In addition to the lake, the caverns contain an abundance of crystal clusters called anthodites, stalactites, stalagmites, and a waterfall.
Ruby Falls | Scenic Hwy., Chattanooga, Tennessee
Ruby Falls is the nation's tallest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public. The breathtaking falls were accidentally discovered by Leo Lambert in 1928 deep within Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Lambert named the falls after his wife, Ruby, and opened the Chattanooga attraction to the public in 1929. Today, Ruby Falls welcomes over half a million visitors each year from around the world. Descend 260 feet by elevator into historic Lookout Mountain to tour the underground cavern, see the falls and discover why this unique destination has been named one of the best things to do in Tennessee for over 90 years. Advanced tickets required, more info HERE.
Atlanta
Krog Street Tunnel | 86 Krog Street Northeast Atlanta, Georgia, 30316
Most urban tunnels and viaducts have their fair share of graffiti, but Atlanta’s Krog Street Tunnel stands apart from the rest—there’s barely an inch of unpainted space in it. The short underpass was built in 1912. It connects the Atlanta neighborhoods of Cabbagetown and Inman Park, attracting residents from both sides who are looking for a place to make their mark with street art. The graffiti tradition in the tunnel dates back to the 1960s, and continues to this day.
Junkman's Daughter | 464 Moreland Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30307
Junkman's Daughter Atlanta. A little bit of punk, a little bit of style, and a whole lot of weird, our store is a place where you can count on finding the unexpected.
Little Five Points Neighborhood | Atlanta, GA
Little Five Points is Atlanta’s hippie ‘hood. Everything about the area is Bohemian chic, and vintage stores line the streets alongside a natural foods market and indie radio station. Pull up a chair and take in the music of street performers and commence people watching.
