Summer in TN., need help... (Memphis, Chattanooga: extended stay, coupons, apartment)

[SOMUTCH]

My wife and I are considering a move to TN and we thought about spending this upcoming Summer there as a preview as to what normal life might be like should we "pull the trigger".

We would like to stay around the Franklin/Brentwood area but really want to see the whole State.

We are going to have our two boys with us (now 10 and 5) and really want to make this trip about them as much as possible. We have thought about Dollywood, music stuff, Opry, maybe a Civil War re-enactment, but are running short on other ideas and was hoping you folks might be able to help us out.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Lodging ideas are really appreciated. Spending that amount of time there is probably going to be spendy.

Thanks in advance.

[gbone]

A great resource is Tennessee Vacation - The State's Official Travel Planning Website. I has links to activities/events by region and by age group. As far as places to stay you may want to look at short term rentals as possibilities.
Middle and East Tennessee will probably have more options than West Tennessee for a wide variety of family activities. Some ideas: Renaissance Festival in Williamson County; rafting on the Ocoee River near Chattanooga; hiking in the many parks in Tennessee and Nashville area; biking on the Natchez Trace; a day long tour of Shiloh, one of the most memorable Civil War sites.
Hope this helps.

[LovnTN]

As soon as you cross the border into TN stop at the welcome center and pick up as many brochures as you wish, including a complimentary TN state map. Also downtown Nashville has a visitors center and the elderly woman that volunteers there will talk your ear off with the history of the area (something you had better get used to with true TN residents for they always have time to talk therefore you had better make the time to listen ), but in return you get some great discount coupons and again brochures galore. There are so many things for you and your family to do in TN that it is impossible to even start to list them all, but some tourist things worth doing are the music hall of fame's, ghost walks (especially through the old battle grounds), celebrity home bus tour, Graceland and mansion tours. You can choose to do all the tourist things or you can choose to really check out TN.

Have fun and enjoy this gorgeous state no matter what you choose to do!

[DonCorleone]

I'll echo gbone's website recommendation. That really is a great place to start. Some other places you might want to check out in Middle TN are Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg. It really is fun, even with younger children. It is in a dry county, so there isn't any drinking. If you're staying in Franklin, the Carter House and Battle of Franklin sites are worth checking out, as is Downtown Franklin. It's a neat place to spend a few hours.

There's plenty to do in Nashville. A few things off the top of my head: Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Broadway, the Ryman Auditorium, Bicentennial Mall, Centennial Park and the Parthenon.

As far as other places in the state, you might put some feelers out on the other TN forums. I think Graceland and Beale Street in Memphis, the Great Smoky Mountains and Dollywood in East TN are probably the biggest attractions outside of Middle TN.

[SOMUTCH]

We thought finding lodging would be much easier than it is. Anyone have any good ideas for a place to stay for 4-6 weeks?

We've gone to VRBO.com and have found a few but it seems like there's fewer vacation rentals than we hoped.

Anybody have any better suggestions?

[rossc]

There is an Extended Stay America in Brentwood. It's a good option for stays longer than would be practical for a daily rate hotel but too short to justify a house/apartment rental.

[hooperman]

Originally Posted by DonCorleone

If you're staying in Franklin, the Carter House and Battle of Franklin sites are worth checking out, as is Downtown Franklin. It's a neat place to spend a few hours.

It certainly is! If you are interested in the Carter House there is a website with more information here: [url]www.carter-house.org[/url]

Similarly, there is the Lotz House ([url]www.lotzhouse.com[/url]). All good if you like your history.

[patsymom]

Your children would probably love the Children's Science Museum.

There are a lot of on hands exhibits there. Well worth the time and effort.

Have a great stay, and hope you decide to join us here in good ole Nashville.

[TXRyan23]

Extended stay's are fairly cheap here, The extended stay in Hendersonville is roughly $155 a week or so...