Plenty To Do While In Spencer Tennessee

Now you and your family are on the perfect Tennessee get-away at our Red Roof Cabin. What can you do? You want to sit and read a book gazing off in the distance; but your spouse and the kids want adventure, excitement. Call the family together and let them choose!

Upper Cumberland: This part of Tennessee has much to offer visitors and tourists, whether you are a site seer or an outdoor enthusiast. To learn more, please visit the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association.

State Parks: Tennessee is home to some to the most scenic state parks you will find anywhere. The big draw to the area is Fall Creek Falls, boasting some spectacular waterfalls, golf, hiking and spectacular scenery. But don't stop there: the Cumberland plateau has some other lesser known gems awaiting you.

One of my personal favorites is Rock Island. Just below the power plant (you will see these photos HERE) are the waterfalls which gush out from the cracks in the rocks and cascade down to the river below which plays host to many kayakers and canoers.

A bit farther north from the cabin and very close to the Sparta Airport is Burgess Falls. While there is a lot of hiking and many trails to follow, the best is the large falls which will creep up on you at the end of the main trail. Burgess Falls is about a 45 minute drive from the cabin but I promise you will not be sorry you took the time to go.

One last little goodie is the Cumberland Mountain State Park. Cumberland Mountain State Park is a 1,720 acre state park four miles south of Crossville, Tennessee along US 127. There are many recreational facilities at Cumberland Mountain State Park. They include an Olympic sized swimming pool, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, four tennis courts, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, basketball courts, badminton, and volleyball courts. A 6,900 yard, 18 hole Bear Trace golf course. Year long hiking trails, including a 10 mi overnight backpacking trail, are found throughout the park. Byrd Lake is available for fishing and boating by canoe, rowboat, and paddleboat.

Caves & Caverns: Only about 30 minutes drive from the cabin, Cumberland Caverns is a must see, and it is now open all year round so check the tour schedule and head out. Take a scenic walking tour of the caverns, a stunning 1-1/2 mile tour allowing you to see the beautiful waterfalls, historic salt peter mining and incredible formations.

The Lost Sea is a cave of a different color. This is a very cool place - it's a huge underground lake and part of a huge cave system called Craighead Caverns. You really need to go see it to appreciate it. Plan to spend the day as The Lost Sea is a bit of a drive off I-75 between Knoxville and Chattanooga.

Fun on the Water: Canoeing is a great family fun activity! Canoe the Sequatchie is open weekends April through October and every day Memorial Day through Labor day. Cruising down the Sequatchie River on a sunny afternoon, fingers trailing in the water, paddling only when the spirit moves - or the river doesn’t – it becomes evident how very good the Indians were at names. Sequatchie means opossum. Opossums are good at playing dead. When they are a mind to, opossums can lie so still that all signs of life seem to have flowed out of them. Even when not playing dead, opossums are lazy. So is the Sequatchie.

Heading back south to Chattanooga you can hop a ride on the Southern Belle Riverboat along the Tennessee River. For a romantic dinner or just the afternoon, this is a nice alternative to the more active vacation ideas.

Wine and Spirits: If wine is to your taste, check out some of the local wineries. Just a short drive from the cabin will get you to Stonehaus Winery. There you can learn all about the wine making process and take a guided tour. Be sure to bring along your designated driver if you are to do any wine tasting!

If it is something a bit harder that you crave, check out the Jack Daniels Distillery, about 70 miles from Sparta. You can take a tour, go shopping or learn all about the fine Tennessee whisky.

Staying In: If you decide to stay in the cabin, there is plenty to do right here, from reading a book from the lending library or watching some videos from the video library or looking at some of the views, or visiting the game room in the basement.

Whatever you choose to do, whether it is out and about, or right here at your home away from home, you are in a great place. So, please, relax or be adventurous, as you wish and let the Red Roof Cabin be your home base for it all.