Throughout Tennessee there are a few attractions that always surprise people – you’ll find things you just weren’t expecting, so here’s the story of what and where they are...

The Parthenon, Nashville

This is the world's only full-size replica of the ancient Greek temple. It houses the tallest indoor sculpture in the western world, a statue of Athena - the ancient goddess of wisdom and learning and the deity for whom the original Parthenon was erected. Originally built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897, the building became unsafe and was rebuilt in 1929. It is an exact replica of the Greek temple, with its architecture including not a single straight line; no two columns are the same size, nor are they placed the same distance apart. No two steps are the same size and the floor is not square or level. This is a proud symbol of Tennessee's Capitol city, the "Athens of the South," the Parthenon houses the city's permanent art collection, plaster casts of the Elgin Marbles, a gift shop plus a visitors centre.

Titanic Museum, Pigeon Forge

They’ve built a ship-shaped permanent, immersive and interactive Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Everyone knows the name Titanic and everyone knows that Titanic hit an iceberg, but there is so much more to her story. Open the door to the past in this one-of-a-kind museum – letting “passengers” experience what it was like to walk the hallways, cabins and Grand Staircase of the Titanic while surrounded by more than 400 artifacts. As visitors walk the Grand Staircase, third class hallways, reach their hands into 28-degree water, and try to stand on the sloping decks, they learn what it was actually like on the RMS Titanic. Each guest receives a boarding pass of an actual Titanic passenger or crew, then tour the collection that’s valued at over four and a half million dollars.

The Lost Sea, Sweetwater

We bet you’ve never seen, heard or done anything like this before in Tennessee! Take a boat ride on the Lost Sea, a unique natural wonder which is listed as “America’s Largest Underground Lake” in the Guinness Book of World Records. Lost Sea has been designated a Registered Natural Landmark too. This guided tour of the caverns involves a ¾ mile round-trip on wide sloping pathways, while touring the caverns and underground lake the guides will tell of the cavern’s exciting and colourful history. 

For more information on any of the above attractions email tennessee@deep-south-usa.com