Screaming Eagle Trail in Tennessee
Filled with outdoor adventure, military lore and country music musts, the Screaming Eagle Trail is as rich as it is varied.
Nashville
A journey that begins in Nashville must begin with a trip soundtrack. Make the Grand Ole Opry, Ryman Auditorium or Schermerhorn Symphony Center your first stop.
Continue your musical education with more live music at Kingston Springs’ Fillin’ Station or just get adventurous with zip lining at Adventure Works. Indulge your palate at eateries along Middle Tennessee’s backroads. From barbecue ribs at Carl’s Perfect Pig in White Bluff to perfectly-fried catfish at Pegram’s Best Little Catfish Place, it’s virtually impossible to go hungry along this trail.
Historical Tennessee
Satisfy your appetite for fresh air at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns. In Waverly, visit the Victorian, antique-filled Nolan House Bed & Breakfast. It is just 10 minutes from Loretta Lynn’s Ranch, operated by the Opry star in Hurricane Mills. Area Civil War sites include the Humphreys County Museum and Civil War Fort.
Visit the site of an 1864 Civil War battle at the Johnsonville State Historic Area, then cross the Tennessee River to Camden and the site of the 1963 plane crash that took the life of Patsy Cline. Commemorate your trip with a custom piece featuring Tennessee’s state gem from the Tennessee River Pearl Farm and Museum.
The Great Outdoors
With a Tennessee flavour to your soundtrack, it’s time to answer the call of the wild. This area lays claim to the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lake and the Tennessee National Wildlife Refuge, and just a bit north is Land Between the Lakes and its prairie, chock-full of bison and elk. Get a glimpse at pioneer life at an 1800s living history farm in Dover.
Tennessee’s military history is also revealed along this trail. Dover’s Fort Donelson is where “iron Valentines” were exchanged between the Blue and Gray on Valentine’s Day 1862. The famed “Screaming Eagles” call Clarksville’s Fort Campbell home, and the base’s Pratt Museum traces the history of air combat. Go on a cave hike at nearby Dunbar Cave State Park (reservations required), and see authentically restored log houses and outbuildings dating from 1830 to 1870 at Historic Collinsville, just outside of Clarksville.
On your way back to Nashville, stop at Cheatham Dam Right Bank Recreation Area, a roped-off beach and swimming area with picnic shelters and a playground. Ashlands Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail offers opportunities for hiking, biking and bird-watching on converted rails-to-trails along the river.
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