After our month of family fun in February, we chose to spend the month of March in Cookeville, Tennessee. We saw from the map that it was centrally located to several major cities, and we were excited for many bucket list adventures in Tennessee!

One (relatively) short day trip drive later, and we settled into our new AirBnb. It provided plenty of space, a supremely well-stocked kitchen, and sparse decoration. One might call it somewhat plain, but I thought, “Fantastic, less ‘stuff’ to have to put away for childproofing!” We pretty much immediately had a sense that we would be very comfortable there for the duration of our stop.

That remained true for our accommodation, but Cookeville/Tennessee as a whole failed us at first. The weather did not cooperate the first few weeks! We assumed (incorrectly, obviously) that the weather would be somewhat warmer, less overcast, less like winter-weather. Yes, it was March, which still contains winter, I knew this, but still.

It didn’t stop us from dashing over to Nashville anytime we felt cooped up and bored, which happened on more than one occasion. Yet, within town, we found another magnificent playground, cooked at home a great deal, and continued our general digital nomad routine! What I mean by this: Frank worked during the day Monday through Friday, and I took care of the kids, food, and house. After work, we’d make a decision about whether we would go to the playground in town, over to Nashville, or stay in/get take-out and watch a movie. On the weekends, we made the most of our time there. Basically every weekend was full and action-packed!

Gatlinburg

As you may or may not know, Frank and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary with a weeklong trip to the Smoky Mountains a couple years ago. We absolutely loved it and had been looking for an excuse to go back there any chance we got. With this stop in Cookeville, we got that chance!

We semi-spontaneously decided to take the kids to Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies. We had had such a great time there ourselves and couldn’t wait to share it with them too! The kids loved seeing all of the amazing fish, the giant crabs, and crawling up the small ramp “into” the penguin exhibit. However, I think Victoria’s favorite part was an enormous jungle gym that she played on for ages! She was swinging, climbing, making friends, and nearly getting plowed over by bigger kids. We tempted her to finally leave through some delicious mini donuts, but she wasn’t happy about it.

Prior to our visit to the Aquarium, we made our way back over to our favorite restaurant in the area, the Mountain Edge Grill. Their bison/elk burger, baked beans, and fries seasoned with cocoa powder hit the spot like few meals can. Regardless of the lengths of our day trips, we always cherish our time in Gatlinburg!

Chattanooga

We visited Chattanooga twice this trip, as it was a 2+ hour drive to get there. Our first stop in town yielded a near-perfect day of adventuring! There were many bucket list adventures to be had in Chattanooga, Tennessee!

Walnut Street Bridge

We started with a brisk stroll across the Walnut Street Bridge, a 2,375’ pedestrian bridge that spans the Tennessee River. The excessive wind kept us chilly and from loving it as much as we might’ve, but we loved being outside and active!

Incline Railway

We followed up our walk with a visit to the Incline Railway. This trolley-ride up Lookout Mountain goes nearly vertical for part of the way, and at the top, provides a gorgeous vantage point over the city. We couldn’t linger though, as we had scheduled a tour for shortly after this excursion and didn’t want to be late. 

Ruby Falls

On the way over to Chattanooga, I had done some research and discovered a remarkable treasure. Inside Lookout Mountain, there lies Ruby Falls, a 145’ subterranean waterfall! After taking a glass elevator 260’ down, we took a guided tour through the cave, seeing stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and a tiny segment of the passage of Leo, the man who explored the cave and found Ruby Falls. He named the falls after his wife, his high school sweetheart. After some time, we finally made it to the falls! Hike to Ruby Falls – ✅!

By this point, the kids were beyond exhausted and got a little fussy, but we carried them and made the most of our adventure. It was definitely an exhausting day. Yet, this day reminded us why we chose this lifestyle. We saw and experienced things we had never even imagined existed in this country! In spite of our tiredness, we loved every second and enjoyed the pleasure and privilege of getting to have these adventures. 

Nashville

As I mentioned above, we visited Nashville a bunch of times during our five weeks in Cookeville. The hour and 20 minute drive felt easy compared to some of our other excursions, so it became our habit. On some of those trips, we knocked off several bucket list adventures in Nashville that I was particularly excited about. 

Visit The Parthenon-✅

So, I’m still unsure why this exists here, but it does. Nashville possesses a full-scale replica of the Parthenon from Athens, Greece! The lower level contains a lovely little art gallery. Upstairs stands a massive statue of the Greek goddess Athena, holding a small Nike in one hand, and a staff in the other. Across from the statue lies a massive set of doors, though I am unsure if they open. In the back are casts from smaller, broken statues at the Parthenon, along with their history. It was a wild, intriguing experience. 

Grand Ole Opry

Frank had visited the Opry years ago and doesn’t care much for country music. Thus, he took the kids for an hour and a half while I participated in the Opry’s backstage tour (bucket list ✅). I learned about the history of the Grand Ole Opry, how it moved from the Ryman Auditorium in the 1970’s, and the illustrious list of performers and members. I would call myself a fairly casual country music fan, but all the same, I certainly enjoyed the experience! 

Nashville Food

King Tut’s

While not technically a bucket list item, we still wanted to highlight another fun pit stop in the area. The food truck King Tut’s, featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, offers Egyptian food and a cute patio to sit and consume it. We had never tried Egyptian food specifically, but we did recognize the falafel, hummus, and gyros. It did not disappoint! The kids were well-behaved, ate well, and we greatly enjoyed ourselves. 

Bolton’s Spicy Chicken and Fish

I feel like everyone knows this, but I didn’t, so here goes-Nashville’s big foodie thing is very spicy, hot fried chicken.

I happen to be a super big baby when it comes to spicy things, and Frank has a better tolerance than me, but not by too much. We finally made time and went to Bolton’s to try Nashville’s hot chicken. I ordered mild and Frank ordered medium. Both of us could barely handle the heat! We chose no heat whatsoever for the kids and they were able to eat theirs. But, you heard it here folks-Nashville hot chicken is no joke! There is big debate among Nashville natives as to where the best hot chicken is. Hattie B’s vs Prince’s vs Bolton’s; we went with Bolton’s, and loved it. Here’s a link to a fantastic blog post from a guy who tried the hottest hot chicken at each location. 

Chasing Waterfalls

In addition to the city-based adventures we had planned, I was looking forward to hiking in several nearby state parks. We ended up hiking only one of the nearby parks, but also drove beyond Chattanooga to north Georgia for another round of waterfalls off of Lookout Mountain!

Fall Creek Falls State Park – ✅

One might argue that we bit off more than we could chew with our first hike. We have no regrets though! At Fall Creek Falls State Park, the trail to the base of the falls was 0.4 miles. This seemed like a way to ease into hiking with the kids on our backs. However, the park did warn us ahead of time that it was Very Strenuous! And indeed, it was. The slope was steep, there was mud, and a small amount of bouldering. Eventually, we finally made it to the base of the falls! 

I learned a bit later that the big waterfall was Fall Creek Falls, which is 256’ tall, and that its neighbor is actually Coon Creek Falls. The latter typically only ever really flows after heavy rainfall, which had happened recently. Even from fairly far away, we could feel the spray from the waterfalls on our faces. We felt empowered and proud of ourselves for making it to the base! Then, we remembered we had to repeat the hike, but uphill this time. By the time we reached the trail entrance, we were red in the face, out of breath, and even more proud of ourselves for doing it!

Cloudland Canyon State Park – ✅

On the Georgia-side of Lookout Mountain, we made the trek to Cloudland Canyon State Park. This park had excellent infrastructure and well-maintained trails, mostly composed of stairs. There were So Many Stairs. The hiking trails were longer than at FCFSP, but felt a bit more secure. We first made our way to Hemlock Falls, a beautiful and very tall waterfall. It felt a little too unsafe to leave the little boardwalk and try and reach the actual base, so we admired it from afar. 

We hemmed and hawed for a while before we finally decided we would attempt to see Cherokee Falls as well. We are so thankful we did! The hike seemed a lot easier than expected, and the little cove with Cherokee Falls was a beautiful, relaxing spot. By this time, we were once again thoroughly exhausted, and slowly made our way back up the stairs. Completing those hikes with the kids on our backs made us feel so strong, so happy, and so excited for all of our future nature exploration to come!

Rock Island State Park

I wanted to go to so many more state parks and see a dozen more waterfalls, but alas, we ran out of time. We had enough time to attempt one more hike at Rock Island State Park. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, there had been so much rain throughout March. By the time we finally went to Rock Island and tried to do the hike to Twin Falls, the trail to the base of the falls was closed. The water level had risen so high and the currents were so intense, the park authorities couldn’t let anyone take the chance of getting hurt.

Wrap Up

We spent five magical weeks in Cookeville. Even though the weather did not always cooperate, I personally look back on our time there with immense fondness and joy. Hiking to waterfalls, both above and below ground, touring historic institutions, and eating fabulous food-that’s what it’s all about for us. Seeing, feeling, tasting new experiences that otherwise wouldn’t be available to us. Sharing these experiences with our kids and showing them how beautiful this country and the world can be. This lifestyle certainly has its challenges, but we really wouldn’t trade it for anything else right now. This is exactly where we want to be. 

Next up-Easter, another birthday, and some major life changes for a loved one!