Keep An Eye On the Tri-State

Shannon Millsaps, Thrive's Operations Manager, was named to Chatter's 20 Under 40 List for 2020.

Pigeon Mountain’s Wildflower Wonderland Pigeon Mountain’s Wildflower Wonderland Pigeon Mountain, located just west of LaFayette, Georgia, is essentially an arm of Lookout Mountain. It stretches for about ten miles northeast of its divergence from the east side of Lookout Mountain, and is largely contained within the 20,657-acre state-owned Crockford-Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area. The mountain reaches an elevation of around 2,330 feet at its highest point, and overlooks the pastoral V-shaped McLemore Cove, which lies between it and Lookout Mountain.

Russell Cave, carved by underground erosion through a layer of limestone, is considered the oldest rock shelter regularly inhabited in the eastern U.S., and has provided evidence of human use over thousands of years, beginning with Paleolithic spear points used for hunting mastodons, sloths, and bison.

Many visitors to the Hiwassee Refuge include a stop at the Cherokee Removal Memorial Park, which, in addition to the history-oriented features, provides a roofed overlook on a high bluff above the Tennessee River.

Six communities in Southeast Tennessee will receive resources and earmarked funding to institutionalize arts and cultural development strategies.

One of the South Cumberland region’s lesser-known outdoor recreation opportunities is Franklin State Forest, which straddles the border of Marion and Franklin Counties about 45 miles west of Chattanooga. Originally named Franklin-Marion State Forest, today it’s commonly referred to simply as Franklin Forest, and following a couple of additions in recent years, now covers around 8,800 acres.

The Tennessee Placemaking Partnership assists small and/or rural communities in southeast Tennessee as they evolve their project-based placemaking work into longer-term community-wide strategies for social and economic prosperity.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy the outdoors relatively close to home, Chickamauga Battlefield, located in North Georgia and about 10 miles south of downtown Chattanooga, may be a good option for a quiet and fairly easy hike, as well as other forms of outdoor recreation.