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Hot Springs
The hot springs were discovered by Native Americans, and were later bought by James Patton. Warm Springs Hotel was built and attracted many visitors. Now, Hot Springs Resort in Hot Springs, North Carolina offers mineral soaks and baths. -
Biltmore Estate Open to Public
George Vanderbilts "country home", including 250 rooms and forests and gardens, went under years of construction prior to becoming public. Today, there are more than one million annual visitors. -
Chimney Rock
Dr. Lucius B. Morse and his brothers purchased 64 acres of Chimney Rock Mountain. The impounding of Rocky Broad River created Lake Lure. Lake Lure and Chimney Rock are seen in classic movies, such as Dirty Dancing. -
First Asheville Folk Festival
Bascom Lamar Lunsford brought Appalachian music and dancing into the Rhododendron Festival. Today, the Lunsford festival is held every year in Asheville during the summer. -
National Parks
During the 1930's, this movement changed the region forever. This was when the Smoky Mountains were established as a national park, including Shenandoah. As of 2014, the 500,000 acres of land attracted over ten million visitors. -
North Carolina's First Scenic Attraction
Hanging around 3,000 feet above the Johns River Gorge, this phenomenon created a supernatural wind flume and has inspired legends because of it. It opened to the public in 1933. -
World's Fair in Knoxville
The world's first touch-screen computer displays were introduced, along with cherry coke and the famous Sunsphere. -
Dollywood
Dollywood attracted 1.3 million visitors the first year alone. Today, it is still one of the biggest tourist attractions of the Smokies. -
Chattanooga Aquarium
Opened as the world's largest freshwater aquarium, and features an Appalachian Cove Forest section. The aquarium makes an average of $77 million a year. -
Moonshine
Following moonshine legalization in Tennessee in 2010, Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery opened in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Other moonshine distilleries have opened since.
