Guides

Brandt, Robert. Touring the Middle Tennessee Backroads. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair Publisher, 1995. Robert Brandt is a Nashville [1] judge and self-professed “zealot” for Middle Tennessee. His guidebook details 15 driving tours through backroads in the Heartland of Tennessee. Brandt’s knowledge of local history and architecture cannot be surpassed, and his enthusiasm for his subject shines through the prose. While some of the entries are now dated, the guide remains an invaluable source of information about small towns in the region.

Hiking Trails of the Smokies. Gatlinburg, TN: Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association, 2001. The most comprehensive guide to hiking trails of the Smokies [2] is small enough to fit in the glove compartment of your car. Descriptions give details of elevation, distance, and difficulty. They also describe the natural and historical features along the trail. The same publishers produce related guides of day hikes and history hikes.

Van West, Carroll. Tennessee’s Historical Landscapes: A Traveler’s Guide. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1995. The editor of the Tennessee Historical Quarterly and a professor of history at Middle Tennessee State University, Carroll Van West guides readers along highways and byways pointing out historical structures and other signs of history along the way. A good traveling companion, especially for students of architecture and landscape.

The WPA Guide to Tennessee. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1986. The Works Progress Administration guide to Tennessee, written in 1939 and originally published by Viking Press, is a fascinating portrait of Depression-era Tennessee. Published as part of a New Deal project to employ writers and document the culture and character of the nation, the guide contains visitor information, historical sketches, and profiles of the state’s literature, culture, agriculture, industry, and more. The guide, republished as part of Tennessee’s “Homecoming ’86,” is a delightful traveling companion.