Johnson City, Tennessee is a gem! The city emanates small town charm while still having plenty to do and some delicious spots for beer, cocktails, and eats.
The city is a hub for outdoorsy activities with its location nestled in the mountains, motorcycles with the Southern Dozen rides, and biking with numerous mountain biking trails and pump tracks. It is also a very dog-friendly city!
It is located in the Northeastern corner of Tennessee, 3 hours from Charlotte via the Linville Gorge or an hour north of Asheville.
Little Animals Brewing
Adventures & Ales Top recommendations:
Little Animals Brewing: Solid beers in a fun atmosphere with arcade games. They have a small tap list of their own beers and a handful of guest taps.
Stay at the Carnegie Hotel: This gorgeous, historic hotel was originally built in 1891. It is located across from the ETSU campus and a 20 minute walk from downtown. They have a seasonal pool and they are dog-friendly.
Timber!: A stellar restaurant with a cute interior and dog-friendly back patio space. Their menu is divided in small, medium, and large plates alongside cocktails, wine and a handful of beers. The food and drinks are fantastic, highly recommend.
The Atlantic Ale House: A beer bar with 16 taps, a small selection of cans, and frequent food trucks. They have a nice back patio overlooking Founders Park as well.
Laurel Falls: This trail is 4.7 miles long with 620ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. It shares the path with the Appalachian Trail and leads to a gorgeous waterfall. The trail is a lovely serene walk along the river in Cherokee National Forest. It takes about 2 hours to complete and the trailhead is 20 minutes from Johnson City in Hampton.
Appalachian Sun Brewery in Elizabethton is on the way back towards Johnson City but unfortunately their hours are quite limited.
The Carnegie Hotel
Off Leash Social: A dog park and bar in North Johnson City with frequent food trucks and events. They have beer, wine and cocktails in a large outdoor space with shipping containers. The staff is super friendly and attentive to the dogs (and humans).
BURG’r & Barrel: A cool spot for burgers and BBQ. The space is an old train depot and they have a nice interior space and a lovely patio.
Pal’s Sudden Service: A Northeast Tennessee icon! You can’t miss their fun shaped buildings as you are driving through the area. This fast food drive thru specializes in biscuits, burgers and hotdogs. The cheddar rounds are absolutely superb and should not be missed.
Nolichucky Ridge Cliff via Appalachian Trail: This trail is 2.6 miles long with 524ft of elevation gain and is rated moderate. It takes about an hour to complete and there are two very nice viewpoints at the top of your climb. It is known as “The Gorge” and sits along the North Carolina/Tennessee border.
Tennessee Hills Brewstillery: A brewery and distillery combination with solid cocktails and beer. The tap list is quite large and they also have their own food truck onsite.
Buffalo Mountain Park: A great park 7 minutes from downtown with several different trails. Huckleberry Knob is a great viewpoint to check out!
King Commons: A nice park downtown spanning three acres.
Laurel Falls
Other ideas:
Shop around downtown: There are plenty of cute stores to explore, but my two favorites are The Generalist and Terrarium.
Great Oak Brewing + Southern Craft Barbecue: Great Oak is located inside of Southern Craft downtown. The food menu is expansive and tasty and the beer menu has selection of Great Oak taps + guest taps. They also have wine and cocktails. The team here is super nice!
Tweetsie Trail: A walking, running and biking path that runs in the place of a former railroad line. In total it is 9.6 miles long and connects Johnson City to Elizabethton. There are bike rental spots at the trailhead in Johnson City as well
Cranky’s Pump N Pints: A beer garden housed at the Tweetsie Trail start. They have 8 taps and a selection of cans with frequent food trucks. There is indoor and outdoor seating and a pump track.
Label Restaurant: A popular restaurant in downtown with sushi, burgers, entrees, and bourbons. They have a front patio space and a fun interior. They serve brunch on Sundays with $3 mimosas and $6 Bloody Mary’s.
Timber!
Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park: This mountain bike park has a pump track and biking trails along with a pretty overlook.
The Moon Coffee and Tea House: A cute little spot on Main Street with plants and chill vibes for coffee, tea and a selection of pastries from nearby Lazy Lady Baking Co.
Yee-Haw Brewing & White Duck Taco: These two spots share a building downtown with a front and back patio. Solid tacos, average beers, chill vibes.
The Main Street Pizza Company: A tasty spot downtown for variety of eats, don’t let the menu fool you they do more than pizza! The butternut bisque was wildly delicious and the subs are a big hit.
Founders Park: A spacious five acre park downtown with a sculpture exhibit.
The Beauty Spot: A scenic viewpoint at the Tennessee/North Carolina border that is 35 minutes southeast of downtown. A forewarning: the road is closed with no notice at times.
Johnson City Brewing: A brewery downtown with a massive tap list. The beers here were not my favorite.
