tennessee craft beer

Nashville, TN

Nashville is a fun city that is home to more than just country music—there are so many neighborhoods to explore!

Music City Tips: 

  • Get off of Broadway. Sure, pop into some honky-tonks, see some live music, but then explore the rest of the city!

  • The city is pretty spread out so plan ahead to make the most of your time.

  • If you don’t have a car, you don’t need a car. Parking is difficult and costly in a lot of neighborhoods so if you can use ride shares and walks that is much more convenient.

  • On a road trip? Louisville is 3 hours north of Nashville, check out my guide here + Chattanooga is 2 hours southeast—recommendations here!

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: 

  • Southern Grist Brewing: A stellar brewery absolutely killing the game + they’ve got two taprooms for you to choose from:

    • East Nash Taproom: A restaurant-style brewery with tasty eats and a dog-friendly patio.

    • The Nations Taproom: A smaller taproom with food options from nearby restaurants. Located on the West side of town.

  • Barrique Brewing and Blending: Such a great brewery! They specialize in Wild Ales and Lagers and make fantastic beers. Their team is super nice as well and they allow dogs outside. 

  • Living Waters Brewing: A great brewery with a Lager and IPA heavy tap list. They also have coffee and a small breakfast menu. It is a cute spot that also has a small dog-friendly patio.

  • Bearded Iris Brewing: Great IPAs and two taprooms:

    • Sylvan Supply has Black Dynasty Ramen inside for delicious (though pricey) eats. Their patio here is heated and dog-friendly.

    • Their original taproom is downtown and very dog-friendly with chill vibes.

  • Ladybird Taco: A delicious spot for tacos near 12 South. They have an Austin-style taco menu with breakfast tacos, coffee, lunch/dinner tacos, and starters. It is a popular spot so you can also order online to save time!

  • Smith & Lentz Brewing: A tasty Lager-forward brewery with a pizza menu. They have a spacious dog-friendly back patio and are located in East Nashville.

  • Monday Night Preservation Co.: The Nashville location of Monday Night Brewing is a gorgeous space. It is a converted warehouse that used to be a meat packing facility giving it super unique vibes. The outdoor space is partially covered and huge. They have classic MNB beers, wine and cocktails.

Southern Grist Brewing Company

touristy nashville things worth doing:

  • Tootise's: The most popular bar on Broadway, with good reason. Three different floors of live music and bars. The rooftop patio is also fun!

  • Explore the 12 South neighborhood: This is a super cute area with plenty of bars, restaurants, stores, and murals to explore!

  • Pedal Bar: Soooo touristy. Surprisingly fun. BYOB and ride the city! 

  • Acme Feed & Seed: Rooftop bar and restaurant on the end of Broadway near the river!

  • Union Station Hotel: This is a gorgeous hotel in an old train station. Even if you don’t stay here it is worth wandering into their lobby that is stunning and home to a bar.

12 South Neighborhood

other nashville ideas:

  • The Pharmacy: A tasty spot for burgers and beer in East Nashville.

  • Fait la Force Brewing: A solid brewery specializing in European style beers and eats. Their dog-friendly patio has skyline views.

  • Waymore’s Guesthouse and Casual Club: A nice hotel in East Nashville that is art deco themed and very trendy. Their rooftop bar is coming soon and their lobby bar has delicious cocktails. I would have enjoyed a fridge and microwave in my room.

  • Bongo Java East: A good spot for coffee, breakfast, lunch, board games and beer in the 5 points neighborhood.

  • Marble Fox Brewing Company: A cute spot with solid beers. They are located downtown in The Gulch and the tap list is IPA heavy.

  • Five Points Alley Shops: A nice little array of shops and small businesses.

  • Pinewood Social​: A fun spot for upscale bowling with a bar and restaurant.

  • Fat Bottom Brewery: Average brewery with a large taproom with great outdoor space.

Knoxville, TN

Knoxville is a fun city with plenty of good spots to eat and drink and frequent festivals, markets, and outdoor concerts to keep you entertained!

Knox Tips: 

  • The city is pretty small so you don’t need a car to get around to the different neighborhoods.

  • Old City is a great hub of activity in Knoxville but be sure to explore the other neighborhoods as well!

  • Knoxville is home to the University of Tennessee so be sure to take that into account for game days and events!

  • Add Knox to your road trip! Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are just an hour away and Asheville is two hours! Check out my guide to the Gatlinburg area here and my guide to Asheville here!

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: ​

  • Xul Brewing Company: A fantastic brewery with a wide array of beers on tap. Their Sours are my favorite! They have two locations—downtown and Hardin Valley. At the downtown location Abridged Burgers food truck is onsite for eats. They have a nice dog-friendly patio space outside and multiple seating options and TVs inside.

  • Stay at The Tennessean Hotel: This luxurious hotel is located in the heart of everything. It is steps away from Old Town and has great Sunsphere views. There are a plethora of amenities here including black car service, golf carts, e-bikes, concierge service, and more! The rooms are spacious, clean and dog-friendly.

    • Their restaurant The Drawing Room is housed on the second floor and specializes in Smoked Old Fashions alongside farm-to-table eats. Their cocktails are superb.

  • Pretentious Beer Co: Great beers and cool glasses as they are also a glass company. Hongs Kitchen is inside for eats and they also have a great back patio space that is dog-friendly and heated.  

  • A Dopo Pizza: Extraordinarily good pizza, staff that goes out of their way to be incredibly nice, local taps, wine carafes and gelato all in a cute open-concept setting.

  • Albright Grove Brewing Company: A good brewery with an interesting mix of styles available. They are dog-friendly inside and out.

  • Schulz Brau Brewing: German-style beer garden with classic German brews following the Reinheitsgebot purity laws. They’ve got fire pits, frequent live music, and snacks!

  • Crafty Bastard Brewing: This brewery has three locations—downtown, West Knox, and South Knox. They always have a very unique tap list. The vibes are good and dogs are allowed inside.

  • Merchants of Beer: A beer bar and bottle shop in an old diner space. They have a great outdoor space and dive bar vibes inside. They are super dog-friendly inside and out.

  • Bearden Beer Market: A beer garden/bottle shop combo with a mix of local and afar taps. Frequent food trucks and dog friendly.

  • Abridged Beer Company: Tasty beers and a wide variety of colorful sours. They’ve got a great outdoor space and delicious food. Located in the Bearden neighborhood west of downtown.

Xul Brewing Company

touristy things in knoxville worth doing:

  • Market Square: The hub of downtown with several bars, restaurants, and shops.

  • World’s Fair Park: Be sure to see the Sunsphere and if you’re lucky there might be live music at the amphitheater!

  • Ijams Nature Center: A great spot to get outdoors! There are many different trail options here, many of which are on the easier side for family outings.

    • The River Trail Loop takes about 30 minutes and is just 1 mile long with 114ft of elevation gain. It leads to a boardwalk on the river and part of the trail is a paved greenway.

    • Mead’s Quarry is a cool section across the road from the visitor’s center. The Rock Bridge Trail via Imerys Trail is 1.1 miles long, mostly flat, and takes about 25 minutes to complete.

Ijams Nature Center

Ijams Nature Center

Other knoxville things to do:

  • Alliance Brewing: Solid beers at this ‘active lifestyle’ brewery with outdoor seating.

  • Balter Beerworks: A brewpub with solid food and beers and a super friendly staff!

  • House Mountain State Park: Great hikes close to the city!

  • Next Level Brewing Company: This brewery has a wide variety of beers on tap. They are dog-friendly inside and out and have frequent food trucks. They are located just up the block from Xul and Crafty Bastard.

  • Ebony and Ivory Brewing: A solid brewery that is dog-friendly and working to improve the beer industry. They’re the second Black-owned brewery in the state and are located right down the block from Elst Brewing.

  • Elst Brewing Company: This brewery is dog-friendly with a food truck out back focused on burgers. They have a nice back patio space and chill vibes.

  • Old City Market: If you happen to be in town on the second Sunday of the month or fourth Thursday of the month be sure to wander through this market in Old City! It features local artists and makers selling a variety of goods.

  • Printshop Beer Co: Classic brewery vibes with a good variety of beer. Located in South Knoxville near Alliance Brewing.

  • Last Days of Autumn Brewing: Average beers, a bit off the beaten path and known for their eats. They are opening St. Lucille’s Cajun Kitchen next to Crafty Bastard soon!

  • Downtown Grill and Brewery: Average brewery with outdoor seating and a full food menu. Located in the heart of Gay Street.

Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga is a nice little city surrounded by nature

Chatt Tips: 

  • Get outside! Be sure to take advantage of all of the nature activities in and around Chattanooga.

  • Expect a lot of paid parking—even in brewery parking lots.

  • On a road trip? Nashville and Knoxville are each about 2 hours away—check out my Nashville guide here and Knoxville guide here!

Adventures & Ales Top Recommendations: 

  • Oddstory Brewing: The best brewery in town, by far. Oddstory has two locations—their original taproom that has a full food menu and dog-friendly patio and The Greenhouse that has a beautiful space, taco truck out back, and is dog-friendly inside. They have great specials and they also have cocktails and wine.

  • Pax Breu Ruim: A great beer bar that has a legit selection available. They are dog-friendly inside and located right near the original Oddstory taproom.

  • Mean Mug Coffeehouse: A great coffee shop with locations downtown and on the Northshore. They have coffee, breakfast, lunch and chill vibes. I was very impressed with my massive biscuit sandwich that was only $6.

  • Timberroot Rustic Retreat: I booked a cabin through them on Airbnb and enjoyed my stay. It was a cute and cozy cabin with a hot tub and communal fire pit. It was only 10 minutes to downtown by still surrounded by nature—though there is some street noise.

The Greenhouse by Oddstory Brewing

touristy things to do in chattanooga that are worth it:

  • Cloudland Canyon State Park: This is a great park just across the border in Georgia. It is about 30 minutes from downtown Chattanooga and worth exploring! There is a $5 entrance fee to the park. They also have camping, yurts, and cabins here.

    • I chose to combine the Cloudland Canyon West Rim Loop and Cherokee and Hemlock Falls Trail which was 5.5 miles long with 1,180ft of elevation gain and took just under 3 hours. The Rim Loop was pretty boring—there were a couple of viewpoints but they were not as nice as the viewpoint at the parking lot. The waterfall trail was nice with two large falls, but be aware there are a lot of stairs on this trail. It also connects to the Sittons Gulch Trail.

  • Ruby Falls: An underground waterfall tour that it lit up. It is touristy but cool.

  • Walk the Market Street Bridge: This pedestrian friendly bridge connects downtown and the Northshore. Coolidge Park on the Northshore is a nice spot for bridge views. Grab a coffee from Provisions at The Edwin Hotel right before the bridge for your walk!

  • Sculpture Fields at Montague Park: A 33 acre park with sculptures to wander around outside. It is free and a nice activity.

Ruby Falls

other things to do in chattanooga:

  • Wanderlinger Brewing Company: An average brewery with a solid food menu including build your own grilled cheese. Their parking lot requires payment.

  • Hutton and Smith Brewing Company: A brewery with a very unique tap list just down the block from Oddstory’s Greenhouse. Dog-friendly and nice folks.

  • Cherry Street Brewing: An average brewery with a wide variety of beers. They have a food menu and two different taproom spaces—the left side is more of a restaurant and the right side is a casual taproom. Cherry Street is located on the Northshore across the river from downtown. They also have two locations in Georgia.

  • Rock City Gardens: An “enchanted trail” where you walk through rock formations. It is touristy and a bit odd. You can see 7 states from the midway viewpoint which is neat. Dog-friendly.

  • Tailgate Brewery: An average brewery with locations across Tennessee. I had really bad service at this brewery and would recommend exploring the other spots in Chattanooga ahead of this one. They have a dog-friendly back patio and pizza menu with sports bar vibes. Their parking lot is paid.

Gatlinburg, TN

Gatlinburg is known as “The Gateway to the Smoky Mountains” for good reason—it is nestled right on the edge of the National Park, making it a popular mountain resort town.

Gatlinburg Tips: 

  • Get into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! The whole point of visiting Gatlinburg is the close access to the park, so make sure to get into nature!

  • Gatlinburg is extraordinarily touristy—it’s like the Disney World of mountain towns. Personally I do not love places like this, so if you are similar minded I would recommend staying in a small town on the North Carolina side of the park versus Gatlinburg. Bryson City is my personal favorite!

    • Pigeon Forge is the same level of “touristy” but with even more “attractions”. If you have small kids there is plenty of entertainment options in PF! Gatlinburg is definitely more walkable and a better base camp in my opinion, but the two are only 15 minutes apart

Adventures & Ales Top Gatlinburg Recommendations: ​

  • Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail: A beautiful nature drive with places to stop off for nature views and historical buildings.

  • Traveling with a group? AvantStay has some amazing larger homes for rent! Use my link here to save $250 off your booking!

  • Go winery hopping: There are several wineries in Gatlinburg that you can pop into for free samples and to bring home some delicious wine if you choose to do so!

    • Smoky Mountain Winery: My favorite that we visited! Their tasting offered a plethora of samples for free and Tiffany, who was working, was absolutely fantastic! This spot is slightly off the main road, so be sure not to miss it!

    • Sugarland Cellars: The tastings here are $5, the only winery you have to pay to sample at, but they have Sangria slushees that are absolutely delicious and totally worth it! They have two locations, one right in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg and one right on the edge of the National Park.

    • Bootleggers Homemade Wines: Located in the Ole Smoky Holler, a small spot to sample wines with cute merchandise as well!

    • Goodwater Vineyards: An extremely nice family owns and operates this winery, pop in for samples and chat with them!

    • Tennessee Homemade Wines: Another winery with solid wine and free samples. Owned by the same team as Tennessee Cider Co

    • Gatlinburg Wine Cellar: The most touristy of the wineries, this spot has lots of sweet wines in their two locations on the main strip

  • Clingman’s Dome: About 45 minutes from Gatlinburg, this lookout tower and viewpoint is definitely worth the drive. The ride is gorgeous as well, be sure to stop at the Newfound Gap Overlook for great views just a few minutes away from Clingman’s Dome. At the dome expect traffic/parking to be a hassle there are tons of people who stop here. To get to the tower you walk up a steep hill to the overlook, but it is only a half a mile each way and is paved. It is the highest point in the Smokys!

  • Tennessee Cider Company: The first cidery in the Gatlinburg area and new to the scene. Their ciders were delicious and the staff was super nice!

  • Cookie Dough Bliss: Edible cookie dough, what more do you need to know?! It is absolutely delicious and located right next to Goodwater Vineyards

  • We had a complimentary stay at Greystone Lodge and it was lovely! The views of the mountains and river out back were great and it was conveniently located in the heart of the city!

Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail

Gatlinburg Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: ​

  • Go moonshine hopping! You can’t visit Gatlinburg and not have some moonshine. Each moonshine tasting is $5 for all of the samples.

    • Ole Smoky Moonshine: The classic! Located in Ole Smoky Holler. Don’t skip the pickle!

    • Sugarlands Distilling Company: The first couple samples here are extraordinarily awful and burn, but persevere, it gets better!

    • Doc Collier Moonshine: This is a smaller and newer space with some great options! They also have moonshine slushees that were delicious!

  • Ole Red: A really popular bar/restaurant with live music. Crowded and overpriced but it is entertaining

  • Pigeon Forge: Another area to explore with lots of attractions

Sugarland Cellars

Other Things to Do in Gatlinburg:​​

Memphis, TN

Memphis is a fun city full of blues and beers set on the Mississippi River

Memphis Tips: 

  • Nashville gets all the Tennessee credit for music cities but Memphis does a good job competing. Be sure to check out the live music, especially the blues! 

Adventures & Ales Top Memphis Recommendations: 

  • The Lorraine Motel: This is the sight of MLK Jr's assassination and it has been transformed into a civil rights museum

  • The Peabody Hotel: Check out the ceremony with ducks that is hilarious and adorable. Get there early or you won't be able to see anything!

  • Wiseacre Brewery: Tiny Bomb is their most famous but they've got other delicious beers as well! 

  • Check out the Overton Square area, a hip little area with lots of bars and restaurants!

Graceland

Memphis Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting: 

  • Graceland: Elvis's home is crazy expensive. As a non-dedicated Elvis person, I did not want to pay to go in so I just went around the grounds and such. It was still cool to see, totally your call on your level of Elvis fandom on whether it is worth it

  • Beale Street: You have to at least walk down it once and check out some blues music, but otherwise I'd head elsewhere to enjoy your evening 

Johnson City, TN

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

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.