Tennessee State Parks

The story of Tennessee's state parks began more than 80 years ago when New Deal agencies worked to rebuild portions of Tennessee's eroded landscape. Along with these conservation measures, the state's early parks were created through the development of recreational areas. The Tennessee Valley Authority built dams that contributed to recreational attractions, and the Division of State Parks was started in 1937. All of these efforts in addition to Tennessee's natural beauty have resulted in 56 state parks. Through their postcard collections, the authors invite readers to discover each park's special place in Tennessee's history and landscape.

Tennessee is one of America's most beautiful and popular travel destinations and this unique guide book introduces readers to the fifty-six state parks scattered from the East Tennessee mountains to the Mississippi River on the state's western border. It offers a complete recreation guide to the opportunities available in Tennessee parks and is the perfect guidebook for families, tourists, hikers, nature lovers, campers, anglers, history buffs, golfers, and outdoor enthusiasts.

The story of Tennessee’s state parks began more than 80 years ago when New Deal agencies worked to rebuild portions of Tennessee’s eroded landscape. Along with these conservation measures, the state’s early parks were created through the development of recreational areas. The Tennessee Valley Authority built dams that contributed to recreational attractions, and the Division of State Parks was started in 1937. All of these efforts in addition to Tennessee’s natural beauty have resulted in 56 state parks. Through their postcard collections, the authors invite readers to discover each park’s special place in Tennessee’s history and landscape.

This guidebook features 62 of the best hiking areas from natural wonders of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to the historical Civil War battlefields of Shiloh and Lookout Mountain. Included are full-color photos and maps throughout.

This colorful guidebook offers a complete recreation guide to the opportunities available in South Carolina's parks for visitors and travelers, families, campers, hikers, nature lovers, history buffs, and outdoor enthusiasts. Best-selling authors J.L. and Lin Stepp so enjoyed visiting all the state parks in their home state of Tennessee, while writing their award-winning book Discovering Tennessee State Parks, that they decided to spread their wings and visit all the parks in South Carolina, too. The result is Exploring South Carolina State Parks, a guidebook providing detailed descriptions of each of the forty-seven state parks, along with descriptions of eight of South Carolina's national parks and historic sites. In a format similar to their Tennessee parks guide and their best-selling Smoky Mountain hiking guide, The Afternoon Hiker, the Stepps provide clear directions to get to every park, suggestions for interesting things to do and see while visiting or camping, tips and local insights about the area, and over 700 color illustrations to showcase the beauty of every park visited. The book is divided into four South Carolina regions, the Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee, and Upstate. Each regional section has its own index and at the end of the book is a colorful map and an alphabetical index to help readers easily locate any park of interest. Based on the authors' own explorations and travels throughout South Carolina, this guide offers a detailed personal account of the diverse and picturesque parks, all rich with history and beauty. So pack your bags and get ready for some fun looking through this guide and planning your upcoming trip to The Palmetto State. "This is more than a publication of South Carolina state parks. It is the perfect guide for exploring what the parks have to offer in detail. For visitors and campers, the listing of the amenities, photos, and directions is a most valuable tool. As an avid camper, the Stepp's previous guidebook, Discovering Tennessee State Parks, helped me to find new hidden gems in my state. With this new guide, I'm looking forward to visiting as many South Carolina parks as I can!" - Gloria Motter, Cades Cove Museum Director, historian and public speaker