The natural beauty of Tennessee continues to be showcased, thanks in part to it’s over 50 state parks.
To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Tennessee State Parks, the department has created a unique guide for individuals titled “80 Adventures to Celebrate 80 Years” showcasing 80 different outdoor adventures at each of their locations.
“It’s pretty amazing,” J.R. Tinch, park manager of Roan Mountain State Park, said about the anniversary. “It’s a great milestone for Tennessee State Parks with all the different parks across the state. We’ve been able to acquire additional parks over the past couple of years, it’s a great thing to see.”
Tennessee features 56 state parks with two nestled inside Carter County – Roan Mountain State Park and Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park. Popularity from each park comes from the nature beauty and heritage of each area, according to Tinch, and the fact attendees do not have to pay for entry.
“Especially with no entrance fee, it says a lot about the popularity of the parks across the state,” he said. “There are many parks across the country that do offer an admission fee and none in our state do.”
The milestone coincides with the fact Roan Mountain was named the top state park by Tennessee State Parks for 2016.
“It’s very appreciative and an honor to receive the award, and during the 80th anniversary is even more humbling,” Tinch said. “The award says a lot about our staff and the community for making Roan Mountain State Park what it is today. The staff works hard each day to keep up the reputation and I can’t thank them enough for what they do.”
Carter County has a pair of destinations featured on the 80 Adventures list with the Museum and Garrison Replica at Sycamore Shoals and the Miller Farmstead in Roan Mountain.
The anniversary will be even sweeter in Roan Mountain as the Farmstead will get the chance to officially reopen to the public in the summer after renovations took place to get the facility into operational standards to maintain longevity and historical aspects for visitors.
“This will be the first time that Miller Farmstead has been opened since the renovations have been finished,” Tinch said. “We’re thinking of it as a grand reopening. We were able to fix the foundation to maintain the building.”
Along with work completed on the home, the barn of the farmstead was named an endangered historic property by the Tennessee Preservation Trust in October.
While the wild weather has slowed down events, Roan Mountain did see a bevy of foot traffic over the weekend during the 10th annual Winter Naturalists’ Rally.
“It was a great weekend,” Tinch said. “The rally went very well. They’re always a big hit with the community and the Friends of Roan Mountain always do a fantastic job putting the events together.”
Individuals looking for more information on events at either of the county parks can visit tnstateparks.com and search for Roan Mountain or Sycamore Shoals. Both facilities have Facebook pages online that can also be accessed for more information.