2. By: David Overholt

4. Andrew Johnson was our seventeenth president. He was president from 1865 – 1869. He was born in North Carolina, but moved to Greeneville, Tennessee when he was three. He is buried in Greeneville. You can visit his home place. This is a picture of it.

6. Bristol Motor Speedway is a very short race track. It is only a little over a half mile around. It was built in 1961.NASCAR racers come here twice a year, and over 160,000 fans come to watch and see who is the fastest and best driver.

8. The Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. It was fought between the northern states, who were known as the Union, and the southern states, who were known as the Confederacy. One of the main reasons for the Civil War was slavery. There were many Civil War battles fought in east Tennessee. The map below shows where some of them took place.

10. Dollywood is an amusement park located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It is named after its creator, Dolly Parton. It has many rides including a roller coaster, a Ferris wheel, water rides, and even a train. You can listen to live bands and even learn about how things were made long ago.

12. The bald eagle has been the symbol of the United States since 1782.The eagle population was endangered due to the use of D.D.T s (harmful pesticides),loss of habitat, and over hunting. Thanks to conservation acts and protection laws bald eagles populations are growing and these beautiful birds are making an encouraging come back to our skies once again.

14. Did you know that Tennessee has the most caves of any state? Forbidden Caverns is a series of caves in Sevierville that was once used by the indians as a shelter during winter hunting trips. Now a tourist attraction, the caverns have the largest wall of cave onyx known to exist. The temperature of the cave is always 58 degrees year round.

16. The Great Smoky Mountains national park is most visited park in the United States. The park has 8 - 10 million visitors each year. The park has over 800 miles of hiking trails and 700 miles of fishable streams. The park is also home to over 1,500 black bears, dear, turkey and other wild life.

18. The hummingbird is the smallest of all birds. They have no sense of smell. They are the only bird that can fly forwards, backwards, up, down, sideways, and hover in mid air. Percentage wise, the hummingbird has the largest brain of all birds. They can flap their wings more than 50 times per second!!!

20. The iris is a type of flower with sword-shaped leaves. The iris was named the Tennessee State flower in1933. The specific color of the Tennessee’s iris is not stated, but people consider it to be purple. However, it comes in all sorts of other colors.

22. Jonesborough is Tennessee’s oldest town. It was founded in 1779, seventeen years before Tennessee became a state. Even though Jonesborough is a very old city, there are still lots of things to do there. For example, it is home to the International Storytelling Center.

24. Kudzu is a fast growing vine that will cover anything in its path. Kudzu originally came from Japan in the late 1800s. Farmers were encouraged to use it to stop soil erosion in the mid 1900s. Kudzu can grow up to one foot per day. Today kudzu covers about seven million acres in the south, and east Tennessee is no exception. Can you find the house in the picture below?

26. The Lost Sea is another example of Tennessee’s caves. It is located near Sweetwater, Tennessee. Visitors can explore the huge caves here. But what’s really neat is that there is a lake at the bottom, and you can take a boat ride across it!

28. The MoonPie is a tasty treat. It has a marshmallow center and graham cracker crust. It is covered with your choice of chocolate, banana, or vanilla cream. It was first made in 1917 in Chattanooga for miners who needed something filling to eat for lunch. MoonPies have even been sung about in songs. Click on the link below to go to their website and learn more about MoonPies. Learn more about MoonPies here

30. In east Tennessee, fishing is a hugely popular sport. People use worms called nightcrawlers as bait to catch their fish. Nightcrawlers can grow up to 25 cm in length. That’s almost a foot! Nightcrawlers get their name because they crawl around on top of the ground during the night.

32. These little fellows have fifty sharp teeth. They make their homes up in a tree. They are about the size of a cat, but much slower. East Tennesseans mostly see these guys at night.

34. Pigeon Forge has grown to be one of biggest travel destinations in Tennessee. The entertainment attractions, motels, and outlet malls have replaced what used to be hunting grounds for the Cherokee Indians years ago.

36. Quilts are deeply rooted in Appalachian culture. Quilts were often made to be given away as a gift for a wedding, new baby, and some were handed down from one generation to the next. Quilts are more than just a means of keeping warm at night. They symbolize a culture of people who used resources efficiently.

38. Ripley’s Aquarium is located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The aquarium is home to over 10,000 different sea creatures. The aquarium also has sharks larger than ten feet.

40. Fireflies are neither bugs or flies, they are actually beetles. They are sometimes called lightening bugs. There is a particular place in east Tennessee where fireflies blink at the same time. This is the only place this happens in America!

42. Did you know tomatoes are a fruit? There are many types of tomatoes. Tomatoes are loved by many around the world. There is even a tomato festival in Grainger County, Tennessee.

44. The University of Tennessee is best known for its football program. Neyland stadium is the fourth largest college stadium in the country. The stadium was named after Robert Reese Neyland.

46. Tennessee is known as the Volunteer state. The name comes from the record number of volunteers the state provided during both the War of 1812 and the Mexican War.

48. Rafting is popular in East Tennessee. Many people like to go rafting down the Big Pigeon River. Here rafters can find class III and class IV rapids. You must be 8 years old or 70 pounds before you can go rafting here, but you can go virtual rafting by clicking on the link below. Lets go Rafting…click here

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50. Foxes live all over the world, and this includes east Tennessee. The Red fox is about the size of a cat. Like a cat, foxes often play with their prey. A fox’s hearing is so sharp they can hear a clock ticking from 40 yards away.

52. These large yellow wild flowers bloom in the heat of the summer. They are drought, flood, and extreme cold tolerant. These flowers can be seen in an abundance along Tennessee Interstates and roads.

54. The Knoxville Zoo has something for everyone. With more than 800 animals to see and special events that go on all through the year. Visitors to the zoo can expect to see animals from all over the world. Click on the link below to visit the zoo. Click here to visit the Knoxville Zoo