Just the Facts on Northeast Tennessee

Getting there: USAir is the only major airline serving northeast Tennessee through the Tri-City Airport (Johnson City, Bristol and Kingsport), although several of the smaller commuter airlines also fly there.

What to do: The area offers a full calendar of special events during the year--Springfest in Johnson City; Fun Fest in Kingsport in late July; the October Fall Fest in Greeneville; the Sycamore Shoals re-creation of the Transylvania Purchase in March, an outdoor drama, “The Wataugans,” in July; Elizabethton’s weeklong covered bridge celebration in June, and the Roan Mountain Rhododendron Festival, a spectacle during the third weekend of June that features 600 acres of blooming flowers, old-time mountain music, clogging and craft shows.

For a complete calendar of events, contact the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Council, P.O. Box 375, Jonesborough, Tenn. 37659, (615) 753-5961.

For more information on the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, contact NAPPS, P.O. Box 309, Jonesborough, Tenn. 37659, (615) 753-2171.

Accommodations: There are a couple of exceptional places to stay--the Big Spring Inn (315 N. Main St., Greeneville, Tenn. 37743, 615-638-2917), a beautifully furnished, five-room Victorian B&B; priced from $55 to $75 double per night; the restored Hale Springs Inn (Rogersville, Tenn. 37857, 615-272-5171) offers eight rooms on the second and third floors, all furnished with period antiques and some with wood-burning fireplaces (the inkeeper will start your fire), for $35-$50 double. Roan Mountain State Resort Park has 20 self-contained cabins available by the week during the summer, as well as campgrounds. Call (800) 421-6683.

Restaurants: The Blue Iris in Jonesborough (233 E. Main St., 615-753-5100), built in 1858 and once the Holston Baptist Female Institute and a hospital for wounded Confederate and Union soldiers, is now an elegant restaurant with outstanding dinners. Reservations are recommended.

The Ridgewood Restaurant on Highway 19 near Bluff City is a white-stucco, roadhouse-style diner where owner Grace Proffitt is known as the Paul Prudhomme of barbecue. She’s been serving barbecue pork and beef for 42 years. The Doe Mountain Inn, on Highway 67 near Mountain City, has good home-made food at reasonable prices. You can eat on the balcony and enjoy a spectacular view of the mountains.