Tellico Plains
Tellico Plains, Tennessee
An Unassuming Spot for Adventure
By: Susan Pierce
DRIVE TIME:
1 hour, 30 minutes from downtown Chattanooga
GREAT FOR:
Outdoors adventure › Autumn foliage
BEST IF YOU HAVE:
1-2 days
The gateway to the Cherohala Skyway and southern Cherokee National Forest, Tellico Plains is a small town with a big backyard. While home to less than 1,000 residents, it’s a mecca for fishermen, campers, hikers, bikers, kayakers and anyone looking for weekend thrills and outdoor adventure within a day-trip’s drive.
> WHAT TO SEE:
Charles Hall Museum
229 Cherohala Skyway
423-253-6767
423-253-6767
Charles Hall, mayor of Tellico Plains for 31 years, operated the Tellico Telephone Co. from 1954 to 1985. His mother’s family was among the first white settlers in Tellico Plains in 1830. The museum is a repository of Tellico Plains history, housing the largest collection of antique telephones in the United States, which were collected by the Halls. Local artifacts, equipment, guns, coins, currency and photos also number among its 6,000 artifacts.
Cherohala Skyway
Leaf-lookers will find this 43-mile National Scenic Byway a beautiful way to see fall foliage from its mile-high vistas. Tennessee Highway 165 and North Carolina Highway 143 connect Tellico Plains with Robbinsville, North Carolina. The skyway crosses through the Cherokee and Nantahala national forests — thus the name: Chero + hala.
» Capitalizing on the byway’s dazzling autumn foliage, the Cherohala Skyway Festival has brought live music, local artisans, Appalachian crafts and throwback fun to the Charles Hall Museum and Charles Hall Field located on the skyway for the past several Octobers.
> THE GREAT OUTDOORS:
This easy 5.6-mile hiking trail follows Bald River, with picnic tables and backpacking campsites along the water. To get there, take Highway 165 (Cherohala Skyway) to Tellico River Road and park at Bald River Falls.
Source: Jason Crowder, Tellico Plains police and courts administrator
With 318 curves on an 11-mile stretch of Route 129, the Dragon draws bikers from across the country. This drive isn’t about scenic overlooks, although there are several pull-offs to let faster traffic pass. This is about riding back and forth for the sheer exhilaration of it.
> Camping or Glamping:
Whether you want to rough it in a tent or sleep in a circa-1908 farmhouse-turned-B&B, there’s lodging to accommodate you in Tellico Plains.
The 1908 Farmhouse Inn
423-2533123
The 1908 Farmhouse Inn has three bedrooms, still with some of their original details but updated with modern conveniences such as private baths. 305 Veterans Memorial Drive
The Lodge at Tellico
9436 Highway 68
423-253-2506
423-253-2506
The Lodge at Tellico is a rustic venue with rocking-chair porches but is still connected to the outside world via Wi-Fi.
Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground
132 Reliance Road
423-253-6061
Cherohala Mountain Trails Campground offers seven cabins as well as flat, grassy spaces over five acres to pitch a tent. If you call 48 hours in advance of arrival and give them your grocery list, the items will be ready when you get there.
> WHERE TO EAT:
COST KEY:
$: Under $10
$$: $11-$30
$$$: $31-$60
$$$$: $61+
Tellicafe
128 Bank Street
423-253-2880
Cost: $$
Three generations of one family have spent more than 20 years serving casual to gourmet meals at this American cafe. The executive chef, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, is known for menus with unusual combos, like green tomato and country ham soup, as well good country cooking, such as a bottomless bowl of pinto beans.
Tellico Kats On The River
1829 Cherohala Skyway
423-253-3411
Cost: $
As the name implies, you can sit on the back porch and overlook the Tellico River at this deli conveniently located on the scenic Cherohala Skyway. It offers daily specials, hot and cold sandwiches, homemade soups and side salads. Dine-in or order a box lunch for a picnic.
Tellico Grains
105 Depot St.
423-253-6911
Cost: $
Just like the pastries they bake, Stuart and Anissa Shull built this bakery from scratch after buying the building 12 years ago, gutting and updating it. It was all part of their dream to bake bread each morning in a brick oven. Then they serve wood-fired pizzas from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tellico Beach Drive-In
1801 Cherohala Skyway
423-253-2606
Cost: $
This old-school drive-in, with foot-long hot dogs, banana splits and burgers, is a favorite stop on motorcycle rides or after a visit to scenic Bald River Falls, which is just 5.5 miles from the diner. The unassuming spot has been open since 1962.
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