Crossville, Tennessee - The crossroads of the Cumberland Plateau
Crossville is at the crossroads of the Cumberland Plateau
Do you remember those signs in M* A* S *H pointing in all different directions to places around the globe? Well on the lawn of the Cumberland County Courthouse in Crossville, Tennessee there are signs pointing to places all across the Volunteer State. This is the Crossroads of the Cumberland Plateau a place with many stories to tell, natural wonders to amaze you and a few surprises to keep you coming back for more.
*During our time in Crossville and Cumberland County we were guests of the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association and Fairfield Glade. All opinions in this post are my own.
Grinding out more than just good music
Tennessee’s Country Music Pathway leads you to Downtown Crossville where you’ll find Grinder House Coffee, one of the most popular places in town. Step inside the door and you feel a rustic vibe as you look up to the tin ceiling and the exposed brick walls. Antique furniture and a fireplace wedged in by floor to ceiling bookshelves create even more of a “hip” feel. To showcase its musical side, Grinder House features a small stage up front where you can expect to see and hear artists who may be on their way to stardom as two of Crossville’s main highways lead to Nashville which is 120 miles away.
While this is a coffeehouse (and there are many wonderful coffee creations to choose from) Grinder House also serves up a hearty breakfast , baked goods and classic sandwiches. With that in mind, Grinder House offers a way to jump start your day or end it depending on your mood. Christy’s Pub Grub nearby features burgers and classic American fare as well as one of the region’s few breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. Forte’s, The Pour House and Abeula’s Cuban Café (now at the Crossville Outlet Center) are other options we’ll have to try on another visit.
This historic Palace Theater, all aglow with its neon lighted marquee is another great venue for music downtown. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and is built with locally sourced Crab Orchard stone.
The historic Palace Theater originally opened in 1938. Today it serves as a community multi-purpose venue.
Bargain shopping and more in Crossville
Downtown Crossville’s compact nature makes it easy to just park and walk. This is the County Seat of Cumberland County, so there are a lot of banks, law offices and related businesses, but there are opportunities for great shopping, too, especially if you’re looking for boots and/or shoes.
Whether you are searching for a pair of boots or a pair of tennis shoes, French’s stores in Downtown Crossville has you covered.
French’s operates more than a dozen shoe and boot stores throughout East and Middle Tennessee and in Downtown Crossville you’ll find both shoes & boots. While both stores may look small from the street, do not let that fool you. The bargain rooms on the top floor of each building are sure to keep you busy shopping for a while.
Cahoot’s Two Gals General Store is just one of the unique stores you’ll find in Crossville.
No worries if you’re not looking for shoes, Crossville’s Downtown offers up other shopping options. Cahoot’s Two Gals General Store along Main Street sells everything from Dolly Parton T-shirts to home goods and beauty products. For more local items head over to the historic train depot. The gift shop inside is small, but is packed with postcards, local art and handmade goods, all perfect souvenirs from your trip to the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.
Book lovers are sure to love the selection they’ll find at The Book Cellar in Crossville.
Outside of downtown, you’ll find plenty of other places to find a bargain or to shop for something unique. Tucked away in the Woodmere Mall Shopping Center you’ll find The Book Cellar. For years I’ve seen billboards for the store that boasted its rather large collection, but until recently I had never ventured inside. I will have to say it’s kind of like the T.A.R.D.I.S. in that it’s bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside, and the wide selection of books can transport you to just about any time and space.
Crossville’s is also home to a small Outlet Mall that provides another option for shopping.
Buc-ee’s - a Taste of Texas in Tennessee
When you see this little beaver you know you’re in for a Texas sized convenience store experience.
A different kind of shopping experience awaits visitors to the first ever Buc-ee’s store in Tennessee. This Texas sized addition to the chain opened on June 27, 2022. If you’ve never been to a Buc-ee’s be prepared, this isn’t your average convenience store. For starters, this location at Exit 320 on I-40, is 53,000 square feet with 120 fueling stations outside.
Brisket sandwiches fly off these trays almost as fast as the Buc-ee’s employees can make them.
Buc-ee’s is known for its immaculate restrooms, homemade fudge stations and plenty of “Fresh Brisket on the Board”, something you’ll hear yelled out a time or two when you visit. There’s also a counter with baked goods like kolaches and beaver tails, a massive selection of jerky and aisles and aisles of snacks, t-shirts, home decor and even camping supplies. And don’t forget the famous Beaver Nuggets or Buc-ee’s luscious chocolate “Overbites.”
Cumberland Mountain State Park
Cumberland Mountain State Park was built during the New Deal Era and is one of the most popular destinations in the region.
All across Tennessee the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal Era jobs organization, left its mark in countless places. Just south of Crossville, the work of the CCC comes in the form of a majestic seven arch stone bridge and dam. This masterpiece faced in locally sourced Crab Orchard stone serves as the centerpiece for the 1700 acre Cumberland Mountain State Park. The park features a scenic lake, hiking trails, rustic and deluxe cabins, a campground and a restaurant with some great views of the lake and park.
Byrd Creek Lake is one of Cumberland Mountain State Park’s most prominent features.
The Cumberland Homesteads Tower is one of the most recognizable structures in the New Deal era community along the Cumberland Plateau.
Cumberland Homesteads
A stately octagon shaped tower rises from the Cumberland Plateau just south of Crossville. It is one of the most visible symbols of a New Deal program created to bring people out of the depths of the Great Depression. The Cumberland Homesteads allowed people to have a home and land in exchange for their pledge to build a community of 250 homes. Today, most of those homes remain and the Homesteads Tower Museum gives you a great lesson on this historic homesteading project.
Several rooms at the base of the tower house exhibits designed to tell the story of the families that built this community. It is truly amazing to see what was created,. Venture out to the Homestead House (a couple of miles away) for a real sense of what it was like living in the early days of the Cumberland Homesteads.
Today, the homes, tower and a few other buildings are all part of a National Historic District. It’s worth just driving around to see these beautiful, but simple stone homes that played an important role in an historic American comeback.
Wine down in Crossville
As you travel along the interstate in Cumberland County you will likely see a billboard with country music artist Aaron Tippin promoting his “Kiss This” wine. The sweet cherry beverage is just one of the fabulous selections of wine you’ll find at Stonehaus Winery just off Interstate 40 at Exit 320 in Crossville.
While you should stop and have a wine tasting at Stonehaus in Crossville, you can find the wine in stores across the Volunteer State.
The winery opened in 1991 (which just happens to be the year I turned 21). Over the years, I have stopped there many times not realizing just how much wine they were producing. Stonehaus is the only Tennessee winery with statewide distribution. Wine tastings are free and when you are done tasting make sure you take time to browse the wine shop and sample some of the fudge next door.
Chestnut Hill Winery is one of two stops in Crossville along the Upper Cumberland Wine Trail
One exit away, there’s a big red barn looking structure you can see from the highway. Inside you’ll find Chestnut Hill Winery which offers up an equally savory selection of wines. Be sure and browse through the Tennessee focused products in the gift shop and then cozy up to the “bar” for the free tastings. Chestnut Hill even created a wine just for Fairfield Glade’s 50th Anniversary.
Both wineries work to please the palate of any wine connoisseur and both have versions of Muscadine creations. The Upper Cumberland Region of Tennessee features a wine trail across Middle Tennessee. Chestnut Hill and Stonehaus are two of the stops on the trail.
Destination Fairfield Glade
One of the most popular destinations in Cumberland County features eleven lakes, award winning golf courses, 26 miles of hiking trails, restaurants and even horseback riding. This resort and retirement community celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2020. Vacation through Wyndham Resorts or explore on your own and you’ll likely be surprised with what you find.
Be sure and check out knoxroadtripper.com to see what we discovered on our first visit to Fairfield Glade.
Check out the unexpected during my first visit to Fairfield Glade here.
Ozone Falls
Ozone Falls is one of the many natural wonders you’ll find in Cumberland County.
How does the sight of a 110 feet high waterfall sound? That’s what you’ll find along U.S. 70 east of Crossville. The Ozone Falls State Natural Area surrounds a stunning 110 feet high waterfall.
There are two main trails. One leads you to the top of the falls, an area featured in the cliff scene of the 1994 live action Jungle Book movie. The other trail, which is quite rocky and steep (but short) takes you down closer to the waterfall or go a little further and you can access the base of the falls.
The Cumberland Trail also runs through Cumberland County and is accessible right off the Crab Orchard Exit along I-40. One of the easiest places to access is the overlooks on Black Mountain. We hiked them years ago and the views were truly amazing.
There are many other waterfalls within an hour’s drive of Ozone Falls. Here are a few older posts giving you ideas for waterfall watching in this part of Tennessee.