Cherokee National Forest

Cherokee National Forest is a huge nature preserve in Eastern Tennessee. The park features miles of hiking trails, lakes and rivers for canoeing, boating, swimming, mountain biking, fishing and more. There’s even whitewater rafting on the Ocoee river at the Ocoee Whitewater Center which was the site of the whitewater competitions for the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Even if you are not into the outdoor activities, there are plenty of areas to picnic or just to enjoy the views.

Oh, my, God.
«Beautiful» doesn’t approach it. «Majestic» is closer. I need an adjective with «majestic» and something that suggests deep history and historical significance to America’s past. Most of all, I need better words than mine to tell you how wonderful this forest is, and I only saw four hours’ worth, a tour provided by a local whose family settled there 200 years ago.
I saw the 1996 Olympic site for kayaking. The TVA works from 1933. An old swinging bridge across the Ocoee River. Lookouts with no name but views to make you kill for a Leica and good lenses. Miller cans in a cheap cooler, old rock on the radio, dirt roads and some wild-​ass homesteads. You could finish your thesis here, or find a new one.
Impressive, breathtaking, and worth the trip alone. Ample reason to book a flight to Chattanooga and get yourself here.