Nashville skylines

We were about an hour out of Nashville when a new sound made itself heard on the Tennessee Music Highway – the dull thud of a blown-out tyre. Some 90 minutes later and encamped behind the safety barrier on Interstate 40, I was waiting nervously for the repair man.

As the sun set, my mind went wild. Were there bears? Snakes? Aliens? Corrupt cops? It was an American road trip after all. Surely something scary was going to happen, we’ve all seen those movies. Reality turned out to be less exciting. A friendly traffic officer checked we were OK, our tyre was fixed, we continued to Memphis, got a new rental car and lived happily ever after. No Hollywood drama in sight. But the incident did highlight how surprisingly familiar Tennessee can be for a state that is far from the top of many tourists’ lists. Going around it triggers what feels like a forgotten memory of an America you recognise from the movies. It’s the state that became home to dozens of household name musicians – from Elvis and Dolly Parton to Jack White of the White Stripes. Not only does their music reflect the state’s history and people, but their songs form a natural soundtrack to any visit. Battles of both the Civil War and the later Civil Rights Movement were won and lost here.

Our trip began at Atlanta airport in neighbouring Georgia, where we rented a car and headed north to the majesty of the Smoky Mountains National Park. We were fortunate to visit “the Smokies” when the leaves were just turning autumnal red, but the view over the park is impressive at any time of year – just miles upon miles of undulating hills. On the Tennessee side of the park is Gatlinburg, which is a bit like Blackpool crossed with an French alpine ski resort. There’s an endless supply of hotels, restaurants and good clean fun.

Hikes and wildlife are in plentiful supply – we were lucky enough to see not just one but two black bears – but there’s also a lot of history here, as the park was once home to both native American groups and white settlers. Just a short drive away is Dolly Parton’s ever-fabulous theme park Dollywood. Though don’t be fooled by the constant playback of Dolly tunes and traditional costume, the rides are not for the faint-hearted.

Next stop was Nashville. The Music City is home to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Ole Opry, venues which hosted the likes of Johnny Cash, June Carter and Hank Williams. The history of country music – from its origins in the cotton fields, to rock’n’roll and modern-day musicians like Taylor Swift – is inseparable from the history of the South itself. Elvis’s gold piano, Carl Perkins’s famous blue suede shoes and Johnny Cash’s guitar are on show at the Hall of Fame.

Today, music is as much a part of Nashville as ever, and Broadway is the place to go to catch live tunes after hours. We settled on Robert’s Western World, a classic honky tonk where Brazil Billy and his band played relentlessly to a delighted audience. And so to Memphis, heading south-west on the Music Highway, formally Interstate 40, where our tyre blew.

Nashville may be home to country music but in Memphis they sing the blues. Perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, it’s a cultural and musical melting pot. It’s a soulful and almost melancholic city, and nowhere is this more visible than at the Lorraine Motel, where civil rights leader Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968.

Left as it was that fateful day, the motel is now the National Civil Rights Museum, charting the African-American struggle for human rights from before the Civil War until now. Dedicate at least half a day to go round and you’ll leave with a better understanding of the struggles and injustices that affected this city’s people and so many others across the South.

Of course, no trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Elvis’s former abode, Graceland. The sheer number of mementos and tributes from around the world at his graveside are a testament to the love so many people felt for him.

The Sun Studio is another of local high-light. This little building is where Elvis cut his first record and where the famous Million Dollar Quartet photo of him playing the piano with Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, was taken.

If soul is your thing, head to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Starting as a record shop before developing into a label, Stax still plays a key role locally and runs a music school for neighbourhood youth. Memphis is pretty much Tennessee’s western-most point, so we turned east on Highway 64.

The highway is the main route across southern Tennessee. It passed through towns with their own stories about the history of the Volunteer State – a nickname earned during the War of 1812 because of the prominent role played by volunteer soldiers.

Of particular note is the small town of Pulaski, where the Ku Klux Klan was established – albeit as very different then from now.

The state’s southern heartlands are farming country and home to the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg. Ever seen an advert for the famous sour mash whiskey? Well, they’re not lying. The barrels mature in the hills and they really do use the same spring of water since 1866. You can tour the distillery free but don’t expect samples. Lynchburg is a dry county under laws introduced during prohibition, so the best you get is a whiff of the barrels. Although that could leave you light-headed. I felt the same at the top of Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, where the trip ended with outstanding views of a small part of the US that proved familiar and full of surprises.

Getting there

Natalie Marchant flew Delta direct to Atlanta, Georgia. Return direct flights from about £470 including taxes (0871 221 1222 or visit www.delta.com). Car rental costs from £145 for a week booked online with Hertz (Hertz.co.uk) while stays at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel, Nashville, start at £68 per night www.millenniumhotels.com/millenniumnashville), and Holiday Inn Select Downtown Memphis, from £105 a night (www.holidayinn.com).

Operators to Tennessee include Bon Voyage, which offers seven nights in March from £1,029, including flights into Memphis and ex-Nashville (indirect) from Heathrow, four nights at Holiday Inn Downtown in Memphis, three nights at Sheraton Downtown, Nashville, and one-day hire of full size Alamo car for Memphis-Nashville journey. Add about £100 for regular departures from Manchester. Bon Voyage reservations: 0800 316 0194 and www.bon-voyage.co.uk.