Tellico Plains, TN

Tellico Plains is a Monroe County town where the Tellico River comes out of the higher Appalachian peaks and the Cherohala Skyway begins its run across the mountains. The Charles Hall Museum and Heritage Center gives the town a strong local memory, with Appalachian and American history, Trail of Tears material, and collections tied to the greater Tellico area. Nearby Cherokee National Forest, Bald River Falls, Indian Boundary Lake, and the Skyway all point back to the same geography. The town also carries older layers: Indigenous communities lived along the river for thousands of years, and Union soldiers destroyed the Tellico Iron Works during the Civil War. Tellico Plains is a river town with a mountain road running straight through its identity.