West Tennessee offers a wide variety of interesting, historic, and scenic parks to enjoy. Whether your interest is history, hiking, boating, skiing, camping, or simply relaxing you will find a park in West Tennessee that will fit your needs

West Tennessee Parks reign Supreme!

West Tennessee's history includes the first major battle in the Western theatre of the Civil War at Shiloh National Military Park, located sixty miles south of Jackson. Pickwick Landing State Park is a popular state park located near Shiloh noted for boating, fishing, golfing, swimming and camping. Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, located near Camden, is named for famed Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest and is a great park for enjoying camping, boating, fishing, and picnicking.

When in the Jackson Area...

The Jackson area offers a variety of interesting destinations and diversions. Visit the Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum located in Casey Jones Village and find out why Casey Jones was a hero. Near Jackson is Pinson Mounds, one of two state archaeological parks set aside to protect the prehistoric remains found there. Pinson Mounds consists of at least 15 earthen mounds, a geometic enclosure, habitation areas and related earthworks in an area that incorporates almost 1,200 acres.The park features a museum designed to replicate a Native American mound.

When in the Memphis Area...

Memphis is an exciting true southern city with sights, sounds, and tastes to delight any visitor. Your visit is not complete without a trip to Graceland, Elvis Presley's home. Sun Studio, located on Union Avenue, is a must for music fans who want to visit the birthplace of rock and roll where legends such as Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis first recorded. Downtown Memphis features Beale Street, home of the Blues and down-home Southern entertainment. The Pink Palace Family of Museums is a wide-ranging collection of historic, educational, and technological attractions for every member of the family. The Pink Palace Museum is a regional history museum, IMAX® Theater and Planetarium, all under one roof. Visitors' favorites include the original 1920's mansion, the shrunken head, a replica of the first Piggly Wiggly grocery store and the hand-carved miniature circus. Voted one of the top 5 museums in the South by the readers of Southern Living magazine. Located in nearby Henning is the boyhood home of Alex Haley, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Roots". Visit the burial site of Haley and well-known family members including Chicken George.

Visit Natchez Trace State Park named for the famous Natchez to Nashville highway, an important wilderness road during the early 18th and early 19th centuries. Natchez Trace State Park offers a variety of natural, historic, recreational, and cultural programs. Most of the programs are offered year round. Four Lakes Swimming Beach 47 Room Resort Hiking Trails Riding Trails Archery Range Picnicking Fishing

Unique West Tennessee Museums and Attractions...

West Tennessee offers many unique museums and attractions that will amuse, educate and enlighten any visitor to this part of the state. There is something for everyone to enjoy west of the capitol city. Memphis is home to the National Civil Rights Museum. The Museum exists to assist the public in understanding the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact and influence on the human rights movement worldwide, through its collections, exhibitions, research and educational programs. Also in Memphis is the Chucalissa Archaeological Museum which offers life-size exhibits and a partially reconstructed indian village presenting the details of the everyday lives of the inhabitants who lived in the area from about A.D. 1000 to 1500. The Fire Museum of Memphis is nationally recognized as the finest fire museum in the country with many interesting and educational exhibits. Memphis is also home to the National Ornamental Metal Museum, the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to the preservation and promotion of fine metalwork! From the great Tenth Anniversary Gates to the permanent collection of more that 3,000 objects, there's something here for every metal lover. Located in Adamsville, 100 miles east of Memphis, is the home of the legendary sheriff Buford Pusser. Pusser was known for his dogged pursuit of criminals, and who was the subject of the 'Walking Tall' movie trilogy. The house contains many original furnishings and features videotapes highlighting Pusser's career. Nearby Savannah is the home of the Tennessee River Museum depicting life on the Tennessee River with exhibits highlighting "The War on the River" which begins with a one-half scale model of the bow of the USS Cairo. Grand Juction is the home of the National Bird Dog Museum and Field Trial Hall of Fame. This unique museum is a repository of information, art, photography and memorabilia reflecting a variety of pointing dog and retriever breeds, hunting, field trial activities, and shooting sports.

Northwest of Nashville, escape the crowds at . . . the free-flowing Reel Foot Lake State Park of the Cumberland River. Its tributaries pass through 90 miles of scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide range of natural and historic features. The area offers a broad range of recreational opportunities including camping, whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, hunting and fishing.