Driving Exploration

Tennessee River Valley MapGuide Spotlights Region's Attractions

It’s a spring day in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

On the sunny southern shore of the Tennessee River lies Ross’s Landing, a favorite destination for crowds looking to cool off near the city’s downtown waterfront.

As visitors wade through water that cascades into a shallow pool, the sounds of children splashing and laughing echo under the Riverfront Parkway bridge.

Like many landmarks across the seven-state region, the history of Ross’s Landing runs deep.

The Native American imagery etched on the walls here tell a story that dates back to the site’s establishment in 1816 by Chattanooga’s founding father, Cherokee chief and businessman John Ross.

Over the years it’s grown to become one of Chattanooga’s crown jewels.

Thousands of travelers from around the world now flock here every year, many discovering the story of Ross’s Landing and other attractions across the Valley region through the volunteer-led Tennessee River Valley MapGuide – an interactive website supported by National Geographic and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Water cascades down steps at Ross's Landing in Chattanooga.

‘People, Place, Prosperity’

Since 2010, the Tennessee River Valley MapGuide has helped attract visitors and drive dollars into local economies.

In Chattanooga alone, attractions featured on the Tennessee River Valley website – like Rock City, Ruby Falls and the Tennessee Aquarium – have contributed to the city’s success in welcoming around 16 million annual visitors. The latest numbers show these visits directly support over 12,000 jobs and fuel more than $1.7 billion in visitor spending.

The MapGuide site features nearly 1,700 points of interest across the seven-state region. From family-owned restaurants and roadside attractions to outdoor adventures and historic landmarks, each listing invites travelers to experience the region through the perspective of local contributors.

As project manager of the Tennessee River Valley Stewardship Council and curator of the site's user-generated content, Julie Graham is guided by a simple but impactful mission: Tourism needs to be authentic.

“It’s not about mass tourism, it’s about sustainability,” Graham said. “You’re not going to go on our site and find a Hilton. These are all small businesses.”

This emphasis on authenticity, combined with ecotourism practices, leads to what National Geographic has coined geotourism – tourism that sustains and enhances an area’s distinct character, including its environment, culture and heritage, and the well-being of residents.

As Graham puts it, “It’s all about P-P-P.”

“When people ask me, what good does this project do? I say, it’s about people, place and prosperity,” Graham said.

In every season, the Valley region's visitors and residents can enjoy the vast system of trails on TVA-managed lands.

Think Local, Act Global

TVA works with the Tennessee River Valley Stewardship Council and its geotourism MapGuide to market the Valley region, promoting TVA public lands and recreational opportunities that balance the area’s natural beauty with environmental stewardship practices.

The mission? Ensure these assets can be enjoyed for years to come.

“The mission of ecotourism is to highlight how we can enjoy nature responsibly,” Rachel Terrell, director of TVA Natural Resources, said. “When we’re bringing people to our public lands and we’re telling them our story, we’re highlighting the things we do to protect this place.”

Imagine a visitor looking to explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

They can plan on savoring a plate of buttermilk biscuits from a family-owned diner in the morning, book a local guide for their backpacking excursion in the afternoon and end their day watching the sun dip below the horizon atop TVA’s Fontana Dam – all from the Tennessee River Valley website.

A leading factor behind the website’s success is its ability to connect businesses with travelers through search engine optimization.

Drawing around 100,000 quarterly visitors, the website increases awareness of local businesses and creates more opportunities to connect with customers throughout their decision-making journey.

“SEO really comes down to your ability to know the right words to choose,” Graham said. “The beauty of our site is that it’s so content rich that, in general, there are a lot of words that we’re using that fall into the algorithm.”

The Tennessee River Valley Stewardship Council also pulls together travel packages that invite visitors from Germany and the United Kingdom to explore the wonders of the Valley region, including the engineering marvels of TVA.

“We like reminding people what an incredible valley we live in and how it was shaped,” Graham said. “It was shaped by the water and by TVA.”

The Rice Grist Mill at Norris Dam State Park offers history lovers a glimpse back in time.

Roads Less Traveled

The Tennessee River Valley MapGuide not only highlights the uniqueness of the Valley region but also celebrates the people who call it home.

As a lifelong outdoor enthusiast, Greg Wingo fully embraces the wealth of recreational opportunities found across the Valley region. He often finds himself running ultramarathons, taking multiday excursions through wilderness on TVA lands or organizing paddleboard endurance races on north Alabama waterways.

“Pound for pound, we have some of the most beautiful, challenging, technical and jaw-dropping scenery in such a small area,” Wingo said. “You can hop on world-class whitewater, you can climb, you can cave, you can run or cycle. And you can do all of that in one week.”

As a user of the MapGuide and a contributor to the site’s blog, Wingo uses the platform to highlight the region’s exceptional outdoor experiences and inspire others to explore.

“Recreation is pretty much at the top of everything,” Wingo said. “When you have the ability to access outdoor recreation conveniently, all other quality of life factors are not only helped but are also increased in their own qualities. It’s kind of that ‘lifts all ships’ sort of thing.”

Since its inception, TVA has been committed to protecting and enhancing recreational opportunities as part of its broader mission of improving quality of life in the Valley region.

That mission extends across TVA’s body of work, from balancing waterways to managing public lands and enhancing the factors that make the region a great place to live, work and play.

“We see such a huge demand for people to get out and reset. I think recreation is just innately built into us to want,” Terrell said. “For those who may not recreate outdoors as much, they can appreciate that the opportunity is being protected and see the value in that.

“Those who do use it don't just want recreation. They want quality recreation. And that’s what we try to provide.”

For those seeking to start their own outdoor journey, Wingo shares simple advice: Explore the MapGuide for activities that spark interest. Start small and let that curiosity evolve into a lifestyle.

“Before you know it, you’ll go back and say, 'I can’t believe I didn’t start this sooner,’” Wingo said. “I think that happens for pretty much everybody who finds their passion outdoors.”

TVA's reservoirs are among the nation's top fishing destinations.

A historic church at Cades Cove, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Visitors walk near the Cherokee art installation at Ross's Landing.