Baby Falls

  Baby Falls 15’ – FS road 210 (Tellico River Rd). Located right next to the road, this waterfall is a favorite for kayakers. Rocks are slippery. Several people have been seriously injured here so enjoy the beauty from a safe distance. From Cherohala Skyway (Hwy 165) take FS road 210. (GPS: 35.3267, -84.1765) Monroe County.

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Battle of Athens, Historic Site

Battle of Athens, Historic Site

The Battle of Athens, Tennessee, August 1 – 2, 1946 The battle was a rebellion of veterans and other citizens of McMinn County as a result of a culmination of events leading up to the August 1946 election. The G.I. Non-Partisan Ticket opposed the county leadership that was in power at the time. Election Day irregularities took place and were…

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Charting Our Course: Tennessee Overhill Communities in the 21st Century

In 2009, with financial support from Appalachian Regional Commission, TOHA sponsored a series of training workshops aimed at developing knowledge and skills in the Cherokee National Forest gateway communities to capitalize on the opportunities that are presented by the Forest while meeting the challenges of sustaining our local assets. The training also included Community Exchange Trips in which community members…

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Niche Marketing

Several years ago the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association embarked on niche marketing approach to attract tourists. A community meeting was held to identify unique assets in the Overhill, determine which of those assets fit current tourism niches, and then design a marketing strategy to link our assets to appropriate tourism markets such as cultural tourists, outdoor enthusiasts, ecotourists and agritourists.…

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The Tennessee Overhill Cultural Legacy Project

The Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association (TOHA) believes that preservation of traditions and folkways is as important as preserving buildings and landscapes. The purpose of the Cultural Legacy Project is to identify local artists, research artistic traditions that are rooted in the Overhill, and develop ways to present our arts and artists to local audiences and tourists. The Cultural Legacy Project…

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Furs to Factories Heritage Trail

Furs to Factories Heritage Trail

One of the most compelling stories in the Tennessee Overhill is how the Industrial Revolution played out in this part of the Southern Appalachians. In the 1700s the Cherokee fur & hide trade opened this part of the southern mountains to the world market. European traders arrived, and were soon followed by settlers. By the mid-1800s the abundant water, timber,…

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Unicoi Turnpike Trail

Unicoi Turnpike Trail

The route over the Southern Appalachians known as the Unicoi Turnpike was used as an artery of trade and warfare before written history. The old path extended from the Overhill Cherokee settlements in eastern Tennessee to the coastal ports at Savannah and Charleston. In 1999, as an outgrowth of the Blue Ridge Initiative and the Cherokee Heritage Trails Project, the…

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