When I was in high school, a group of my guy friends took spring break down in Tennessee. I couldn't help but wonder what on earth could have been in Tennessee, so I like the millennial that I am, I Googled it. I was entranced with page after page of green hills and brushy mountains, topped with the cities of Knoxville, Nashville, and Memphis. It almost perfectly matched my idea of "the perfect location" (something that I dreamt up when I was 10, and have been searching for for the past 19 years). I was enamoured.
Flash forward, and here I am, living amongst the green hills and brushy mountains. For as small as Tennessee actually is, I have barely seen any of it. I've lived in Nashville for 2+ years and have only done about half of the sites and restaurants off of my bucket list. I've only driven through Knoxville and haven't even dreamt of going west of Nashville towards Memphis. But I simply cannot get enough of the continuous beauty of the hills out in the country. They seem endless and grow larger and larger until they spring up into the Appalachian mountains.
It's hard; I want the mountains in my backyard and the skyline in the front. I cannot choose between the life of constant stimulation in the city or relaxed exploration of forests and waterfalls in the country. For now, a drive out into the limitless scenery of Tennessee will have to suffice.