Getting out of the Vanderbubble
You need to get out, but the Sunday brunch at Proper Bagel doesn’t always cut it
Sometimes all the Brooks Brothers, Vineyard Vines laptop stickers, and scrambled eggs at Rand are too much.
It’s the first weekend back from Winter Break. You text your friends to make plans, and you’re straight rejected. Literally nothing is happening. How could you forget sorority rush weekend?Classic. An even better question: What the heck do you do on weekends like this when there’s nothing to do?
Besides binging on Law and Order: SVU in bed, you could get out of the Vanderbubble.But I do that in Hillsboro. Outside of Nashville is just, like, trees and stuff, right? You can escape, and you can do it without surprising your friends at their “party” schools on a random Saturday!
Go pro (and bring a GoPro)
Grab some friends that know how to swim and drive east. If you’re willing to make a 2 hour trip, find the Ocoee River in Chattanooga, Tennessee. You’ll know you’re getting close when you see Chacos and refurbished school busses topped with inflatable rafts everywhere.
Depending on the size of your group, you can kayak or raft down the 90 mile river that boasts up to 10 miles of rapids classified from II-IV. The stretches “Hell Hole” and “Cat’s Pajamas” live up to their names.
If whitewater rafting isn’t your thing, Center Hill Lake is just an hour away. There, you can rent pontoon boats or jet skis, and you can even go cliff diving. Stop at Fishlipz Resort and Grill for lunch and you’ll likely run into country music star Jake Owen.
When you’re in the middle of nowhere and see 30 miles of lake ahead, ask a local to give you directions to “Love Colony.” Just be ready for the “turn left at the church, then right at the second fork in the road next to the oak tree” kind of directions (and to fall in love with this place).
Go all out
For the less mobile extremists that still want some intensity in their weekend (freshmen, I feel for you in this department), there are more Tennessee treasures that’ll kill the drudgery of day-to-day life – and you can get to them on foot (or Uber if you’re stubborn). Take a walk, or run, down West End past Maggiano’s and Tin Angel. Love Circle is just beyond Orleans Drive and Acklen Avenue, and you can’t beat the view of Nashville’s skyline from the top of the hill.
Percy Warner Park is just a bit further away, and it features a five mile loop of running and hiking trails. Vanderbilt’s perfectly groomed campus is breathtaking year-round, but the untrimmed version of southern flora might take the cake. The trails are rated moderate and feature winding hills, steep slopes, and animals other than fat squirrels. It’s a workout and a scenic visit all in one.
Go kind of out
If water sports sound like too much work and running makes you miserable, you’ll want to find something less demanding. To keep the adrenaline flowing, try the abandoned Sensabaugh Tunnel in Kingsport, Tennessee. It’s notorious for giving visitors the creeps because it’s actually a haunted, graffiti-covered tunnel; neighbors won’t hesitate to give you stories about the location and challenge you to enter, free of charge.
For something more relaxing, visit a horse barn or stables nearby. There are several located just thirty minutes from campus. Guides take advanced and beginner riders through rivers and across bluff-tops, for various trip durations. If you really want to get in bed with Commodore “Country,” some stables offer overnight camping with the horses for a fuller experience.
Just get out
Tours of local whiskey and moonshine distilleries are the perfect way to get away without too much commitment. Though it’d be a good idea to stick to the legal ones, there are countless stills throughout the state. Their sizes range from small to Jack Daniels, and you can’t go wrong with taste testing.
While you’re cruising through Tennessee, keep an eye out for craft, antique, and bluegrass festivals. The Smithville Fiddler’s Jamboree and Crafts Festival lasts an entire weekend, and its city population balloons from 4,000 to 80,000 in the short two days. Vendors and visitors come from as far as Switzerland, and as close as five minutes away, to the eclectic culmination of culture and music. It’s a jackpot for funnel cakes, serious fiddling, and vintage dorm décor.
Who said the “rest” of Tennessee is just woods and fields? Yeah, that might be partly true. But take it from a local—that doesn’t mean it’s boring, and you might even get a cool Instagram post out of it.