Travel Through the Eastern Tennessee Countryside on the "Appalachian Quilt Trail"

While driving through the back roads of eastern Tennessee you may have noticed blocks of wood painted to look like quilt patterns hanging on barns, sides of historic buildings or businesses. These quilt blocks are part of the "Appalachian Quilt Trail" (AQT). The "Appalachian Quilt Trail" was first started in 2004 in Grainger County, Tennessee. The original idea behind the quilt trail was to have 8x8 squares of wood hand painted to look like quilts and placed on barns and historic buildings in hopes of attracting tourists to the rural areas of east Tennessee. Driving routes were established so tourists could view these quilt blocks while out on leisurely drives through these rural areas and through the small, less known towns. It was felt that if people drove these back roads and stopped in the small towns to eat and shop, it would increase revenue in the towns. The quilts became so popular that more and more farmers with barns requested a quilt to be hung. The barn owner would pick a quilt pattern that had connections to the land the barn is on. The land owner might pick a pattern from a quilt their grandmother or great-grandmother might have made. The quilt blocks were then painted by local artists or school children and hung on the side of a barn so that the quilt could be visible from the road. The "Appalachian Quilt Trail" was also created to honor the Appalachian quilting tradition and heritage. The quilt trail has grown in the last 3 years to now include over 200 quilts in 17 counties covering over 300 miles in eastern Tennessee. There are 14 different driving routes to take visitors through the scenic countrysides to view these quilts.

The quilt trail is designed in driving loops on slow, not heavily traveled roads and include many small towns of eastern Tennessee. Visitors can decide how many places or how much driving they want to do in a day. It is possible to do one or two loops per day. Each loop is named with historic or local meanings associated with the area it travels through. For instance, Grainger County's loop is called "310 Tomato Loop" because it covers 310 square miles of the county which is famous for its tomatoes. The loop that travels through Hawkins County is called "Crockett's Creek Loop" because it travels through an area where Davy Crockett is from.

If you decide you want to travel one of these loops, here are a few tips to help you enjoy your trip. Many of the quilt blocks are on private property in rural areas and there is usually no parking on the land where the quilt block is hung. If you want to stop and take pictures, you will have to pull off the side of the road. There are some quilts located on sides of historic buildings or businesses in the small towns along the trail where there is plenty of parking so you can look at the quilt blocks more closely. You may want to pack a cooler with drinks and/or snacks because you will be in rural areas where there may not be any stores to stop at. You will also want to take bathroom breaks before venturing out into one of the rural loops. Make sure you have a spare tire and jack just in case you have a flat tire along the back roads. Most importantly, don't forget your camera. You will need a camera not only to take pictures of the quilts, but you may find that some of the views along the loops are breathtaking and will want to capture them on film.

To get more information on the Appalachian Quilt Trail, visit www.vacationagt.com or www.appalachianrcd.org. Both of these websites have maps and background information about the quilt blocks along the loops.