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Tennessee

Trains, Cherokee and Culture in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Program No. 21267RJ

Ride historic rails across scenic mountains as you learn about Appalachian culture, Cherokee heritage, traditional music and regional cuisine.

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6 days

5 nights

11 meals

5B 2L 4D

Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Dinner

Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga History, Chickamauga, Choo Choo

Chattanooga, TN

Cherokee Trail of Tears, Rock City & Ruby Falls

Chattanooga, TN

Missionary Ridge Train Turnaround, Hiawassee Murphy Museum

Hiawassee, GA

Blue Ridge Scenic Railway Train Ride

Hiawassee, GA

Program Concludes, Return To Chattanooga

Hiawassee, GA

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At a Glance

Capture scenic views and learn about Appalachian culture aboard two trains in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Hear stories from the area’s long history and enjoy a delightful encounter with Great Smokies heritage as presented by a musician performing tunes of Southern Appalachia. Learn about Cherokee Indian life in the “enchanted land” centuries ago during evening lectures and a special visit from an expert on Cherokee history and song.

Activity Level

On Your Feet

Some walking and standing on field trips. Diesel engine train and coach transfers.

Best of all, you’ll…

Ride the original railroad line in Chattanooga, across four bridges and through the pre-Civil War Missionary Ridge Tunnel.
Tap your toes to the music of the Cherokee and to performances of Southern Appalachian music.
Travel by train along the Toccoa River through the North Georgia countryside to two quaint sister towns nestled deep in the mountains of Georgia and Tennessee.

General Notes

Select dates are designated for small groups and are limited to 24 participants or less.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Jim Ogden

Jim Ogden is a historian who became interested in the Civil War the summer between 4th and 5th grade. His interests in that period of history have continued to grow and broaden. He started his career at The Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park in 1982. He then had stints at Russell Cave National Monument in Bridgeport, Ala. and Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in Fredericksburg, Va. He returned to Chickamauga and Chattanooga in 1988. He was born and raised in Southern Maryland.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Lee Knight View biography

Raised in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, Lee is a folk singer, story teller and outdoor leader, performing at concerts, workshops, festivals and schools. He shares his knowledge of the natural world leading hikes, canoe trips and guiding whitewater rafts. Lee has collected and shares Cherokee legends and plays the Cherokee flute and rattle, as well as the Native American drum. He also plays the five-string banjo, guitars and the Appalachian dulcimer.

Justin Strickland View biography

Justin Strickland has been fascinated by trains his entire life. His first "railroad" job was with the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway at the age of 15, where he eventually became a conductor. Justin has also worked with the Southeastern Railway Museum, Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, and the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum. He authored the only book dedicated to the Terminal Station in Chattanooga and has been interviewed for the railroad documentary "Tracing the Tracks."

Maury Nicely View biography

Maury Nicely is a lawyer and historian in Chattanooga, Tenn., and author of the “Chattanooga Walking Tour & Historic Guide” and the “East Tennessee Walking Tour & Historic Guide.” Maury has served on the boards of Chattanooga History Center and Cornerstones, Inc., Chattanooga's historic preservation organization.

Carol Burton View biography

Carol Burton attended Dalton State College, where she began her 16 years as a Road Scholar coordinator with its Center for Educational Adventure. Married to her childhood sweetheart, she grew up in Hampton, Va., and moved to Georgia in 1970. Carol said she was born with a love for animals and volunteers with her local humane society.

Jim Ogden View biography

Suggested Reading List (7 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Trains, Cherokee and Culture in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

Program Number: 21267

The United States of Appalachia: How Southern Mountaineers Brought Independence, Culture, and Enlightenment to America

by Jeff Biggers

Few places in the United States confound and fascinate Americans like Appalachia, yet no other area has been so markedly mischaracterized by the mass media. Stereotypes of hillbillies and rednecks repeatedly appear in representations of the region, but few, if any, of its many heroes, visionaries, or innovators are ever referenced. Make no mistake, they are legion: from Anne Royall, America's first female muckraker, to Sequoyah, a Cherokee mountaineer who invented the first syllabary in modern times, and international divas Nina Simone and Bessie Smith, as well as writers Cormac McCarthy, Edward Abbey, and Nobel Laureate Pearl S. Buck, Appalachia has contributed mightily to American culture — and politics. Not only did eastern Tennessee boast the country's first antislavery newspaper, Appalachians also established the first District of Washington as a bold counterpoint to British rule. With humor, intelligence, and clarity, Jeff Biggers reminds us how Appalachians have defined and shaped the United States we know today.

Chattanooga's Terminal Station (TN)

by Justin W. Strickland

Long before Glenn Miller made the world-famous "Chattanooga Choo Choo" an American icon, Chattanooga was already a bustling railroad community. By the beginning of the 20th century, passenger trains overwhelmed Chattanooga's two railroad depots and a larger station was needed. The solution was Terminal Station, which rivaled most Southern depots in size, expense, and aesthetic beauty. Providing transportation to cities throughout the country, the terminal made its mark as the gateway for rail from the agricultural south to the industrial north. Following its closure, the terminal was reopened as a renowned hotel and entertainment complex in 1973, becoming one of Chattanooga's many exciting attractions. Images of Rail: Chattanooga's Terminal Station follows the history of this depot in both stories and photographs.

Hidden History of Chattanooga

by Alexandra Walker Clark

The enigmatic hills and woodlands of the Chattanooga area are a sanctuary of history, and the hometown of author Alexandra Walker Clark. Clark has chronicled the history of her hometown for the Chattanooga Times and the Chattanooga History Journal, and in this collection she combines some of her favorite stories to take readers behind the scenes for a fascinating look into the unique history and culture of the region. Absorb the city's rich ethnic diversity, travel down to the hallowed battlefields of Chickamauga and Fort Oglethorpe and grasp the compelling legacy of the Cherokee. This and so much more lies ahead in Hidden History of Chattanooga.

Chattanooga Landmarks (TN): Exploring the History of the Scenic City (The History Press) [Paperback]

by Jennifer Crutchfield

Chattanooga's history and heritage are embodied in the historical sites, structures and groundbreaking feats of engineering that have defined the city from its beginning. Many of the Scenic City's most important landmarks are still preserved. Yet with so many fascinating historic sites and storied destinations, seeing them all is no easy task. Fortunately, Chattanooga Landmarks offers a helpful survey of the most historically significant sites in the city and the surrounding area. Join Chattanooga local Jennifer Crutchfield as she guides you through the city's historic wonders, both natural and man-made. From the top of Lookout Mountain down to the banks of the Tennessee River and through downtown, Chattanooga Landmarks covers the breadth of the historic sites that make this Tennessee city a landmark all its own.

The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears

by Theda Perdue, Michael Green

In the early nineteenth century, the U.S. government shifted its policy from trying to assimilate American Indians to relocating them, and proceeded to forcibly drive seventeen thousand Cherokees from their homelands. This journey of exile became known as the Trail of Tears. Historians Perdue and Green reveal the government?s betrayals and the divisions within the Cherokee Nation, follow the exiles along the Trail of Tears, and chronicle the hardships found in the West. In its trauma and tragedy, the Cherokee diaspora has come to represent the irreparable injustice done to Native Americans in the name of nation building?and in their determined survival, it represents the resilience of the Native American spirit.

African Americans of Chattanooga: A History of Unsung Heroes (Brief History)

by Rita Lorraine Hubbard

Beginning in 1541 with Hernando De Soto's Spanish expedition for gold, African Americans have held a prominent place in Chattanooga's history. Author Rita Lorraine Hubbard chronicles the ways African Americans have shaped Chattanooga, and presents inspirational achievements that have gone largely unheralded over the years. Did you know that Chattanooga is: • the hometown of the first African American appointed to lead counsel on a Supreme Court case • the home of the nation's oldest student, who learned to read at age 116 • the home of the African American blacksmith who put shackles on the "Andrew's Raiders" after the Great Locomotive Chase • the site of one of the first integrated police departments in the South… and so much more!

Cherokee History and Culture

by Helen Dwyer

An introduction to the locale, history, way of life, and culture of the Cherokee Indians.

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Trains, Cherokee and Culture in the Southern Appalachian Mountains

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Protecting the Environment

At a Glance

Best of all, you’ll…

General Notes

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