Road trip from Huntsville to Roanoke

The 118-acre Huntsville Botanical Garden is open year-round and contains a diverse ecosystem of meadows, upland and bottomland forest, and wetlands, as well as a variety of specialty gardens and native plant collections. The Mathews Nature Trail contains the largest accredited trillium collection in the U.S. and the Anderson Education Center is home to the nation’s largest open-air butterfly house. The Native Plants Teaching Garden is a public space that highlights the way local plants, soil, pollinators, and birds create distinct communities and how they interact to form a diverse, sustainable, and attractive landscape. A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the Garden is a member of the American Public Gardens Association, the North American Plant Collections Consortium, and the American Horticultural Society, as well as an ArbNet-accredited arboretum.

The only one in the world! The Cigar Box Guitar Store located in Studio 106 at Lowe Mill A&E features art you can touch. There are dozens of handmade three-and-four string cigar box guitars and other cigar box instruments that visitors can play. Learn more about how these unique instruments are created by the artist himself most Friday and Saturday afternoons. Want to learn how to play cigar box guitar? Come for free lessons on Saturdays anytime between Noon-2:00 and borrow a guitar.

One of the largest comic / games / toys stores in the South East! Board Games and TCG Games daily!

A premier retail and wine shoppe, serving specialty beers and tapas as well. We offer a large variety of wines, delicious food selections, and even gift baskets & gift cards!

Interactive children's museum focused on teaching about Alabama history.

Bead-therapy is a full service retail bead shop with over 350 colors of Delicas, a large selection of Japanese seed beads, natural stones, pearls, Swarovski crystals, Czech firepolish/pressed beads, Two hole beads, gemstone beads and jewelry making supplies. Classes are available generally every Saturday or can be scheduled on an individual basis. Wedding jewelry/Bridesmaid parties and Girl's night out parties can be arranged.

Craft and art collections.

Imagine a zoo that's specially designed to bring the animals up close to you. Imagine a zoo where you have time to notice the subtleties of animal behavior, instead of being pushed along by an impatient crowd. Imagine an exciting and diverse zoo that's still easy to navigate with strollers...or little legs. That's the new Chattanooga Zoo!

Come In and Smell the Spices! The Spice & Tea Exchange® offers food lovers, chefs, and tea enthusiasts a unique shopping experience filled with culinary delights. Explore your inner chef and shop over 140 fine spices, 75+ hand-mixed seasoning blends, sugars, salts, loose-leaf teas, and accessories. Create your own gourmet gift, or choose from a variety of gift boxes and recipe samplers!

Hidden inside the historic Kern Building, behind The Oliver Hotel lobby, is Knoxville’s one and only speakeasy, The Peter Kern Library. Once a well-kept secret, the bar is now a beloved institution. The dark wood, fireplace, rows of books, and cocktails named after literary characters create a warm and cozy atmosphere where time seems to stop.

Muse Knoxville is a children’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Math (STEAM) museum located in Chilhowee Park. Our programs in the museum, in schools across East Tennessee, & throughout Knoxville bring STEM, the arts, health & wellness, & emergent literacy to life in the minds of children. We inspire & empower ALL children through transformative learning experiences through a variety of hands-on and inquiry-based, exhibits and Outreach programs for children aged 6 mos. to 10 y/o. *Museum Play - Indoor educational learning & play spaces, a full-dome planetarium, outdoor learning spaces & a playground! *Field Trips - Bring your class, homeschool, daycare or youth group for a day of fun! *Parties/Events - Choose from a variety of packages to celebrate your special day with us. *Planetarium - We house East Tennessee's only public-access planetarium with shows that rotate every hour!

Designed with family fun in mind, Green Ridge offers two great attractions in one convenient location! The indoor center is open year round, featuring family friendly activities like swimming, interactive games, a gymnasium and fitness area. Splash Valley Water Park is an outdoor aquatics area open Memorial Day to Labor Day, featuring two 34-foot high slides, a sprayground and a current river. Daily admission is available to either facility.

Antique automobiles and trucks, electric and deisel locomotives, and vintage steam, are all part of the nostalgic show at this historic freight station that doubles as a museum .

Fun for the whole family, the Science Museum of Western Virginia features a tropical butterfly garden filled with butterflies from around the world; fun and interactive exhibits exploring Healthy Bodies, Healthy Earth and How It Works; live animals and the popular "FROGS"; the Living River & Touch Tank; and amazing traveling exhibits such as "TUTANKHAMUN: Wonderful Things From The Pharaoh's Tomb," running June 14-Dec. 31, 2014.

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University is a premiere arts destination in the Roanoke Valley and presents exhibitions and related programming that explore currents in contemporary art. Providing a forum for the creative process, the museum enhances the life of both the university and the community beyond. Free and open to the public.