Quick Facts

F.A.Q. | Facts

Q: What?
A: Appalachian Quilt Trail

Q: What's the big deal with these quilt squares?
A: Chances are you've noticed the large 8' x 8' handpainted quilt squares that adorn local barns, historic sites, rural mills, and other places of cultural significance. These squares mark stops on the Appalachian Quilt Trail and each stop has a special place in the patchwork of East Tennessee life. Follow the quilt squares and find the best that Appalachia has to offer as you wander through a corn maze on a warm day, hike a rugged trail to a waterfall, bike through a historic city, mosey down the path of a babbling brook, ride a horse through a field, stop in at the local grocer and buy handmade pottery or jam, photograph old covered bridges, grab an inner tube or kayak and float down the river, spend a romantic evening at a river-view restaurant, or just stop in to say hello to the locals.

Q: Who?
A: The Appalachian Quilt Trail is a program of the Clinch-Powell Resource Conservation & Development Council in partnership with numerous other local and regional groups.

Q: Where?
A: Currently, the trail is spreading across Tennessee and beyond. From Mountain City to Memphis, Tennessee's landscape is a "crazy quilt" of colorful quilt blocks.

Q: When?
A: All Year around, 365 days. Always something to see and something to do.

Q: Why?
A: The Appalachian Quilt Trail is an economic development initiave designed to enhance the quality of life in rural Appalachia by providing sustainable economic development opportunities to local businesses, artists, and farmers by encouraging the sale of produce, value-added farm products, handcrafted merchandise and other local items to visitors to this region. The Appalachian Quilt Trail provides an attraction in rural areas that will assist with preservation of historic locations and increase the economic impact of environmentally friendly tourism (eco-tourism) in the region.

Q: Trail length?
A: Approximately 300 miles in Tennessee.

Q: How many squares are there?
A: More than 330 in Tennessee.

Q: How many hours/days should the average visitor allow to experience the Trail/Route?
A: The trail is designed in loops so visitors can determine their length of stay. You can tour one loop in a single day or drive the trail in it's entirety from Tennessee to North Carolina. There are plenty of places to go and people to see and each represent a piece of the quilt - the richness and tradition of the Appalachian heritage. Whether you spend an hour at one square, or a week visiting each, the experience is truly unique, and truly Tennessee.

Q: Is a printed map available?
A: Because the Appalachian Quilt Trail is constantly growing as more quilt blocks are painted and installed it is virtually impossible to keep a map updated. Check often with www.vacationaqt.com at What's New for the latest locations of new blocks. Travel maps of locations will be available in an AQT Visitor's Guide due out on July 17, 2009. You can also call toll free for additional information, assistance, or to request a brochure by mail.

 

Quick Facts

Arnott and Ryan Farm - The Arnott and Ryan Farm was the first electric farm in the state.

Lost Creek Corn Maze - Stop in and smell the fresh air. Take the kids to take in a real corn maze and visit the Chuck Swann Wildlife Area & State Park or learn about Sharp's Chapel and the history of the lost city that was flooded by TVA.

Clinch Valley Winery - One of the few wineries in the area. Stop in and enjoy the taste of some true homemade Tennessee wine. Explore the gift shop and the handmade local items it has to offer.

Rogersville - Visit the historic town of Rogersville and take a walk through time as you visit the annex of the oldest courthouse in the state. Stop at the restored, historic Southern Railway Depot, which both houses the Tennessee Newspaper & Printing Museum and serves as Rogersville's heritage tourism center.

M. Thomas Barn - Isaac Lafayette Thomas met Barbara Ann Swadley when he came from Damascus, Virginia to work as a hired hand and was sent to the Henry Swadley homestead. Although Barbara wanted to build a house, Isaac told her "We need to build a barn. The barn is where our living comes from." She relented and the barn was completed in 1898. Its design is considered by many a masterpiece in construction.

Holloway's Country Home - Stay a spell at Holloway's on the AQT and visit nearby Ramsey's Orchard and Cider Mill, dine at the Apple House Restaurant, hang out with the locals at the Front Porch or try some world-famous smokehouse BBQ as you stroll down the street.

Jubilee Arts Gallery - A beautifully restored historic home that has been converted into a fine arts gallery and restaurant and features the highest quality handmade products available including fine jewelry, quilts and pottery.

River Place on the Clinch - A community-based ecotourism development focusing on preservation, restoration, and environmental protection in the remote Appalachian community of Kyles Ford, Tennessee. River Place on the Clinch contains a Market, cabin, bike, canoe, & raft rentals, camping, a Cafe, and a Conservation Center located at the Kyles Ford WMA & The Nature Conservancy's Clinch River Biodiversity Preserve alongside the Clinch River.

Joppa Mountain Pottery - Joppa Mountain Pottery is owned by a family of potters and artists living in the small, rural community of Joppa located in Rutledge, Tennessee in the beautiful Grainger County foothills. All of their work is "one of a kind." There are no molds used in any of their processes. They offer a wide range of pottery that is either their design or made to order for the customer.

 

See also: Stories & Photos from the Trail and Story Ideas.