Pelham is situated at the base of Tennessee’s South Cumberland Plateau near the headwaters of the Elk River, one of the five major rivers in Tennessee. The community is believed to have been named for a family of early settlers.
Today, Pelham is home to The Caverns, a world-renowned destination for underground live music and home of the Emmy-winning PBS television series The Caverns Sessions (formerly "Bluegrass Underground"). The venue also offers tours – for a variety of skill levels – of its magical Big Room cave system.
For nature lovers who prefer to stay aboveground, spring wildflower season draws visitors from around the world. Each April, Bluebell Island, on the banks of the Elk River just west of Interstate 24, puts on a massive and vibrant display of some of nature’s most amazing flowers.
Near the center of Pelham, local businesses along U.S. Route 41, the historic “Dixie Highway,” provide visitors with opportunities to purchase crafts and gifts as well as freshly- cooked meals at family-owned restaurants.
Mountain Mobile Massage
Individual or couple massages with optional add-on treatments in your accommodations
Simply Southern Cafe
Southern comfort food
Tess's Kitchen Cafe
Country food, Asian food & pizza
The Caverns
Underground concert hall plus above-ground amphitheater that features nationally-touring acts. Cave tours also available.
Things to do in Pelham
Lodging in Pelham
Monteagle
Amish Hippie
One of the quirkiest vintage shops in Tennessee
Tracy City
Annex Cafe
Classic Southern diner with specials - breakfast & lunch only
Tracy City
Bigfoot Adventure Zipline & Disc Golf
RV park and campground with ziplining, disc golf and clay shooting
Tracy City
Black Canyon Cascade
One of the most picturesque sites in the Fiery Gizzard, Black Canyon is technically a cascade, not a waterfall, but still an amazing sight, as two creeks come together and are squeezed through a narrow rock opening. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North trailhead.
Tracy City
Blue Hole Falls
This pristine mountain creek waterfall is in an awe-inspiing setting, with a good swimming hole. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.
Altamont
Boardtree Falls
Boardtree Falls is actually a pair of cascade-style waterfalls on Boardtree Creek, near the Alum Gap campground. Access this adventure from the Savage Gulf West Trailhead.
Tracy City
Christ Church Episcopal
From a humble start in a woodshed, an enduring legacy
Altamont
Close to Home Restaurant
Delicous down home breakfast
Monteagle
Cove Creek Farm
Working farm with indoor & outdoor playgrounds and guided tours
Tracy City
Dari-Delight
Pizza, burgers, sundaes & more
Tracy City
Denny Cove & Falls
Explore a world-class rock climbers’ paradise, with a double-cascade waterfall and nearly 500 climbing routes with grades ranging from 5.8 to 5.14. Access this adventure from the Denny Cove Trailhead.
Tracy City
Dutch Maid Bakery
The oldest family-owned bakery in Tennessee
Tracy City
E.L. Hampton House
From Railroad Ticket Agent to Coal Company President
Monteagle
ECO E-bikes
E-bike rental, sales & repair right on the Mountain Goat Trail
Tracy City
El Maguey Mexican Restaurant
Authentic Mexican cuisine
Monteagle
Fade Medical Spa
Medical spa services by appointment: hydrafacial, dermal filler, neuromodulators
Tracy City
Fiery Gizzard Trail, a 2-day Adventure
Ranked as one of the top 25 backpacking trails in the United States by Backpacker magazine, "The Gizz" features cascading streams, numerous waterfalls, panoramic overlooks, extremely rocky gorges, gentle slopes and lush woodlands. Use either the Fiery Gizzard North or Fiery Gizzard South trailheads to begin this adventure!
Tracy City
Foster Falls
At the southern end of the Fiery GizzardTrail is Foster Falls, a 60-foot waterfall, the tallest in the parks, with a swimming hole at its base. There is an easy quarter-mile hike to observe the falls from above; and a much more strenuous two-mile hike (round trip) to clamber to the bottom of the falls on a rocky trail. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard South Trailhead.
Tracy City
Frank White House
An Eclectic Home with a “Do It Yourself” Owner
Altamont
Greeter Falls
A moderate-to-challenging one-mile out-and-back trail with a spiral staircase, taking you to Greeter Falls. Also check out the (easier) spur trail to the Blue Hole swimming area, as well as some smaller waterfalls and historic sites. Access this adventure from the Savage Gulf West Trailhead.
Tracy City
Grundy County Historical Society Museum
The Definitive Historical Resource for the South Cumberland Region
Tracy City
Grundy Forest Loop/CCC Camp
A moderate 3-mile trek with swimming holes, history, geology, giant hemlocks and cascading streams with an optional 1/3-mile walk through the site of a 1930s CCC camp. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.
Tracy City
Grundy Lakes & Lone Rock Coke Ovens
There's a recreational lake with swimming and picnicking facilities at the site of the historic Lone Rock Coke Ovens, where locally-mined coal was converted to coal coke by convict labor. An easy 2.3-mile hike encircles the lakes; some of it using a low-traffic paved road. Access this adventure from the Grundy Lakes Trailhead, which is also the parking area for the swimming and picnicking facilities.
Tracy City
Hanes Hole Falls
The first named waterfall of Fiery Gizzard Creek, on its way into Fiery Gizzard Gorge, along the Grundy Forest loop trail. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead.