Mcnairy County: Nature, Music and Crafts

In Mcnairy County, natural experiences meet a diverse cultural scene. If you like to weigh up hiking trails, music history, regional exhibitions and a recurring festival when planning your trip, you’ll find a range of themes to explore together here. Which ones you want to focus on can also influence your choice of where to stay.

Woodlands and Hiking Trails

Big Hill Pond State Park covers 4,138 acres of woodland and forested lowlands. More than 30 miles of hiking trails complement this landscape. This means both the specific trail mileage and the character of the area can inform your plans if you want to include nature and hiking in your trip. These details describe the park without distinguishing individual trails by length or difficulty.

For a trip focused on spending time outdoors, this natural setting offers a different starting point than an itinerary centered on exhibitions or music. So first consider which experiences matter to you; this will help you choose the right places and a vacation rental for your stay, without committing to a particular itinerary just yet.

Art, Music and History

The Latta brings together several aspects of cultural life. The facility has three gallery spaces and a learning center adjoining the main gallery. It also has a 200-seat theater. Guest appearances by arts groups, as well as local performances and presentations, take place regularly. The gallery and theater spaces offer different cultural themes to choose from: exhibitions, learning and live performances.

Musical heritage is also explored in different ways. The McNairy County Music Hall of Fame is dedicated to preserving and promoting McNairy County’s distinctive musical heritage. The Ellis Truett Jr. Collection is shown on a rotating basis at the Tennessee Folklife Learning Center at the Latta. In addition, more than 200 recordings of Littlejohn’s music can be heard in the county archive at the McNairy County Courthouse and at the Learning Center at the Latta. A changing collection and a more extensive music archive thus complement the performance program.

The McNairy County Historical Museum presents various aspects of life in early McNairy County in a large central gallery and seven adjoining rooms. The historic Ritz Theater building serves as the museum’s exhibition space. Another perspective on music history comes from the third installation of the Rockabilly Murals, which honors the African American influence on rockabilly and rock ’n’ roll.

Crafts and Regional Excursions

The McNairy County Broomcorn Festival is an annual event. It takes place on the third Saturday of every September at Hockaday Handmade Brooms & Farm in Selmer. The program includes demonstrations of traditional crafts, music and food. If you’d like to plan your stay around the festival, check the details for the relevant year before your trip.

For excursions with a different focus, Pickwick Lake is nearby, in Hardin County. There are opportunities for boating, fishing and pontoon boat trips. This is an explicitly regional addition to the county’s attractions, not another place within McNairy County. Tourist information recommends having a car to explore the small towns and lake areas. If you’d like to include these destinations, bear this recommendation in mind when choosing where to stay.

You can also include Selmer and Adamsville in your wider trip planning: Selmer and Adamsville.

Discover more destinations: Hamilton, Carter, Maury County, Union County: Norris Lake, Nature and a Vacation Base, Carroll County, Dekalb.

Return to the main travel overview: Tennessee.