YOUR 2018 VISITOR’S GUIDE TO RHEA COUNTY, TENNESSEE Rhea County REVEALED2018 EDITION A look at Rhea County’s Outdoors, History, Attractions, Festivals And Much More Inside! A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HERALD-NEWS www.rheaheraldnews.com THE KEYS TO YOUR FUTURE START WITH ERA BLUE KEY PROPERTIES! OUR PROFESSIONAL TEAM WILL WALK YOU THROUGH EVERY STEP OF THE REAL ESTATE PROCESS TO MAKE YOUR DREAM OF HOME OWNERSHIP A REALITY! NOW SERVING RHEA COUNTY IN 2 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS 4087 Rhea County Hwy, Suite 103 Dayton, TN 37321 423-775-1920 22576 Rhea County Hwy Spring City, TN 37381 423-365-2515 Jim Monday Gary Venice BROKER-DAYTON VISIT ERABLUEKEY.COM BROKER-SPRING CITY 423-718-2682 FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS 423-508-8025 Debra Coulter Brenda Dodson Pat Monday Sue Crockett Brittany Alley Gina Luhn 423-802-0123 423-618-6411 423-718-4881 423-802-7515 423-834-4664 423-357-2848 Terry Carlyle Aimee Rose Jason Price Carol Movre Theresa Diffenderfer Pat Branham 423-602-1994 423-802-9538 423-834-2386 901-628-0988 423-618-8626 423-304-5597 Each office is independently owned and operated. TN Firm License Numbers 262651 & 262646 2 RHEA COUNTY REVEALED WWW.RHEAHERALDNEWS.COM Welcome to Rhea County, Tennessee Welcome to Rhea County. and Scopes Trial Museum in the water. Or you can take a stroll Whether you’re a history buff basement of the Rhea County through the Laurel-Snow State looking to explore pivotal Courthouse, site of the 1925 Natural Area, which has an moments in American history Scopes Trial, and learn the story abundance of hiking trails, such as the 1925 Scopes Trial or behind one of the most famous streams and rivers and provides the Trail of Tears or love the trials in world history. some of the most beautiful outdoors and spending time on Or perhaps you want to delve scenery in Tennessee. hiking trails or lounging along into the arts. Then take in a play In this sixth edition of Rhea the shores of Watts Bar Lake, at Spring City’s Tennessee Valley County Revealed, you’ll find you’ve come to the right place. Theatre, which produces and information that will help you Nestled between the Tennessee performs not only nationally discover all the fun and natural River and the Cumberland known plays but locally written beauty that Rhea County has to Plateau and only a short drive plays as well. offer. The Herald-News is proud from major cities such as Are you the outdoors type? to provide visitors with the only Knoxville and Chattanooga, Rhea Rhea County is home to Watts guide that will ensure your visit County offers visitors convenient Bar Lake and Chickamauga Lake, to Rhea County is an enjoyable fun for the entire family. both replete with lakeside one. Visitors can stroll through the retreats and fishing hotspots sure We look forward to your next newly-renovated Rhea Heritage to provide a relaxing day on the visit! Advertisers’ Index Amigo Mexican Restaurant ............................... 24 Fort Bluff Camp .................................................. 10 Rhea County EMS ............................................. 20 Bryan College ..................................................... 34 Golden Eagle Self Storage ................................. 17 Rhea County Fair ............................................... 26 Carrabelle’s ......................................................... 13 Grandview Mountain Cottages .......................... 35 Rhea County ...................................................... 7 Century 21 Roberson Realty Unlimited ............ 32 Hardee’s ............................................................. 23 Rhea County Historical & Genealogical Society City of Dayton .................................................... 15 La-z-boy ............................................................. 25 ............................................................................ 18 Coldwell Banker Pryor Realty Inc ..................... 40 Life Care Center of Rhea County / The Veranda Rhea Medical Center ......................................... 31 Dayton Boat Dock .............................................. 14 Assisted Living ................................................... 19 RiverValley Ag Credit ......................................... 33 Dayton Chamber of Commerce ........................ 37 Mattress Nook ................................................... 11 Santek Waste Services ...................................... 16 Dayton Mainstreet ............................................. 21 Middle Tennessee Natural Gas .......................... 39 Southeast Bank .................................................. 29 Ellie’s Catfish Cafe’ ............................................. 17 Money Concepts ................................................ 12 Steak ‘n Shake ................................................... 13 ERA Real Estate BlueKey Properties ................. 2 Morgan Furniture & Rent to Own Center ......... 24 Tennesse Valley Federal Credit Union ............... 27 Farm Bureau Insurance ..................................... 29 New Union Baptist Church ................................ 22 Town of Spring City ........................................... 9 Fish Dayton ........................................................ 28 Restaurant Page ................................................ 38 Volunteer Energy Cooperative (VEC) ................ 16 WWW.RHEAHERALDNEWS.COM RHEA COUNTY REVEALED 3 RHEA COUNTY REVEALED INDEX Attractions Festivals Laurel-Snow State Strawberry Festival......17 Natural Area.................5 Fourth of July...............19 Tennessee Valley Scopes Festival............20 Theatre.........................6 Rhea County Fair.........20 Museums.................8-9 PumpkinFest...............20 Dayton Electric Bldg...10 Christmas....................22 Historic Trails........10-11 Fishing........................12 History Washington.................23 Shopping Spring City...................26 Dayton.........................29 The Herald-News Shopping......................13 Graysville....................30 Rhea County’s hometown newspaper since 1898 3687 Rhea County Hwy. • P.O. Box 286 • MainStreet Dayton.......13 Trail of Tears................30 Dayton, TN 37321 • Phone: (423) 775-6111 • Fax: (423) 775-8218 • Grandview Normal Email: [email protected] • www.rheaheraldnews.com Institute.......................32 2015 Rhea County Revealed editorial content Scopes Trial................32 provided by Becky Tucker, Reed Johnson, Christopher Hall and Pat Guffey Dining Dayton’s Dining...........................14 New Deal Art...............36 Copyright ©2018, The Herald-News 4 RHEA COUNTY REVEALED WWW.RHEAHERALDNEWS.COM THINGS TO DO IN RHEA COUNTY Whether it’s a night out at and features two prominent Reservoir and was once the the theater or an afternoon vis- overlooks, Buzzard Point and water supply for the town of iting local museums, there is no Bryan Overlook. Dayton. The low dam across the shortage of attractions in Rhea The natural area also has sce- stream can still be seen, County. nic creeks, steep gorges, geo- although water is no longer col- Visitors can also take a hike logic features, a small stand of lected here for the town. through the Laurel-Snow State virgin timber and a wide variety The Laurel-Snow trail was Natural Area or visit local farms of plants. the first National Recreation and historic trails. After about 1.5 miles of hik- Trail designated in Tennessee. No matter where you go in ing into the natural area beside See http://www.american- Rhea County, you are sure to Richland Creek, the trail forks. trails.org/nationalrecreation- find something fun for every You can reach Buzzard Point trails/ for more information. member of your family. and Snow Falls by following the Laurel-Snow State Natural trail as it forks to the left going Area is part of the Cumberland west. The trail to the right leads Trail State Scenic Trail, and the to Laurel Snow Falls and then area includes trailhead parking Laurel-Snow State eventually climbs to the top of and an open section of the Natural Area the falls. The distance for both Cumberland Trail. trails is about eight miles round See http://www.cumberland- Laurel-Snow State Natural trip. trail.org/ for general informa- Area is a 2,259-acre natural area The land use history of this tion and stipulations on back- located in Rhea County. The area remains evident in places. country camping in the area. natural area occurs on the Logging and deep mining took The Cumberland Trail, the Walden Ridge of the Cumber- place in some portions of the state’s only linear state park, land Plateau and contains a sec- area in the late 1800s and early when completed, will be 300 tion of gorge that is deeply dis- 1900s. Some remnants of the miles in length cutting through sected by Morgan, Henderson, mining activities can still be 11 Tennessee counties from the Laurel and Richland Creeks. seen along the trail near the Cumberland Gap National His- The site is named after two parking area. toric Park on the Tennessee- scenic waterfalls, Laurel Falls Part of Richland Creek was Virginia-Kentucky border to (80 feet) and Snow Falls (35 feet) dammed to serve as the Dayton Signal Point near Chattanooga. WWW.RHEAHERALDNEWS.COM RHEA COUNTY REVEALED 5 Visitors to Laurel-Snow State Natural Area view the reamins of the Dayton Coal and Iron Company that once called the area home in the early 20th century. Public access is allowed; With the conviction that yes, school curriculum. parking and hiking trails are Rhea County should have a The theater