Country music and the blues don’t immediately strike as being obvious bedfellows, but both have their spiritual home in Tennessee. And music (and barbecue) is what this state is best known for. Choosing the best places to stay in Tennessee might depend on your taste in music as much as your taste in hotels. If you love the blues or rock ’n’ roll then Memphis is for you, if you love country then you’ll find the best places to stay in Tennessee in Nashville, and if you like Bluegrass then Eastern Tennessee is for you.

Some of our Tennessee collections:

• The Best Places to Stay in Nashville
• The Best Places to Stay in Memphis
• 10 of the Best Hotels for the Great Smoky Mountains

Tennessee is also an extremely beautiful state, from the soft coloured peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains to the rich, green valleys around Nashville, to the steaming hot, almost tropical lowlands around Memphis.

Eastern Tennessee is where you’ll find the Great Smoky Mountains. The landscape of rolling hills, river valleys and rural towns you might recognise from Dolly Parton songs, which is great for hikers, bikers and kayakers. It’s also where you’ll find Dollywood. And green, outdoorsy hub, Chattanooga and kitschy Gatlinburg. And there’s a great art museum, the Hunter Museum of American Art.

Nashville is a country music pilgrimage waiting to happen. But in addition to the cowboy boots, line dancing and the honky tonk, Nashville is a culturally rich city, booming commercially and with a young, vibrant atmosphere. Nashville is the kind of city where new things are opening up all the time, from art galleries to innovative restaurants and hip micro-breweries and coffeehouses.

And to continue on your musical pilgrimage, there’s Memphis - a dilapidated beauty on the banks of the Mississippi River best known as the home of Graceland: altar to Elvis. Or as the home of the blues. And it’s also got a great reputation for barbecue food.

But Memphis is a lot more than that, it’s an old city, with old time-y charms, but also a lively, vibrant city which looks forwards as well as backwards. The best places to stay in Memphis range from basic B&Bs to five star palaces, mirroring the city’s own housing situation - there’s poverty, but there’s also a lot of regeneration going on.

Our pick of the best places to stay in Tennessee offer a wide range, whether you're looking for a Smoky Mountain retreat or contemporary lodgings in the city centre.

The Best Places to Stay in Tennessee

The Best Places to Stay in Tennessee For music-lovers

• The Hutton Hotel is an environmentally friendly contemporary design hotel in the heart of Nashville with 250 rooms and a well known restaurant, the 1808 Grille, which specialises in traditional Southern dishes with an international edge. Only blocks away from Music Row.
• The River Inn of Harbor Town is a welcoming hotel with an Old South/ Old World feel - think cracking fireplaces, art and antiques and four-poster beds. There’s a rooftop with panoramic views and Paulette’s continental restaurant.

The best places to stay in Tennessee to escape

• The Whitestone Country Inn is a wonderful 22 room B&B sitting on 360 acres of its own secured land bordering onto the beautiful Watts Bar Lake. Perfect for fishing or sailing, or walking, or kayaking, or just relaxing, this converted farmhouse and outbuildings is a haven of peace in the great outdoors.
• Blackberry Farm in Walland, is a working farm with 69 romantic rooms, set against a stunning landscape. It might sound incongruous that a farm might be romantic, but the large rooms and plush facilities - including a spa - and the choice of two restaurants, does make it very luxurious as well as ‘working’.

The Best Places to Stay in Tennessee For a city break

• The Madison Hotel in Memphis started life in 1905 as a bank, but it’s now a 110 room boutique hotel with large windows and contemporary furnishings. And spa baths. There’s a great roof terrace overlooking the Mississippi.

Still not sure which to book? Browse through our list of all the best places to stay in Tennessee, or contact one of our friendly Gurus for advice.