South Pittsburg, Tennessee
A visit to South Pittsburg couldn’t be complete without a quick visit to the Lodge Cast Iron Museum, Factory Store, and on-site restaurant, Big Bad Breakfast. The museum has plenty of cool activities which teach visitors about how cast iron is manufactured, as well as intriguing artifacts including the world’s largest cast iron skillet, which weighs just under 15,000 pounds!
Small Town Charm and Cornbread
The Factory Store sells a massive variety of cookware, from corn-roasting pans to specialty pans with Dolly Parton ephemera or mountainscapes carved into them. The restaurant on site obviously makes the most of the famous cookware, serving country-style meals for both breakfast and lunch. Big Bad Breakfast is a limited chain with locations all over the country, and it is also a popular spot to grab carefully crafted cocktails and bloody marys.
For those who haven’t gotten their fill of shopping, South Pittsburg Antiques is worth checking out for its massive selection of furniture, jewelry, art, toys, home goods, books, and more.
The best time to visit South Pittsburg is during the National Cornbread Festival, which takes place in late April. The festival has been a huge success, annually bringing families back to South Pittsburg for 28 years to enjoy cookoffs, arts and crafts, plenty of live music, and all kinds of local art vendors.
Around town, there is a surprising amount of variety when it comes to cuisine, with diverse spots including Floyd’s Jamaican Restaurant, Chencho’s Cocina & Cantina, Stevarino’s Italian Eatery, Crazy Fries, Alessandro’s Italian Artisan Bakery, and more. There are also several takeout and sandwich spots for quicker bites.
Dixie Freeze is a longstanding community staple for burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream treats like its stacked-high hot fudge brownie sundae.
Getting Outside
There are tons of unique outdoor experiences around South Pittsburg which offer different ways to interact with and observe nature.
The first spot you’ll meet coming in from the river is likely South Pittsburg Municipal Park, which offers a landing to pull up your craft and get a beautiful view of the water and the popular photo-op Shelby Rhinehart Bridge.
Though it is not within the town’s borders, nature enthusiasts must check out nearby Nickajack Cave, which is home to a huge colony of endangered gray bats. Much of the cave is closed to protect the animals, but catching them swarming out of the mouth of the cave at sunset is an unforgettable experience. Guided tours are available to provide expert advice on the journey.
There are great spots around the wildlife refuge for fishing or swimming, as well as a quick trail for walking around.
A quick paddle around the bend can also get visitors close to the Tennessee/Alabama/Georgia Stateline Marker, where they can put a foot in all three states at once. South Pittsburg is part of the Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway, so visitors can be confident that their drive around and through the area will be gorgeous.
Adventure Off-Road Park and Nature Center offers a massive, 500-acre space for all-terrain driving around its more than 120 trails. With simpler trails for beginners and rocky challenges that should only be taken on by mud-coated experts, there is no shortage of options when it comes to finding a route.
For a more peaceful day outside, check out Sweetens Cove Golf Club, which was carefully crafted to fit in among America’s great classic courses. It has drawn comparisons to the iconic Augusta National in its architecture, and has been recognized as a top U.S. golf destination by major publications such as the New York Times and Golfweek.
South Pittsburg makes for an enjoyable and peaceful stop on the Tennessee RiverLine, complete with great options for dining and outdoor adventures. While the list of major attractions may not be exhaustive, there are several can’t-miss stops around town whether visitors are just passing through or sticking around for a week.