A Guide to Fayetteville, Tennessee

I recently visited my hometown to spend some time with my family and friends, and I decided that I wanted to write up a post about Fayetteville, Tennessee. I’m sure that not many people have heard of it, as it is a small town of around 7,000 people. I want to take some time and describe the town that I grew up in to the best of my ability. Fayetteville may be small, but it is a nice town surrounded by beautiful landscapes, and totally worth a stop if you ask me. I may be biased, though.

Small Town Vibes

The first thing that you need to know about Fayetteville, Tennessee is that there is not much to it. It sits just over the Alabama state line north of Huntsville, AL and a short hour and a half drive south of Nashville, TN. Fayetteville is definitely a country town with lots of big trucks and rednecks who are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.  Fayetteville has been an agricultural community since its founding in 1809. As a result, there are plenty of farms in the area and cows and horses and crops as far as the eye can see. I even had horses growing up, and showed my horse, Bailey, for a few years. In addition, the downtown area is full of antique shops and cute boutiques. This town is full of charm!

Things to Do

If you ever find yourself in Fayetteville, you won’t be short of things to do. The town has parks if you fancy a stroll, antique shops for those who love antiquing, and there is even a museum! For those of you who enjoy a strong drink, there are six distilleries within a 40 mile radius of Fayetteville. These include Tenn South distillery, George Dickel, Branch Water Distillery, and the ever so famous Jack Daniels Distillery. Two distilleries, Prichard’s and Southern Pride, are located in Lincoln County. Southern Pride is literally 2 miles from where I grew up. You could base yourself in Fayetteville and just visit different distilleries the whole time! Due to it’s small size, it would be so easy to find a nice, cheap place to stay.

Also, while you are downtown, make sure to stop by Honey’s for a slaw burger, with lots of pool room slaw. Just do it. There is even a slaw burger festival! If you want to go to see some of the latest movies, hit up the Lincoln Theatre! It only screens two movies at a time, but it does bring in the big box office hits. It is even upgrading to digital screens! Another popular activity in the area is canoeing or kayaking down the Elk River. You can take your own or go to Elk River Canoe Rental and they can get you set up and ready to float down the beautiful Elk River.

Local Events

As most cities do, Fayetteville hosts several events annually that are oh so much fun! The one that happens around this time of year (September) is the Lincoln County Fair! Complete with demolition derby, truck and tractor pull, harness races, and a country concert, the fair is not to be missed. Aside from the fair, my personal favorite event is the Host of Christmas Past, which happens the second weekend in November every year. The downtown square becomes absolutely magical and fully decked out in Christmas decor. Local businesses and organizations get together to create a Christmas lovers dream, with food, shopping, live music, a tour of homes, storytelling, and much much more. Additionally, there are always other events happening throughout the year. Small towns definitely have a closer knit community than bigger cities do. Everyone knows everyone and we all get along and love to celebrate life together!

There’s no Place Like Home

Fayetteville, Tennessee will always be home to me. Not just because it is where I grew up, but because of the people who live there and call it home as well. I love the town and the rolling hills that surround it. I love that I can lay on the porch at night and gaze at millions of stars and  listen to crickets and frogs sing. Even though I love big cities as well, my heart will always be in the country.

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it. If you would like to know more about Fayetteville, I would love to write another post more about it’s history! Let me know what you think in the comments section below!