TENNESSEE OR BUST!

Caleb:Started in Nashville, in 1873, through a 1 million dollar "gift" from Cornelius Vanderbilt, it was built to "contribute to strengthening the ties that should exist between all sections of our common country". Today it is world renowned for its excellence in education and research. Vanderbilt has 10 schools in total specializing undergraduate degrees in arts and sciences, music, engineering, human development, and education. Its most notable graduate degrees are in law, education, business, medicine, nursing, and divinity. It is a privately supported university and affiliated closely with nonprofit Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with which they work to drive innovation. Alumni of Vanderbilt includes Nobel Prize winners, professional athletes, governors, members of congress, CEOs, judges, and ambassadors. One of Tennessee's finest centers for higher learning.

Caleb:This wonderful university was founding in Knoxville in 1794, but it was called Blount College. It was renamed East Tennessee University in 1862, and, in 1879, finally became the University of Tennessee. The famous (or infamous, depending who you talk to) orange wearing football team is called the Tennessee Volunteers, after Tennessee getting the nickname because of sending 1500 VOLUNTEER soldiers to help the US in the War of 1812. (Fun Fact: UT is a designated Bee Campus, which is "part of a national effort among universities to raise awareness and provide new pollinator habitats. [utk.edu/aboutut/acclaim/]) It consists of 11 colleges with over 370 undergraduate programs of study and 547 graduate programs. It has the excellent UT School of Veterinary medicine. But, it is also very famous for it's "Body Farm", where students of forensics study decomposition of the human body.

Caleb:On the banks of Mossy Creek, Carson-Newman is a midsize university located in Jefferson City, TN, near the Great Smoky Mountains. It was founded in 1851, but started as 2 schools: Carson College, which was a men's college, and Newman College, which was a college for girls. The campuses were right next to each other so they combined to create Carson-Newman College. (Interesting Fact: During WWII C-N took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program, which offered students a road to a Navy commission - it was only 1 of 131 colleges to do so) Then, in 2012, became Carson-Newman University. It offers 90 different undergraduate programs and their nickname is the Eagles. This is where my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather graduated, my grandfather graduated, my mom graduated, and probably where I'll graduate, too.

Caleb:This wonderful school is located in west Tennessee, with its main campus located in Memphis. It started in 1963 offering vocational programs for local residents. It has an incredible Aviation Campus that is located at the Memphis International Airport and has a wonderful selection of post-secondary education choices. TCAT also works with local high schools and offers dual enrollment so students can train in their vocation as they continue to finish high school. It is accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education and offers programs from Nursing to Machine Tool Technology to HVAC Certifications.

Caleb:With a career in the medical field you couldn't do better than work here. As one of the largest academic medical centers in the Southeast, it employees over 24, 000 doctors, nurses, clinicians, and administrative, and they care for over 2 million patients a year. They have over 100 biomedical science labs, are in the nations top 10, in terms of peer review funding (they receive over $500 million per year). The children's hospital, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, is recognized every year as national leaders in children's health by the US News & World Report's Best Hospitals ranking. Vanderbilt continues to improve and grow every year and is one of the best places to work, in the medical field, in the nation.

Caleb:Located at Memphis International Airport, this company delivers freight and packages to over 375 destinations which span six continents everyday! And they need workers, especially at the world hub in Memphis. FedEx employees over 60,000 people worldwide. They pay well, have great benefits, and even have a college reimbursement program so you can continue your education for free while you're employed.

Caleb:Eastman employees over 8,000 employees and is located in Kingsport. If your major is chemistry, then you could make $150,000 a year. They work mostly with organic chemicals and acetyls, and were known historically for producing Kodak photographic paper. Eastman employees are known to begin their jobs right out of school and stay until they retire, with a comfortable pension. They are also known to treat their employees well. If you're a chemist, you will find a great career life at Eastman.

Caleb:Located above downtown Gatlinburg, and opened in 2019, this is the longest suspension pedestrian crossing bridge in North America. And it even has a glass floor that is right in the middle so you can look down and see how high you are! You get up to the bridge by riding a chair lift that has been in operation since 1954. A remote camera snaps a picture of you as you near the top and you can buy it, if you wish, at the gift shop, before you go across the bridge. There are souvenirs on both sides of the bridge and the view is breathtaking. The bridge does swing a little bit as you cross, but it is so worth it. A definite must do when you visit Gatlinburg.

Caleb:Built in 1925, this hotel is in historic downtown Memphis, and has been known as the "South's Grand Hotel". It is beautiful and is worth a visit in it's own right, with luxury accommodations and two exceptional restaurants, but what makes it really special is the Peabody Ducks. In 1933, they placed ducks in the large fountain that is in the middle of the huge hotel lobby and it has been a tradition ever since. It is called the Duck March. At 11:00 am, every day, the ducks come down the elevator, from their accommodations on the Peabody roof, riding on the elevator, to the lobby floor. Here they get off the elevator, followed by the Peabody Duckmaster, down a red carpet, up a few stairs, and into the fountain. The ducks play all day in this large fountain until, at 5:00 pm, the duck master comes and gets them and they march back out of the fountain, up the red carpet, into the elevator, where they will ride back up to there roof accommodations for the night. So worth the trip to see it

Caleb:This is a place you have to see to believe. This place is HUGE! And it has so many things to see and do! Right next to the original "Grand Ole Opry", this place has 2,888 rooms, 9 acres of indoor gardens with waterfalls, an indoor river with a Delta flatboat, shopping galore, and an insanely great upscale outdoor/indoor water park - all under one roof! If you want to experience Nashville, but don't want to bother with driving, this is your place to experience everything, without ever having to get in your car!