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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Greeneville
Greeneville, Tennessee
Give Greeneville one full day and one night: the Andrew Johnson site is free and walkable, and the town is a stop, not a base.
Greeneville is a small East Tennessee town of about 15,000 people, best known as the political home of President Andrew Johnson and, before that, the short-lived capital of the State of Franklin. Two of Johnson's homes, his tailor shop and his grave sit inside one free National Park Service site a few minutes' walk apart. The rest of the town is a compact Main Street, a performing-arts venue and a state park 20 minutes out. Most travellers see it in a day on the way between Knoxville and Johnson City.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Greeneville, Tennessee
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (heat and humidity); mid-Aug fair week if you want quiet streets
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $100–170 excl. bed · High $170+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Greeneville Police non-emergency 423-638-3134 · Andrew Johnson NHS 423-638-3551
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $2–5 |
| Diner breakfast | $8–14 |
| Fast-food combo | $8–12 |
| Sit-down dinner main | $12–25 |
| Draught beer | $5–8 |
| Andrew Johnson National Historic Site | Free |
| Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park | Free (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- TYS · McGhee Tyson (Knoxville)
- About 1 h 15 min by car via I-40 and I-81; the usual arrival airport.
- TRI · Tri-Cities (Blountville)
- About 1 h by car via I-81 south; smaller, fewer flights.
- AVL · Asheville Regional
- About 2 h by car over the mountains; useful if you are looping through North Carolina.
Typical fares
- TYS airport → downtown Greeneville, taxi or rideshare
- about $90–130, 1 h 15 min (check)
- Rental car, one day
- from about $55 plus fuel (check)
- Downtown parking
- street parking is free or low-cost; check signs
Get around
You need a car. Downtown is walkable once you park — the visitor centre, tailor shop, Johnson house and cemetery are within about 15 minutes on foot, though the cemetery is up a hill. US 11E (Andrew Johnson Highway) and US 321 (Main Street) cross in town; I-81 is about 15 min north via SR 70 or SR 93. Greyhound's nearest stop is west of town at Mosheim, which is not walkable to the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
- State of Franklin capital, 1785–1788
- Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park
- Greene County Fair
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park | Drive US 11E south then west to Limestone, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Tusculum University | Drive or taxi about 10 min north-east | About 15 min |
| Johnson City | Drive US 11E north, about 45 min | About 45 min |
| Knoxville | Drive I-81 south then I-40 west, about 1 h 15 min | About 1.5 h |
| Asheville, North Carolina | Drive SR 70 over the mountains, about 2 h | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Downtown Main Street
- Walk to the Johnson site, Depot Street restaurants and the General Morgan Inn; best for a one-night stop.
- Tusculum Boulevard / Greeneville Commons
- Chain hotels and the big shopping centre, 5–10 min drive from Main Street; free parking.
- Kinser Park and the Nolichucky
- Cabins and riverside stays south of town; you need a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the visitor centre? | Where's the visitor center? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take cards? |
| Is it far to walk? | Is it walkable from here? |
| Thanks | Thank you |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No useful local bus network: plan on driving or rideshare, and rideshare is thin outside daytime hours.
- Andrew Johnson site hours shorten in winter (Dec–Mar, Wednesday–Sunday only): check before you drive in.
- Summer afternoons are hot and humid; do the cemetery hill in the morning.
- Appalachian Caverns' wild tour is physically demanding and not for claustrophobic or unsteady visitors.
Greeneville is a low-crime small town and the tourist core is calm by day. The real risks are driving the two-lane mountain roads at night, summer heat on the cemetery hill, and thin rideshare after dark.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Greeneville yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
- State of Franklin capital, 1785–1788
- Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park
- Greene County Fair
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Andrew Johnson National Historic Site (NPS): www.nps.gov/anjo/
- Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park (Tennessee State Parks): tnstateparks.com/parks/about/david-crockett-birthplace
- Wikivoyage: Greeneville, revision 5239006 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5239006
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
GreenevilleGreeneville, Tennessee
Can you take me to this address?
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Greeneville Police non-emergency423-638-3134
- Andrew Johnson NHS423-638-3551
No consulates in Greeneville; nearest consular offices are in Atlanta. US passport services: check the county post office for appointments.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/greeneville). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.