Do you enjoy smooth, straight and easy roads? Then, the Southern Dozen may not be your cup of tea. These roads will make you want to slow down and soak up the scenery before you're twisting the throttle, gliding through banked turns, roller-coaster dips and cool mountain air. If you're looking to just coast or keep on the straight and narrow path, look elsewhere.
The "Southern Dozen" has all kinds of exciting roads from leisurely rides to curvy mountain sidewinders, and offers a series of 12 of the South's greatest motorcycle rides that begin and end in Johnson City, taking riders to historic places, rare caverns, famous music venues, wolf habitats and more.
Your adventure starts when you pick a ride and a road!
Here are brief descriptions of each ride:
The Snake Ride: Through Stoney Creek and Shady Valley to Backbone Rock, Damascus, Mountain City and Watauga Lake
Top of the Roan: Historic Elizabethton to the top of Roan Mountain, home to the world's largest natural stand of Catawba Rhododendron
Places of the Past: Homes of legendary pioneers, statesmen, a U.S. president, plus museums and a 1791 farm
8th Wonder of the World: Natural Tunnel park, featuring a chairlift to hiking trails, picnic tables and the one-million-year-old tunnel
Music to Your Ears: The burger joint where Hank Williams was last seen alive, the auditorium that June Carter and Johnny Cash called home, and more
Spelunker Tour: Bristol Caverns and Appalachian Caverns, an underground labyrinth more than one million years old
The Long Dam Ride: A tour of several man-made lakes, through rugged gorges and past rocky cliffs, mountain streams, tranquil lakes, unique sites and spectacular formations
Vinegar Pie: Through some of East Tennessee's oldest communities, on the trails blazed by Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett; a panoramic view of Cherokee Lake and the foothills of the Smoky Mountains
Mountain Ribbons: Snake across lakes, rivers and streams of the Appalachian mountain range, leading to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Moses Cone House, the Linn Cove Viaduct and Grandfather Mountain
Howling Wolves, Stars and History: Bays Mountain Park, featuring wolf, deer, otter, owl and falcon habitats, plus a planetarium
East Tennessee History Tour: Rocky Mount and Tipton-Hayes historic sites, plus Sycamore Shoals Fort and Carter Mansion, and one of the country's last remaining covered bridges
Two Rivers, One Mountain, and Ten Million Trout Eggs: The Erwin National Fish Hatchery, Cherokee National Forest and into the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains
Visit www.SouthernDozen.com to see the ride maps, and to learn about exciting Southern Dozen contests and giveaways.
For the most up-to-date hours and information, please contact Southern Dozen Motorcycle Rides directly.
