I grew up in East Tennessee. Still my favorite place to get lost in. They used to have a Tulip Festival every spring in Erwin (you know, where they hanged Murderous Mary?). You could drive or walk for hours through the tulip fields.
One of my favorite mountains is Unaka, where the Beauty Spot is. The Beauty Spot is a bald that burned during WWI due to lightning strikes. We used to go there on July 4th and watch the fireworks in Johnson City, Kingsport, Jonesborough (when it was still Jonesboro), and Greeneville.
The easiest way to get there is to go into Erwin and to Rock Creek Park. Drive through the park and to the top of the mountain.
If you want to see a gorgeous waterfall, go down the other side, past the rockslide (the road cuts through the slide). There will be a wide place on the left side of the road. Check it out. If you see what appears to be two small creeks, follow the trail that crosses them then follows one downstream. You'll find Red Fork Falls. One of ET's best-kept secrets.