MORGAN COUNTY, Tenn. — From hiking to eating to trying a new brew, there's a lot to uncover in Morgan County.
Mark Keck, chairman of the Morgan County Tourism Alliance, hopes people will make a day trip to see what they have to offer.
"There are not a lot of crowds around here, so that's the nice part about it. If you wanted to go somewhere and decompress, Morgan County is the place to go," Keck said.
In downtown Wartburg, volunteers are busy redesigning the historic Tanner Store into a pitstop for hikers along the Cumberland Trail.
Just down the street, the owners of the new Morgan County Brewing Project are pouring cold beers and hot coffee. They're one of several businesses that opened for the first time during the pandemic.
"I'm originally from here, so it was always my dream to come back and actually be part of the community, to do something for the community that's even more than a business, just a place for the community to go and gather together," owner Emily Gaper said about the business owned by her and her husband.
While it has a small-town feel, nothing compares to Morgan County's big outdoors.
"You can do physical distancing. I say physical distancing instead of social distancing because we're social animals. But, we can physically distance here. It's easy with hiking trails, rock climbing, white water rafting, fishing," Keck said.
With two national parks, four state parks and more than 250 miles of trails, it's not hard to find respite from the work week in Morgan County.