Who’s behind it
Explore East Tennessee is an independent project created by Dan Chess in Blountville, Tennessee. It isn’t affiliated with Tri-Cities Airport, any government agency, tourism board or chamber of commerce.
What’s here now
The first section is the Tri-Cities Transportation Directory: airport rides, taxis, public transit, trail shuttles and senior and medical transportation. Restaurants and cafés, things to do, outdoor spots, antique stores and events are also open. Places to stay, history and culture, lakes and water recreation, and camping will open once they have researched listings.
How listings are chosen
Listings are researched by hand from public sources such as business websites, map listings, agency pages and local news. Each listing shows the date it was researched. Businesses don’t pay to appear, and nobody pays to be ranked higher.
“Featured” marks an editorial pick. It’s a recommendation, not a best-to-worst ranking. The directory is a starting selection, not a complete list of every business in the area, and a business that isn’t listed isn’t any less worth a visit.
What the labels mean
- Research only · not owner-verified: details came from public sources and haven’t been confirmed by the business.
- Approx. miles from TRI — straight-line: distance as the crow flies from the airport, not driving distance or drive time.
- Ratings: a snapshot of public ratings at the research date, always shown with the number of reviews. Ratings change over time.
- Reported · not organizer-verified (events): dates come from news listings, not the organizer.
Area covered
Listings are limited to about 30 straight-line miles from Tri-Cities Airport, covering the Tri-Cities of Tennessee and nearby Southwest Virginia. Some transportation providers based farther away are included because they serve the airport.