Travel Through the Eastern Tennessee Countryside on the "Appalachian Quilt Trail"

While driving through the back roads of eastern Tennessee you may have noticed blocks of wood painted to look like quilt patterns hanging on barns, sides of historic buildings or businesses. These quilt blocks are part of the "Appalachian Quilt Trail" (AQT). The "Appalachian Quilt Trail" was first started in 2004 in Grainger County, Tennessee. The original idea behind the quilt trail was to have 8x8 squares of wood hand painted to look like quilts and placed on barns and historic buildings in hopes of attracting tourists to the rural areas of east Tennessee. Driving routes were established so tourists could view these quilt blocks while out on leisurely drives through these rural areas and through the small, less known towns. It was felt that if people drove these back roads and stopped in the small towns to eat and shop, it would increase revenue in the towns. The quilts became so popular that more and more farmers with barns requested a quilt to be hung. The barn owner would pick a quilt pattern that had connections to the land the barn is on. The land owner might pick a pattern from a quilt their grandmother or great-grandmother might have made. The quilt blocks were then painted by local artists or school children and hung on the side of a barn so that the quilt could be visible from the road. The "Appalachian Quilt Trail" was also created to honor the Appalachian quilting tradition and heritage. The quilt trail has grown in the last 3 years to now include over 200 quilts in 17 counties covering over 300 miles in eastern Tennessee. There are 14 different driving routes to take visitors through the scenic countrysides to view these quilts.