tennessee

anyone out there from tennessee? i want natives...people who really know the place. i'm going to tennessee as a part of a surprise b-day trip i'm give to my wonderful boyfriend. we're hitting up nashville and probably run over to memphis. but i want to know about the out of the way places, you know small towns...also knitting stores! anyone know of any fabulous ones? oh! or any farms? and what about the smoky mountains? i really, really wanted to go there. but i was just reading that during the summertime the place is a mess. full of touristy places, tourists, and tons of traffic. i haven't heard one nice thing. maybe there is another park/mountain in the area to see instead? something not so overrun?