The Elephant Sanctuary

Tucked into the hills outside Hohenwald is something nobody expects from a small Tennessee town: the largest natural-habitat elephant refuge in the country. Since 1995, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has given retired circus and zoo elephants thousands of acres of rolling pasture, forest, and spring-fed ponds to live out their days in peace.

The sanctuary itself is closed to visitors — that's the whole point. The herd roams free, far from crowds, and the sanctuary asks that it stay that way. You won't spot elephants from the road, so don't go looking; the best view is the live EleCams the sanctuary streams online.

What you can do is visit the Elephant Discovery Center in downtown Hohenwald. The exhibits tell each elephant's story, explain the care that goes into a 8,000-pound retiree, and make a genuinely great stop for kids. It's a quick drive from The Grove and pairs well with lunch downtown.