Tennessee State Parks officials and legislators cut the ribbon to open a new Fall Creek Falls State Park Visitors Center, a $2.7 million, 4,800 square foot facility made possible by an investment by the Tennessee General Assembly.

“This is a special day for Fall Creek Falls and our parks system,” said Jim Bryson, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC).

“This facility enhances Fall Creek Falls as one of our most prestigious state parks, and we look forward to its role in bolstering the park and the community.”

The new visitors center will have 24-hour accessible restrooms, a gift shop, a rentable conference room and a covered patio with a gas fire pit. All overnight cabin and camper guests will check in at the center.

A new, 85-room Lodge at Fall Creek Falls, with modern room design, conference space and a full-service restaurant and lounge, is expected to open in 2021.

Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses more than 29,800 acres on the Cumberland Plateau. At 256 feet, Fall Creek Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. Other waterfalls within the park include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades.

The park is in Bledsoe and Van Buren counties, 11 miles east of Spencer.

The park features 30 cabins and 222 campsites, as well as backcountry camping. More than 56 miles of trails can be explored. The Nature Center at Fall Creek Falls offers hands-on environmental education through a variety of naturalist-led programs. The park also features the Fall Creek Falls Golf Course and pro shop. It also features the adventurous Canopy Challenge Course including wobbly bridges, rope swings, and zip lines. The park has four playgrounds and five covered picnic pavilions.

(Photo courtesy TDEC: left to right – Park Manager Jacob Young, State Representative Paul Sherrell, Tennessee Department of General Services Commissioner Christi Branscom, Senator Janice Bowling, Tennessee Speaker of the House of Representatives Cameron Sexton and TDEC Deputy Commissioner Jim Bryson)