From Quirky to Crazy: 5 Bizarrely Named Towns in Tennessee That Will Leave You Stunned

Numerous oddball communities with distinctive histories, vibrant cultures, vibrant music, and lots to discover may be found throughout Tennessee.

These oddly named towns have something to offer everyone, from the iconic Nutbush, Tina Turner’s birthplace, to the charming Paris with its replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Explore the country music-rich Hurricane Mills or Bell Buckle, where Moon Pies and arts & crafts are the main attractions.

Nutbush

Although the exact origin of the name Nutbush is unknown, it might have been derived from the hazelnut bushes that were common in the region in the early 1800s.

However, the iconic 1973 song “Nutbush City Limits,” written and recorded by the “Queen of Rock and Roll,” Tina Turner, who was born in Nutbush in 1939, will always be a tribute to the city.

Turner, whose real name is Anna Mae Bullock, sings of “a church house, gin house, a school house, outhouse, on Highway Number Nineteen,” and the “one-horse town” with “no whiskey for sale.”

Rock and roll enthusiasts can travel from Nutbush to neighboring Brownsville on Tennessee State Route 19, which was designated the “Tina Turner Highway” in 2002.

There, they can see the world’s only Tina Turner Museum, which is located within Flagg Grove School, where she once attended elementary school.

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Bell Buckle

According to legend, the town of Bell Buckle, which is roughly an hour away from Nashville, the nation’s capital, acquired its name from early settlers who discovered a cowbell and buckle carved on a tree near a creek.

This engraving was perceived by the settlers as an Indigenous warning that they and their cows were intruding on their ancient territory.

With events like the Webb School Art and Craft Show, the Bell Buckle Songwriters Festival, and the Bell Buckle RC Cola-MoonPie Festival in 2025, the Bell Buckle Historic District is a popular location for tourists interested in moon pies, arts and crafts, and culture.

Visitors can go antiquing at the Phillips General Store Antiques and the Livery Stable Antique Mall in downtown Bell Buckle, or they can grab coffee at the Bell Buckle Coffee Shop & Book Swap.

Hurricane Mills

The name Hurricane Mills comes from one of Tennessee’s first hydroelectric turbine-powered mills, which was constructed in 1876 and processed grain in addition to producing electricity.

This mill was built on the location of an iron forge that had been in operation during the Civil War and had been founded in 1824.

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The old mill, currently the site of the historic Grist Mill Museum, is said to be haunted by the ghosts of soldiers, according to local folklore.

The community has a strong connection to country music in general and to Loretta Lynn in particular, who chose to buy the entire town of Hurricane Mills after finding a white mansion above a waterfall and an antique gristmill.

Sweetwater

The Lost Sea is a body of water that is improbable to be located in the East Tennesee town of Sweetwater.

Nevertheless, the tourist destination is a Registered National Landmark and the biggest subterranean lake in the United States.

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The Lost Sea cavern system, which is a part of Craighead Caverns, consists of a waterfall, stalactites, stalagmites, an underground lake, and crystal clusters known as anthodites.

Once, bones and tracks of a massive Pleistocene jaguar were discovered at the location.

With festivities, parades, concerts, and more, Sweetwater commemorates the 150th anniversary of its foundation in 1875 in 2025. According to legend, early settlers’ descriptions of nearby springs inspired the town’s name.

Ducktown

Legend has it that a Cherokee chief named Chief Duck inspired the name of Ducktown. The virtually entire remnants of the Burra Burra Mine can be explored at the Ducktown Basin Museum, which shares the history of copper mining in the United States.

Ducktown was formerly a copper mining town and was the headquarters for the Tennessee Copper Company. It is the perfect tiny town for mining lovers.

Adventurers can enjoy some of the best whitewater rafting in the US on the Ocoee River in the 650,000-acre Cherokee National Forest, which is accessible from Ducktown.