Bike the South

With the wooded hills of the Cherokee National Forest as the backdrop for some of the best experiences and scenery Tennessee has to offer.

You’ll experience the varied scenery of rural East Tennessee as you get a glimpse into the rural character of the region. You’ll roll through beautiful farmland and into a past where life was simpler and time was slower. 

Each day you’ll have a choice of activities including bicycle tours of varying distances and levels of difficulty and with a variety of attractions including wineries, Mennonite farm markets, rivers and waterfalls as well as tubing and rafting, hiking, horseback riding or simply relaxing on the farm.

Your home base: Riverside Farm, a paradise setting with two choices of lodging: “The Riverside,” a two-story private cabin located on the bank of the Ocoee, and The Barn Loft, where you will be an invited guest of five beautiful horses and share their barn accommodations (more details under Dates and Prices). 

Your hosts, John and Donna, will make sure your visit is a memorable delight. They will also provide emergency support during your rides and, if you don’t want to go the full distance, provide pre-arranged drop-off and pick-up services--all included in the price.

At an additional charge, we can also arrange for an escort cyclist to ride with you and for a support vehicle to accompany you--for a completely relaxed experience.

With the wooded hills of the Cherokee National Forest as the backdrop - some of the best experiences and scenery Tennessee has to offer.

You’ll experience the varied scenery of rural East Tennessee as you get a glimpse into the rural character of the region. You’ll roll through beautiful farmland and into a past where life was simpler and time was slower. 

Each day you’ll have a choice of activities including bicycle tours of varying distances and levels of difficulty and with a variety of attractions including wineries, Mennonite farm markets, rivers and waterfalls or simply relaxing on the farm.

Your home base: Riverside Farm, a paradise setting with two choices of lodging: “The Riverside,” a two-story private cabin located on the bank of the Ocoee, and The Barn Loft, where you will be an invited guest of five beautiful horses and share their barn accommodations (more details under Dates and Prices). 

Your hosts, John and Donna, will make sure your visit is a memorable delight. They will also provide emergency support during your rides and, if you don’t want to go the full distance, provide pre-arranged drop-off and pick-up services--all included in the price.

At an additional charge, we can also arrange for an escort cyclist to ride with you and/or for a support vehicle to accompany you--for a completely relaxed experience.

The region is called "Overhill" for a reason--and you'll be cycling over countless hills. But few are long and fewer are steep. And we can advise you which routes to choose depending on your preferences. With the exception of a few brief areas with packed gravel or dirt (very walkable), the surface is entirely asphalt.

The Tennessee Overhill is a treasure trove of rivers, waterfalls, forested mountains, quiet backroads, sprawling farmland and rolling hills set against the backdrop of Cherokee National Forest. 

It’s a region where tradition and family still mean everything, and it’s the family-owned farms and vineyards that share this tour’s focus with the natural beauty.

You'll not just enjoy some of the finest cycling Tennessee has to offer. You'll also experience farm life and observe farmers who have a passion for a calling that has been in their families for generations. 

You can also visit vineyards that are more recent additions to the Overhill, but they follow a tradition that started in Tennessee well before the Civil War. In a state better known for its whiskey, wineries are slowly making quite a name for themselves--and you’ll taste why. In late summer and fall, you can often pick your own muscadines to snack on during your ride. 

Highlights:
The varied scenery of rural East Tennessee
Waterfalls
Visits to historic rural towns
Relaxed riding on quiet backroads 
Views to Cherokee National Forest
Scenic Ocoee, Hiwassee and Tellico Rivers
Wine-tastings available (additional cost) at Tsali Notch Vineyard
Visit to a Mennonite farm market

The region is called "Overhill" for a reason--and you'll be cycling over countless hills. But few are long and fewer are steep. With the exception of a few brief areas with packed gravel or dirt (very walkable), the surface is entirely asphalt.

It's almost guaranteed you'll see more cows than cars on this supported tour, which starts in Tellico Plains and winds its way through fields and forests toward third-generation Philpott Farm in the fertile farmlands of the central Tennessee Overhill and  in and around Tellico Plains. We'll stop at for a picnic lunch at Coltharp Community Center, the historic one-room schoolhouse this ride will help raise funds to preserve.
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On the way back, stop for a farm-fresh snack at Tellico Community Farmers Market as we make our way through this lush rural farming region.

Highlights:
Family farms and rural churches of Monroe and McMinn Counties
Quiet back roads
Historic Tellico Plains
Tellico Community Farm Market (Mennonite community)

We will connect the stories from Georgia's role in the growth of the cotton industry and slavery to turning points leading up to the Civil War. We will explore Reconstruction, the Lost Cause, the Jim Crow era, redlining, immigration, access to education, the history of voting rights and how all these topics have impacted critical conversations in America today.

Our travels will take us to historic civil war and civil rights sites in and around the city. We will visit post-Civil War neighborhoods built for the most powerful white elites of early Atlanta and cross the railroad tracks to visit a cotton factory and mill town and explore the history of the first community established by freed slaves in 1866.

This tour is designed to be interactive and thought-provoking, and our stops will incorporate a wide range of social justice topics. Whether you are just starting to learn about American's social justice history or teach these topics in the classroom, there is a remarkable experience waiting for you on this interactive and thought-provoking 3-day event.

Highlights:
Accommodations at Hotel Clermont, newly renovated Art Deco Hotel located a short walk from Ponce City Market and the Atlanta Beltline 
Welcome Event at Wonderkid and Three Taverns Imaginarium
Exceptional dining options available throughout 3-day event
Exploring beautiful historic neighborhoods and restaurant districts in and around Atlanta
A luncheon event with residents in Clarkston, Georgia, a refugee resettlement community
Visiting Stone Mountain State Park, home to the largest bas-relief sculpture in the world
Capturing the Spirit of Oakland Event
Sunday morning at Ebenezer Baptist Church

Meet your guides at Five Wits, located in Market South- a unique food dining hall filled with a variety of flavors from a talented array of local chefs. Before you choose your 5 oz. pour, we'll get a brief behind-the-scenes tour of the brewing process, and you can select the perfect beer for your palette. From here, your guides will lead you on a flat, leisurely ride to the MLK neighborhood, where you'll experience Odd Story Brewing Co.- known for it's unique sours and Belgians. 

From here we'll cross the street to Hutton & Smith, where you can try some traditional style IPAs, Blondes, or something different all-together! 

Next, we'll meander through some backroads and see some beautiful murals as we wind our way to WanderLinger for our final 5 oz. pour. Your tour will conclude back at Market South- while your night with Bike the South may be complete, we encourage you to pop back in for a delicious meal (try a mouth-watering Philly Cheesesteak or pair dinner from ChowMain with a pint at FiveWits).

If you're a novice who has tired of the same old close-to-home routes but may not want to head out alone into new territory, this fully supported tour with support vehicle and ride-along guide is for you. Still not sure? We have e-bikes!

This loop ranks among the favorite routes for local cyclists--and for good reason: 
It's remote with little traffic. 

It's generally flat to lightly rolling with just two notable hills but nothing long or steep. 

And the scenery will keep us stopping again and again for photos--of barns, farms, old churches and the ever-present Lookout Mountain on the ride south and Pigeon Mountain on the ride back north. 

The turnaround point is Mountain Cove Store, where we'll have snacks and time to look forward to our ride back.

Surrounded by majestic mountain views in lush foothills not far from Athens, Tennessee, Tsali Notch Vineyard will serve as the scenic starting point for a leisurely loop ride through spectacular countryside. The fully supported and guided bike ride will be followed by a wine- or juice-tasting. You may even be able to pick muscadines!

Riders can expect rolling rural roads with little traffic, spectacular scenery, and Southern hospitality--both from your guide and from local farmers likely to wave as you pass by. Come spend the day in the country with us!

The basic route is about 19 miles. Riders can also choose additional distance options.

Highlights:
Majestic views of the Cherokee National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains
Largest muscadine vineyard in Tennessee with U-pick season in full swing (at least through early October)
Wine tasting in a rustic yet refined event space
Artisanal products from muscadine grapes available for purchase

Sequatchie Valley takes you 100 years into the past with its farmland, signature red barns, 19th-century churches, content cows and curious horses. 
You’ll enjoy spectacular views of the valley as the Sequatchie River winds between Walden’s Ridge and the Cumberland Plateau on low-traffic roads between charming Pikeville and Dunlap and enjoy the best of Southern cooking and charm at the Cookie Jar Cafe.

Highlights:
Views of majestic Cumberland Plateau and Walden’s Ridge
Historic and charming Pikeville
Rural farmland with signature red barns and historic churches
Southern-style lunch at the Cookie Jar Cafe
Ice cream finish at Ember's Ice Cream Shoppe

Private tours can opt for shorter or longer routes. Your guide will discuss with you in advance of your tour.

Experience beautiful small towns across Georgia with your local guides, who will share history and local stories as you explore Southern backroads and hidden gems. This bicycle tour is designed for Active-level cyclists (3 on a scale of 1-4), but e-bikes will also be available.

Each day of the tour averages about 45 miles of road cycling with excursions along the way planned with local experts. Enjoy a cold Georgia beer as we relax after each day’s ride and explore your overnight location. Enjoy Southern flavor each day with locally prepared meals.

The tour begins barely an hour from Atlanta in Athens, home to the Georgia Bulldogs, an internationally acclaimed music scene (that spawned R.E.M. and the B-52’s), and six breweries ripe for exploring. Arrive early to explore, to fill your bellies with food and drink, and to enjoy entertainment before starting our bicycle adventure.

As we spend the week touring from Athens to Savannah by bike, we’ll experience the variety of Georgia’s cities from bustling college towns to quiet small communities. We seek out adventure, stories, friends and food along the way for a memorable journey toward coastal Savannah, rich with history and charm.

Partial proceeds from the tour will support efforts to create the Georgia Hi-Lo Trail, which will ultimately connect to the Firefly Trail, creating a 250-mile paved path from Athens to Savannah. This tour was created in part to create awareness about the project and demonstrate the potential economic impact of the trail on rural Georgia.

Highlights:
Charming and traditional country lodging
Wonderful Southern dining
Southern charm and hospitality
Athens’ music, arts, beer and food scene
Jittery Joe's Coffee Roaster
Sweet Olive Farm
Ogeechee River Mill
George L. Smith State Park
Historic Downtown Savannah