Planning that summer vacation after finals are over? Why leave the state when Tennessee has so much to offer residents and visitors alike? Yes, Tennessee has something for everyone: from white water rafting to theme and amusement parks, museums, historical sites and some of the best state and national parks in the country. Below are just a few sites you may want to put on your list of places to go this summer.

Among the best Tennessee amusement and theme parks is Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., offering live music, rides and crafts and is one of the top 50 most visited theme parks in the country today.

Libertyland Amusement Park, located in Memphis, Tenn., has over 20 high speed thrill rides, a gaming area and offers carnival-style food at restaurants and stands located throughout the park. Libertyland is also host to Spirit!, a musical celebration of our unity as a nation and of our diverse population.

Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort and Amusement Park, located in Gatlinburg, Tenn., is a mountaintop ski resort theme park with fun, excitement and great shopping for everyone.

Splash Country Water Adventure Park, located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. contains white water adventures, water falls, winding streams and many rides from “wild to mild.”

Tennessee natural and educational attractions include Adventure Science Center, located in Nashville, Tenn., featuring exhibits depicting Hollywood’s horror movies, where monsters convey the power of the atom, learn about light from the Prince of Darkness, energy from the Wolf Man, conservation from the Mummy and electricity from Frankenstein.

A Walk in the Woods, located in Gatlinburg, Tenn., features guided trips through the Smoky Mountains National Park, designed to make your stay as enjoyable as possible while teaching natural history. Rock City, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., high on the top of Lookout Mountain, offers the world-famous Lover’s Leap, 140-foot high falls and over 400 species of flowers, plants and shrubs. Enjoy being one with nature while walking through splendid gardens and woodland paths.

Ruby Falls, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., is one of the nation’s natural wonders and one of Chattanooga’s most famous attractions. Ruby Falls is a 145-foot high waterfall located inside historic Lookout Mountain and also features caves and caverns. The Lost Sea, located in Sweetwater, Tenn., is the world’s largest underground lake and is part of an extensive cave system known as Craighead Caverns.

Tennessee also offers many historical musical entertainment sites which include the world-famous Beale Street, located in Memphis, Tenn. and is the home of Blues and the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll and offers a carnival atmosphere with great food and fun for all. The Country Music Hall of Fame, located in Nashville, Tennessee’s Music Row, is a $37 million structure exhibiting the best performers in country music.

The Dixie Stampede, located in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., features 32 horses and dozens of cast members in a 35,000 square-foot arena, proving to be one of Tennessee’s finest sites in down home entertainment. Dolly Parton created the Dixie Stampede in hope of recreating the family fun of her childhood when family and friends gathered for friendly competitions and to enjoy great food.

Graceland, located in Memphis, Tenn., is the world-famous home of Elvis Presley, features little- known facts about the entertainer, photos, exhibits and many of Presley’s gold and platinum albums and performance costumes.

The Grand Ole Opry, located in Nashville, Tenn., offers the best in country music entertainment, comedy and pageantry with a connection between artists and audience like no other in the world. The Nashville Symphony, located in Nashville, Tenn., features more than 200 performances annually in Classical, Pops, Pied Piper and Summer series concerts and has long since been considered on of Tennessee’s “cornerstone of performing arts.”

Tennessee also offers many National and State Parks including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located in Gatlinburg, Tenn., it is the largest national park in the East, featuring over one-half million acres, auto tours of the park and over 270 miles of scenic Smokey Mountain roads.

Fort Donelson National Battlefield, located in Dover, Tenn., features Fort Donelson National Cemetery, the final resting place of many Union soldiers killed in the Civil War and many other American veterans representing over seven wars. Fort Donelson and the Dover Hotel, where Confederate General Simon B. Buckner surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant, can also be found there.

Tennessee also offers many locations for whitewater rafting including the Appalachian Outdoors Whitewater Rafting, located in Hartford, Tenn., where visitors can raft the Upper Pigeon River, some of the best white water in Tennessee. The longest trip on the river is 6.4 miles of white water fun, containing classes of II through IV level rapids. However, for the more conservative rafter, the park also offers a four mile trip on the Lower Pigeon River with class I and II level rapids.

Rafting in the Smokies, located in Gatlinburg, Hartford and Benton, Tenn., offers many whitewater rafting trips while monitoring and keeping in contact between the Big Pigeon, Ocoee and Nantahala River Outposts, creating a safe whitewater rafting experience. Another whitewater rafting company is 5 Rivers Adventures-Whitewater Rafting, located in Cosby, Tenn.. It is family owned and operated in the heart of the Smoky Mountains along the Pigeon River and is the closest whitewater rafting adventure to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

So whether you like entertainment and adventure parks, music or whitewater rafting, Tennessee has something to offer for everyone. The above information and more is located at www.tennesseehosts.com.