Jonesborough, Tennessee

Jonesborough is Tennessee’s oldest town; the historic Chester Inn in downtown was built in 1797.  It is the county seat of Washington County. Jonesborough is also the home to the International Storytelling Center, which holds the annual National Storytelling Festival on the first full weekend in October.  What started out as a small gathering of 60 people in 1973 has now turned into one of the Top 100 Events in North America.  The festival influenced the development of a storytelling graduate degree program at the nearby East Tennessee State University.  Jonesborough also provides the Wetlands Water Park for cool summer recreation. Jonesborough is surrounded by low hills and elongate ridges that are characteristic of the Appalachian Ridge-and-Valley Province. The main crest of the Appalachian Mountains rises just a few miles southeast of Jonesborough. This small town was named after North Carolina legislator, Willie Jones, who supported North Carolina's westward expansion over the Appalachian Mountains. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.