James H. Quillen VA Medical Center
Life in And Around Johnson City
Founded as a railroad town in the 1850s, Johnson City’s downtown merges cool renovations with historic charm. Restaurants, coffee shops, galleries, music venues and eclectic shops now fill revitalized 19th-century buildings in an easily walkable area. Old train depots have been transformed into restaurants and breweries. Founders Park, in the heart of downtown, hosts live music throughout the summer, yoga, a farmers market and the popular two-day Blue Plum Music Festival and the popular UMOJA Festival. Festivals, road races and more are hosted throughout the city year around.
You can bike, run or walk the Tweetsie Trail, a 10-mile rails-to-trail project that starts downtown. Or you can hike through 725 acres of dense forest at Buffalo Mountain Park, just 10 minutes from downtown, and look down on Johnson City from above.
The variety of outdoor activities available in the area make it a perfect place to be based for any outdoors enthusiast—from backpacking to mountain climbing, hunting, fishing, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and boating. The area also boasts some of the best scenic roads in the U.S.—providing some of the prettiest winding ribbons of pavement for motorcycle and automobile enthusiasts. Just minutes from the historic Appalachian Trail and Blue Ridge Parkway.
In addition, Johnson City is just minutes away from NASCAR’s Bristol Motor Speedway, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, historic and charming Jonesborough , Tennessee’s Oldest Town, which hosts numerous eateries and festivals, including the annual National Storytelling Festival. If you are up for a road trip, head over the mountain to Asheville for more entertainment and delicious food.
Find out more at the following sites:
Downtown Johnson City (downtownjctn.com)
Welcome to Johnson City, TN (johnsoncitytn.org)
Note: The links above will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs Website. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.
Page Updated: July 2024
