Overview
Not to be confused with the much larger city in California. Tracy City is a town of 1,400 people (2019) in Grundy County in central Tennessee. There are many hills, rock faces, and beautiful streams in the countryside surrounding Tracy City. The town is built around a few streams that flow through its limits.
2 sights · 4 things to do · 2 places to eat · 2 bars & cafés · 3 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Tracy City
Fiery Gizzard Trail
The Tracy City end of the Fiery Gizzard Trail is accessed via the relatively flat Grundy Forest Day Loop. The loop begins at the Grundy Forest State Natural Area Picnic Shelter, and after just 500 feet (150 m) presents h…
South Cumberland State Park
This state park has several trailheads near Tracy City (including Fiery Gizzard Trailhead), but the park headquarters and visitor center are along the U.S. Route 41 between Tracy City and Monteagle.
Foster Falls
This beautiful waterfall is on a tributary of the Fiery Gizzard Creek and only exists at certain times of the year. It falls down a large rock overhang and into a pond below like many Tennessee waterfalls do. It is fairl…
Shook House
This is a historic house near downtown. It is on a large property and is quite attractive, although not easy to view in detail from either Railroad Avenue or Montgomery Street.
Grundy Forest State Natural Area
This small park area (which is part of the greater South Cumberland State Park) follows the path of the Big Fiery Gizzard Creek, and south of the park its trails merge to form the Fiery Gizzard Trail.
Grundy Lakes
A small collection of lakes and streams near Tracy. There are a few trails around the lakes. The Grundy Lakes region, like Grundy Forest, is part of South Cumberland State Park.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Mar–May, Sep–Nov. Summer highs reach about 92°F; winter lows dip to about 33°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Dec and Mar. (climate data from nearby Huntsville)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- CHA Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field), Chattanooga — 34 mi away. Directions
- HSV Huntsville International Airport, Huntsville — 73 mi away. Directions
- BNA Nashville International Airport, Nashville — 80 mi away (major hub). Directions
U.S. 41 connects Tracy City with Jasper and Monteagle, and Tennessee Route 56 connects Tracy City with Coalmont and Altamont.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Shook House, Grundy Forest State Natural Area, Fiery Gizzard Trail
- Lunch La Ranchera
- Afternoon South Cumberland State Park, Grundy Lakes
- Dinner Hank's Corner Grille
- Evening Annex Cafe
Day 2
- Morning Foster Falls
- Evening Dutch Maid Bakery
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
It's along US Route 41 near Interstate Route 24 in Central Tennessee, a region of the South that is, for the most part, thickly forested.
History
Tracy City was incorporated in 1915, and named after financier Samuel Franklin Tracy. The city developed out of railroad and mining interests after coal was found in 1840. In 2010 the people of Tracy City elected a dead man, Carl Robin Geary, as mayor.
Get in
U.S. 41 connects Tracy City with Jasper and Monteagle, and Tennessee Route 56 connects Tracy City with Coalmont and Altamont.
See
'There are many beautiful waterfalls near Tracy City because it is on the edge of the Appalachians, and many canyons dramatically cut their way through the side of the mountain range. However, the canyons themselves are hard to view because the region is thickly forested in most places.
Although you might expect to see a lot of historic houses in the South, Tracy City was founded in the early 20th century, so there are not many historic buildings.
See Foster Falls
This beautiful waterfall is on a tributary of the Fiery Gizzard Creek and only exists at certain times of the year. It falls down a large rock overhang and into a pond below like many Tennessee waterfalls do. It is fairly easily accessible from the Foster Falls Campground.
See Shook House
This is a historic house near downtown. It is on a large property and is quite attractive, although not easy to view in detail from either Railroad Avenue or Montgomery Street.
Do
The most well-known hike in the Tracy City area is the Fiery Gizzard Trail.
Do Fiery Gizzard Trail
The Tracy City end of the Fiery Gizzard Trail is accessed via the relatively flat Grundy Forest Day Loop. The loop begins at the Grundy Forest State Natural Area Picnic Shelter, and after just 500 feet (150 m) presents hikers with a 20-foot (6.1 m) waterfall. Vestiges of the Civilian Conservation Corps camp S-67 can be seen another half mile down the walk. Hikers can see the confluence of Little and Big Fiery Gizzard Creeks, can cool off in three swimming holes, two with waterfalls. The Fiery Gizzard trail begins roughly midway along the Day Loop, crossing a bridge across Little Fiery Gizzard Creek while the loop continues without crossing the bridge. Sights along the trail begin with a large rock shelter and a five-century-old Hemlock tree, the 7-foot-deep (2.1 m) Blue Hole with 9-foot (2.7-m) waterfall, then Sycamore Falls, a swimming hole at the base of a 12-foot (3.7-m) fall. The trail then passes through the "Fruit Bowl," a pile of house-sized boulders with stairs through them that were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Other features in this portion of the hike include Chimney Rock, a 20-foot (6.1 m) rock column, Black Canyon - so named because of organic stain on the rocks, and Crumbling Bluff - an area honeycombed with pits and small caves. After 3.7 miles (6.0 km), the trail begins an arduous climb to Raven Point, possibly one of the most rugged and difficult trails in Tennessee. Raven Point offers a spectacular overlook on a spur 0.4 miles (0.64 km) off the main trail. Continuing from there, the path mostly follows the flatter top of the Cumberland Plateau, except for a precarious 0.3 miles (0.48 km) horizontal 200-foot (61-m) vertical (each way) dip into Laurel Branch Gorge across myriad rocks that all seem to move as you step on them.
Do Grundy Forest State Natural Area (Fiery Gizzard Trailhead)
This small park area (which is part of the greater South Cumberland State Park) follows the path of the Big Fiery Gizzard Creek, and south of the park its trails merge to form the Fiery Gizzard Trail.
Do Grundy Lakes
A small collection of lakes and streams near Tracy. There are a few trails around the lakes. The Grundy Lakes region, like Grundy Forest, is part of South Cumberland State Park.
Buy
Most of the restaurants and stores in the town are between Colyar Street and Railroad Avenue, although there is a shopping mall in the east. The main supermarket near the center of Tracy City is a Dollar General store.
Shop Henry Flury & Sons
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Lodging
There are no hotels or motels in Tracy City, so if you want anything close to luxury as a place to sleep, go to Kimball, Monteagle, or Chattanooga. However, there are multiple lodging services in Tracy City.
Camping
For those who want to camp in this area, go to the southern end of the Fiery Gizzard Trail, where there is at least one campground.
Stay Foster Falls Campground
Go next
- Chattanooga had a strategic location during the Civil War near the Deep South between the Alabama-Mississippi region and the Carolinas. It is to the southeast.
- Manchester is a small city northwest of Tracy City that is near the Old Stone Fort Archaeological Park.
- Monteagle is a few miles west of Tracy City. There are more hotels and motels in Monteagle than there are in Tracy City because Monteagle is close to Interstate Route 24.
Nearby
Monteagle
City / town · 14 listings · 6 mi away
Sewanee
City / town · 12 listings · 11 mi away
Cowan
City / town · 17 listings · 17 mi away
Russell Cave National Monument
Park · 1 listings · 20 mi away
Winchester
City / town · 21 mi away
Manchester
City / town · 5 listings · 25 mi away
Tullahoma
City / town · 11 listings · 28 mi away
Walls of Jericho
Park · 28 mi away
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