In this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Journey Jukebox" Podcast, travel writer Lisa Evans takes us to Clarksville, Tennessee. It isn’t the Clarksville of the Mississippi Blues Trail. It’s a river city less than an hour from Nashville that deserves a day, or several, all to itself.

Lisa shares the history, the attractions and the public art that made this one of her favorite recent trips.

You’ll meet Olympic legends Wilma Rudolph and Pat Head Summitt, and hear how Wilma insisted her hometown welcome be open to everyone. Lisa tours the 1898 Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, explores the Historic Collinsville Pioneer Settlement (and makes her own butter), and heads underground at Dunbar Cave State Park, a rough, unlit cave with Native American art deep inside. She also shares the colorful murals, including Last Train to Clarksville (pictured) and Clarksville Starry Night, and the brand-new Wings of Liberty Museum at Fort Campbell.

Next month, Lisa returns with Clarksville’s food, wine and spirits. Don’t forget the Journey Jukebox Spotify playlist, where Jimi Hendrix, who was stationed at Fort Campbell, shares the mix with Roy Acuff.

Learn more, see photos & get travel planning resource links: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/clarksville-tennessee-history-caves-public-art

LISTEN & CONNECT - Journey Jukebox Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/journey-jukebox-with-lisa - Journey Jukebox Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7humUf03LIW04t8LiJSSN9?si=3683d9bcf60649d3 - Lisa Evans Travel Features: https://writerlisa.com/ - Lisa's "All About Travel" Substack: https://substack.com/@allabouttravelwithlisa

Travel writer and advisor Lisa Evans, host of Big Blend Radio's "Journey Jukebox" Podcast takes us to Yellowstone National Park — America's very first national park, marking 110 years of the National Park Service this year.

This episode picks up right where her Cody, Wyoming visit left off: after basing herself in Cody, Lisa spent a day and a half looping through Yellowstone by chartered bus, and brings back a full rundown — bison herds thick enough to stop traffic for fifty cars, a moose sighting straight out of Lamar Valley, a surprise cinnamon bear, and the bighorn sheep on the way out of the park.

From there we walk through the icons — Old Faithful (which kept everyone waiting an extra thirty minutes), the otherworldly colors of Grand Prismatic Spring and the Midway Geyser Basin, the bubbling mud volcanoes, and dinner at the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel with a general manager who's spent 40 years working his way up through the park's lodging operation.

We also get honest about the less charming side of visiting a place like Yellowstone: tourists stepping over barriers at Mammoth Hot Springs, walking up to bison for a closer photo, and — in one widely reported case — Pierce Brosnan's own $1,500 fine for wandering off a boardwalk into a restricted thermal area. With national parks already stretched thin on funding and staffing, we talk about why this isn't just about rule-following — it's about keeping the wildlife wild and the parks safe for everyone who visits them.

Along the way, Lisa also looks ahead to her next stops — Clarksville, TN, and a trip up to Anacortes, WA — and shares more of the multi-generational travel trends she's seeing on the road.

🗺️ Plan your own trip: Full Yellowstone travel guide, park links, and resources: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/yellowstone-still-wild-at-110

- Missed her last stop? Catch Lisa's Cody, Wyoming episode & article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/cody-wyoming-western-culture

🎵 Journey Jukebox Music Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7humUf03LIW04t8LiJSSN9?si=71c11c52c77c4596

🎧 More about the Journey Jukebox Podcast: - New episodes air every 3rd Tuesday at 6pm CST: https://journeyjukebox.podbean.com/ - Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/JOURNEY-JUKEBOX---2026/#p=1

Follow Lisa Evans: - https://substack.com/@allabouttravelwithlisa - https://writerlisa.com/

In this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Journey Jukebox" travel podcast, travel writer Lisa Evans takes us to Cody, Wyoming, a fascinating Western destination where the spirit of the Old West is still very much alive.

Located just outside Yellowstone National Park, Cody combines Western history, art, craftsmanship, music, rodeo, and living history in a destination that's worth more than just a quick overnight stop. Lisa shares her experiences exploring the city's many layers, from the extraordinary Western functional art at By Western Hands to the historic buildings and frontier stories of Old Trail Town.

The episode also takes us to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody Cattle Company, and the Cody Stampede Rodeo, where Lisa experienced her first "real" rodeo. She also discovers the city's lively music scene and talks about the musicians she added to the Journey Jukebox playlist.

With American Adventures Month and America 250 as part of the conversation, this episode is an invitation to explore a destination where American history, Western heritage, artistry, entrepreneurship, and entertainment come together. As Lisa discovered, Cody is much more than a gateway to Yellowstone—it's a destination worth spending several days exploring.

🗺️ Cody, Wyoming Travel Planning Resources - Lisa's article on By Western Hands: https://www.seegreatart.art/discovering-cody-wyomings-legacy-of-western-art-at-by-western-hands/

- Irma Emporium: https://www.irmahotel.com/

- The Chamberlin Inn - https://chamberlininn.com/

- Heart Mountain WWII Japanese American National Historic Landmark: https://www.heartmountain.org/

- Buffalo Bill Center of the West: https://centerofthewest.org/

- The Cody Cattle Company: https://thecodycattlecompany.com/

- Cody Stampede Rodeo: https://www.codystampederodeo.com/

- Cody Firearms Experience: https://www.codyfirearmsexperience.com/

- By Western Hands: https://www.bywesternhands.org/

- Old Trail Town: https://oldtrailtown.org/

🎵 Journey Jukebox Music Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7humUf03LIW04t8LiJSSN9?si=71c11c52c77c4596

Lisa's Cody playlist includes artists such as Righteous Vendetta, Kaylen Beasley, and Luke Bell, giving the episode its own musical Western soundtrack.

🎧 More about the Journey Jukebox Podcast: - New episodes air every 3rd Tuesday at 6pm CST: https://journeyjukebox.podbean.com/

- Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/JOURNEY-JUKEBOX---2026/#p=1