Cheese travel
Cheese in Tennessee
Tennessee cheese means farmstead cheddar made by dairy families who also run a shop and a café. In the east, Sweetwater Valley Farm in Philadelphia gives tasting samples in its cheese shop and runs paid farm tours from Tuesday to Saturday. South of Nashville, Nash Family Creamery pairs its cheeses with sandwiches and ice cream, and takes farm tours by reservation. Knoxville holds a ticketed cheese festival on Kentucky Derby weekend in early May.
Festivals
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See all worldwideEast Tennessee
The most visited stop is Sweetwater Valley Farm in Loudon County, between Knoxville and Chattanooga. The family dairy makes cheddars, Colby, Gouda and curds, and the cheese shop pours free samples. A café in the barn sells grilled cheese made with the farm's own cheese. Knoxville itself has the Knoxville Cheese Fest, a two-day tasting event at the Barrelhouse by Gypsy Circus on Lamar Street.
Middle Tennessee
Nash Family Creamery sits on Highway 41A about 25 miles south of Nashville. The eatery is open Tuesday to Sunday, and seasonal farm tours go out to the barns, the milking parlor viewing room and the cheese production facility. Further southwest, in Ethridge, Flowers Creamery makes nine farmstead cheeses from its own robotic dairy and opens a farm store four days a week.
Sequatchie Cove Creamery, near Chattanooga, makes some of the best-known Tennessee cheeses, but it does not list visiting hours. Look for its cheese in shops instead.
When to Go
Spring and autumn are the easiest seasons. The Knoxville Cheese Fest falls on the first weekend of May, which in 2026 was 1 and 2 May. From late August to the start of November, Nash Family Creamery runs an 18-acre corn maze, so weekends there get busy. Summer works too, but Sweetwater warns that its partly outdoor tour gets hot when East Tennessee reaches the 90s. Note the closing days: most of these places close on Sunday or Monday, and Flowers Creamery's store opens only Wednesday to Saturday.
A Suggested Route
Start in Nashville and drive down Highway 41A to Nash Family Creamery for lunch and a farm tour. On a Wednesday to Saturday, carry on to Flowers Creamery in Ethridge before the store shuts (1pm on Saturday). The next day, head east on I-40 to Knoxville and then south on I-75 to Sweetwater Valley Farm for an 11am or 12:30pm tour and a grilled cheese in the café. In early May, time the trip for the Knoxville Cheese Fest.
Getting Around
You need a car. The farms are rural and not served by public transport. Nashville and Knoxville both have airports with car hire. Sweetwater Valley Farm is on Eastern time, while Nash and Flowers are on Central time, so check tour times against the right clock.
Other Places to Buy Cheese
| Name | Town | What you can do | When open | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flowers Creamery | Ethridge | Farm store selling its nine farmstead cheeses (cheddars, Colby, Gouda, pepper jack) and bottled milk; tours of the robotic dairy and processing room by appointment | Wed to Fri 9am to 5pm, Sat 9am to 1pm | flowerscreamery.com |
Where to Stay in Tennessee
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Questions People Ask
Where can you see cheese being made in Tennessee?
At Sweetwater Valley Farm in Philadelphia, where the cheese shop sits next to the cheesemaking room and offers free tastings, and on the Nash Family Creamery farm tour, which visits the cheese production facility. Flowers Creamery shows its processing room by appointment.
Is there a cheese festival in Tennessee?
Yes, the Knoxville Cheese Fest, held on the first weekend of May at the Barrelhouse by Gypsy Circus. Tickets are sold for timed tasting sessions.
Which Tennessee creameries are near Nashville?
Nash Family Creamery is about 25 miles south of Nashville in Chapel Hill. Flowers Creamery in Ethridge is further southwest, near Lawrenceburg.