Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky

I'm not sure how far you want to go. In Virginia I enjoy Charlottesville and Asheville. Near Charlottesville is one of my favorite BBQ places in a cute, small town called Gordonsville. The place is BBQ Exchange. A couple years ago, I submitted a thread covering part of Tennessee:
https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4400149

If you prefer small towns, I might recommend Franklin, south of Nashville. I don't consider Nashville a tourist trap, but it is big and chaotic, with lots of bars and noise. It can be a lot of fun, but not everyone is into that sort of thing. Franklin is a beautiful, walkable, historic town. It might qualify as a tourist trap, but it feels nice.

If you do find yourselves in Nashville get tickets for the Grand Ole Opry. I'm not a touristy kinda guy either and I had my doubts. I was very glad I did it, it was like a time travel back to a Norman Rockwell slice of America. I got the tickets the same day so it's not like I needed to plan ahead.

Don't forget the distillery's in TN. There's Jack Daniels and George Dickell. They aren't terribly far apart either.

LYU370 said:

Louisville KY if you're into bourbon. LOTS of distilleries to visit that have tours & tastings. Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken, several locations around that area.

Never been, but have heard if you have the time, the Cherohala Skyway is supposed to be a fantastic scenic drive. https://www.visitmonroetn.com/cherohala-skyway

The Great Smokey Mountains are near there as well, great scenic drives, Gatlinburg TN, Pidgeon Forge, etc.

Never been to Nashville either, but plan to stop for a day or two before the SE Brethren Bash. I have Peg Leg Porker & Martin's BBQ Joint saved in my Google maps.

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Just an FYI the next time you are visiting or passing through Louisville, we have a Martin's BBQ Joint too. It's on the east side of town and easy access from the interstate.