NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A report shows more than 8 million people visited Tennessee's national parks last year, spending $530 million in the process.
The report released last week by the National Park Service also shows that the parks supported more than 7,600 jobs in 2013.
National parks in Tennessee include Shiloh National Military Park, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Stones River National Battlefield, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Chickamauga-Chattanooga National Military Park, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists. On a nationwide basis, the report shows $14.6 billion of direct spending by more than 273 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park.