Visitor directory
Bradley County directory
Cleveland and Charleston in the Ocoee Region — Red Clay State Historic Park, the Cherokee Nation’s last council ground before the Trail of Tears, on the Georgia line; the Hiwassee River Heritage Center in Charleston, where the Cherokee Agency and Fort Cass stood; and the Museum Center at 5ive Points and the Mouse Creek greenway in Cleveland. On Eastern time, like every county around it.
Cities: Cleveland (county seat) · Charleston
Communities: South Cleveland · Wildwood Lake · Hopewell · East Cleveland · McDonald · Tasso · Black Fox · Flint Springs
Official tourism, parks & attractions
Tourism
- Visit Cleveland (Cleveland/Bradley Tourism) ↗The county’s official visitor guide — things to see and do, places to stay and eat, and a local events calendar · (423) 472-6587.
- MainStreet Cleveland ↗Downtown Cleveland’s Main Street program — the Downtown Halloween Block Party, the Christmas parade, and downtown dining and shopping · (423) 479-1000.
Parks & outdoors
- Red Clay State Historic Park ↗1140 Red Clay Park Rd SW, Cleveland, on the Georgia line · 263 acres where the Cherokee Nation held its last council meetings in the 1830s, before removal on the Trail of Tears · the Blue Hole council spring, replica Cherokee structures, the Eternal Flame memorial and the James F. Corn Interpretive Facility, plus a loop trail to an overlook · check the park page for hours and ranger programs.
- Cleveland/Bradley County Greenway ↗A city–county linear park: more than four miles of lighted, unbroken path along Mouse Creek from the Mohawk Dr trailhead through Tinsley Park and Greenway Park (Raider Dr) to Willow St, with spurs along Fillauer Branch and into downtown Cleveland.
Museums & history
- Museum Center at 5ive Points ↗200 Inman St E, downtown Cleveland · the story of the Ocoee Region, with a permanent exhibit and rotating shows · Tue–Fri 10 AM–5 PM ET, Sat 10 AM–3 PM ET; closed Sun–Mon · admission free, donations welcome · (423) 339-5745.
- Hiwassee River Heritage Center (Charleston) ↗8746 Hiwassee St (US 11), Charleston · a certified site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail: Charleston was the site of the federal Cherokee Agency and then Fort Cass, the U.S. Army headquarters for the Cherokee removal, and a Civil War river crossing · Tue–Fri 11 AM–5 PM ET, Sat 11 AM–3 PM ET; closed Sun, Mon and major holidays · (423) 665-3373.
Government
- Cleveland Bradley County Public Library ↗Main library in Cleveland, with branches — see Location & Hours. Its History Branch holds a Cherokee collection.
- Bradley County government ↗County Mayor D. Gary Davis · (423) 728-7141 · county offices Mon–Thu 8:30 AM–4:30 PM ET, Fri 8:30 AM–5 PM ET.
- City of Cleveland ↗The county seat — city services, parks and recreation and the City Council.
Local resources
- Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
- Bradley County 911 (non-emergency dispatch)(423) 728-7311Non-emergency calls and incident reports anywhere in the county · Bradley County 911 Center. ⓘ source
- Bradley County Sheriff’s Office(423) 728-73002290 Blythe Ave, Cleveland · administrative line Mon–Fri 8:30 AM–4:30 PM ET · non-emergency (423) 728-7311 · Sheriff Steve Lawson. ⓘ source
- Bradley Medical Center (Vitruvian Health)(423) 559-60002305 Chambliss Ave NW, Cleveland · 24-hour emergency department · the former Tennova Healthcare–Cleveland. ⓘ source
- Bradley County Health Department(423) 728-7020201 Dooley St SE, Cleveland · Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM ET · clinics, vaccinations, vital records. ⓘ source
- Bradley County Schools(423) 476-0620Central office, Cleveland (Cleveland City Schools run the schools inside the city). ⓘ source
- Bradley County Election Commission(423) 728-7115Election office on Broad St, Cleveland · Election Day Tue Nov 3, 8 AM–8 PM ET at your own precinct; early voting ends Thu Oct 29. ⓘ source
- Highway emergency (cell)*THP (*847)Tennessee Highway Patrol ⓘ source
Checked Oct 28, 2026 · official sites only · phone numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. In an emergency, call 911.
Area news
Headlines from local outlets · Bradley County
Bradley Central High School broke ground on a FEMA-funded community safe room that will be a science wing on school days and a public storm shelter in severe weather.
Read at Local 3 News →Charleston’s City Commission held a special meeting on the county’s urban-growth boundaries as residents pressed for a review near the proposed Project River site; commissioners voted to keep discussing it.
Read at WDEF News 12 →County Commission Chairman Milan Blake said the county will fight the Project Midspan developer’s lawsuit over its data-center rules, with funding for the defense going to the Finance Committee.
Read at WDEF News 12 →
Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the outlet. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]
A short history
Bradley County was carved out of the Ocoee District, land that had been part of the Cherokee Nation. In 1819 Charleston, on the Hiwassee River, became the site of the Cherokee Agency, home of the U.S. agents for Cherokee affairs — among them Return Jonathan Meigs, Hugh Montgomery and Joseph McMinn — and Lewis Ross, brother of Principal Chief John Ross, kept a store there until the removal of 1838. In the 1830s Red Clay, in the south of the county, became the last capital of the Cherokees as they fought removal by appealing to the president and Congress and bringing suits in the federal courts. The Cherokees consider it sacred ground. Fort Cass at Charleston was the Army’s headquarters for the removal, and Rattlesnake Springs, farther north, was a gathering point for Cherokees leaving on the journey west.
The General Assembly created Bradley County in February 1836 and named it for Colonel Edward Bradley, a Tennessee militia officer who commanded the First Regiment of Tennessee Infantry in the War of 1812. Cleveland was made the county seat and named for Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, a Revolutionary War hero of the battle of Kings Mountain. Soldiers from the county fought on both sides of the Civil War; Abraham Lincoln considered the railroad near Cleveland a key to victory in the western theater, and the bridge at Charleston was burned several times during the war.
Cleveland grew into a manufacturing town best known for its stoves — Hardwick, Magic Chef and Brown Stove were all made here. Three denominations keep their headquarters in the county: the Church of God, the Church of God of Prophecy and the Church of God Jerusalem Acres. Lee University and Cleveland State Community College are in Cleveland, and Paul Huff, born and raised in the county, received the Medal of Honor for his actions in World War II. Today the Museum Center at 5ive Points downtown and Red Clay tell the story of the Ocoee Region.
Towns & communities
- Cleveland — county seat; MainStreet Cleveland downtown, the Museum Center at 5ive Points, the Mouse Creek greenway, Lee University and Cleveland State Community College
- Charleston — small city on the Hiwassee River at US 11, across from Calhoun; the Hiwassee River Heritage Center, on the site of the Cherokee Agency and Fort Cass
- McDonald (community) — southwest of Cleveland near the Hamilton County line
- Flint Springs (community) — in the south of the county, near Red Clay and the Georgia line
Our place stories in and near Bradley County
Go deeper
Neighboring counties: Hamilton County · McMinn County · Meigs County · Polk County · All counties →
Official visitor links
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · hours, fees and events live on these pages.
Videos
Sources
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · We summarize; follow these for the full history. No hours or fees on this page — check official sites before you go.