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Crossville, Tennessee

Cumberland County’s courthouse town on top of the Cumberland Plateau, on Central time — a 1938 stone-front movie palace, a professional playhouse, the old railroad depot and a WPA-built city lake.

City · incorporated 1901Seat of Cumberland County →Pop. 12,071 (2020)Central time (CT)Things to do ↓Eat & drink ↓Places to stay ↓Events ↓A short history ↓City hall & resources ↓

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · all times Central (CT) · sources at the bottom

In 30 seconds
  • Why stop: walk the courthouse square, catch a movie or concert at the Palace Theatre or a show at the Cumberland County Playhouse, browse the depot’s Tennessee-made gifts, and fish or camp at Meadow Park Lake — then head south to the Homesteads Tower and Cumberland Mountain State Park.
  • Before you go: Crossville runs on Central time (CT) — an hour behind Knoxville and Kingston. It sits at about 1,800 feet on the plateau, right on I-40 between Knoxville and Nashville.
  • Don’t confuse: this is Crossville, Tennessee (Cumberland County, about 12,000 people). Fairfield Glade, Lake Tansi and the Homesteads are separate communities around it; Cumberland Mountain State Park and Ozone Falls are outside downtown.

Visitor directory

Things to do in and around Crossville

In town

  • The courthouse square & downtown Main Street ↗North Main Street around the 1905 Cumberland County Courthouse, 2 N. Main St — built of Indiana limestone, the county’s third courthouse, and on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. Within a few minutes’ walk: Veterans Memorial Park at Main and 4th Street, the Mandy Barnett historical marker honoring the Crossville-raised Grand Ole Opry member, and the Military Memorial Museum of the Upper Cumberland at 20 S. Main St. Free parking in the courthouse lot and on nearby streets. ⓘ source
  • The Historic Palace Theatre ↗72 S. Main St · Crossville’s 1938 movie house, with an Art Deco front of local Crab Orchard stone and a neon marquee — saved from demolition, restored by the city as a community auditorium and reopened in 2001. Movies, concerts and shows most weeks; Encore Ice Cream Parlor is in the complex · open Tuesday–Friday 11 AM–7 PM CT and for events · free tours by appointment · (931) 484-6133. ⓘ source
  • Cumberland County Playhouse ↗221 Tennessee Ave · a professional nonprofit theater that grew out of a 1963 children’s show and now plays to more than 145,000 people a year on two indoor and two outdoor stages — musicals, holiday shows, concerts and a cabaret series · backstage tours on request · box office (931) 484-5000. ⓘ source
  • Historic Crossville Depot & caboose ↗169 N. Main St · the Tennessee Central depot, rebuilt after the first one burned on Valentine’s Day 1925; today a mini welcome center with a “Made in Tennessee” gift shop and a caboose museum · open Tuesday–Friday 10 AM–3 PM CT and Saturday 10 AM–2 PM CT. ⓘ source
  • Art Circle Public Library ↗3 East St · a 35,000-square-foot library of Crab Orchard stone finished in 2010, with a two-and-a-half-story reading room, murals, a county-fair-themed children’s library with carved carousel animals, a café and a used bookstore · (931) 484-6790. ⓘ source
  • Centennial Park ↗837 Industrial Blvd · the city’s big park, about 83 acres — a lighted, paved walking trail of about 1½ miles, a dog park, a fully accessible playground, ball fields and a covered horseshoe arena · Parks & Recreation (931) 456-6632. ⓘ source

Just outside downtown

  • Meadow Park Lake (City of Crossville) ↗1437 City Lake Rd, off Lantana Rd south of town · the city’s 269-acre water-supply lake, dammed with WPA labor and dedicated in 1939, in more than 2,200 acres of mostly wooded land — bass, catfish, crappie and bream, a boat launch, a fishing pier and a campground · no skiing, tubing, jet skis or drones · open 6 AM–10 PM CT through Oct 30, then 6 AM–6 PM CT Oct 31–March 31 · bait shop (931) 788-2034. ⓘ source
  • Golf on the Plateau ↗Explore Crossville bills the area as the “Golf Capital of Tennessee,” with nine courses — among them the Jack Nicklaus Signature Bear Trace course at Cumberland Mountain State Park. Most courses are outside the city limits; see the CVB’s course list. ⓘ source

Nearby: Homesteads, the state park, Ozone Falls & Fairfield Glade

  • Cumberland Homesteads Tower Museum ↗South of downtown — at US 127 and TN 68 · the stone tower that held the New Deal Cumberland Homesteads’ offices and water tank, with a museum and a climb to the lookout; Tennessee State Parks now runs it with Cumberland Mountain State Park — call the park for hours, (931) 484-6138. ⓘ source
  • Cumberland Mountain State Park ↗South of downtown — 24 Office Dr · the Civilian Conservation Corps stone bridge and dam on Byrd Lake, trails, cabins, a campground, boat rentals, the Bear Trace golf course and The Restaurant at Cumberland Mountain · (931) 484-6138.
  • Ozone Falls State Natural Area ↗Not in Crossville — on US 70 at Ozone, east of town about four miles past the Crab Orchard exit off I-40 · Fall Creek drops 110 feet over a sandstone cap rock · open sunrise to sunset; no rappelling. More in our Cumberland County guide.
  • Fairfield GladeNot in Crossville — an unincorporated golf and retirement community north of I-40 (a Census-designated place), not a city and not the county seat. See Cumberland County towns & communities.

Eat & drink

  • 5th Street Marketplace & Gourmet Café ↗271 West Ave · gift and home-décor shop with a café — scratch-made quiche, chicken salad, garden salads and baked desserts. ⓘ source
  • Grinder House Coffee Shop73 N. Main St · espresso from locally roasted beans, from-scratch breakfasts, sandwiches, soups and pastries; singer-songwriters on Saturdays. ⓘ source
  • Forte’s on the Square27 E. 4th St, downtown · Italian-inspired steakhouse — steaks, seafood, Italian specialties and a full bar. ⓘ source
  • The Pour House Bistro42 North St, behind the historic depot · creative comfort food since 2014 — burgers, seafood specials, craft beer, wine and cocktails. ⓘ source
  • Country Kitchen on Main330 N. Main St, just north of downtown · home-style Southern breakfast and lunch — country-fried steak, meatloaf, scratch burgers, daily soups. ⓘ source
  • Social Brew140 N. Main St · downtown craft-beer tasting bar with indoor and outdoor seating, trivia and live music. ⓘ source
  • Creekside Brewing Company ↗11750 Hwy 127 S, south of Crossville · a farm nano-brewery with six rotating taps and Texas-style barbecue. ⓘ source

Dozens more on the CVB’s Eat & Drink list ↗.

Places to stay

More hotels, cabins, RV parks and golf-resort rentals: Explore Crossville — Where to Stay ↗.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · businesses from Explore Crossville (the Crossville–Cumberland County CVB) listings and each business’s own page — free listings; call ahead, hours change. All hours Central (CT).

Coming up in Crossville

  • Thu Oct 29 — Last day of early voting · last night of The Addams FamilyEarly voting for the Nov. 3 election ends today at the Cumberland County Election Commission’s temporary office, 2876 N. Main St. At the Playhouse, The Addams Family (Sept. 25–Oct. 29) closes tonight. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 3 — Election Day — Crossville city election & water referendumPolls 8 AM–7 PM CT. City voters also decide whether to authorize the City Council to transfer certain Meadow Park Lake water-system parcels to the Cumberland Plateau Water Authority if the council later finds it in the city’s interest; the city says a yes vote does not by itself complete a merger. ⓘ source
  • Fri Nov 6–Sat Dec 19 — Sh-Boom! A Christmas Miracle · Cumberland County PlayhouseDoo-wop holiday musical on the Mainstage, rated PG · box office (931) 484-5000. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 10 — Crossville City Council regular session6 PM CT · Municipal Building (City Hall), 392 N. Main St. ⓘ source
  • Thu Nov 19 — Crossville Planning Commission12 PM CT · City Hall. ⓘ source
  • Fri Nov 20–Sun Dec 20 — It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play · Cumberland County PlayhouseThe holiday classic staged as a 1940s radio broadcast, in the Adventure Theater, rated PG. ⓘ source
  • Tue Dec 8 — Crossville City Council regular session6 PM CT · City Hall, 392 N. Main St. ⓘ source
  • Sat Dec 12 — United Fund Holiday Market & the Crossville Christmas ParadeHoliday Market at the Crossville Depot, 11 AM–3 PM CT (free; photos with Santa). Then “Christmas on the Plateau” — the Crossville Christmas Parade from Stanley and Main Street, 4:30 PM–6 PM CT, free; presented by Explore Crossville, the City of Crossville and Downtown Crossville Inc. ⓘ source

Every summer: “Thursdays at the Amp” concerts at the downtown Crossville Amphitheatre, 29 Division Dr, June–August — details ↗.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · times Central (CT) · dates from the City of Crossville, Cumberland County Playhouse, the Cumberland County Election Commission, the Crossville–Cumberland County Chamber and the Cumberland County United Fund. More Cumberland County events on the county guide.

Area news

Headlines from local outlets · Crossville & Cumberland County

  • WVLT 8 · Oct 28, 2026

    Crossville Commons, a $50 million, 180,000-square-foot shopping center planned at the Buc-ee’s exit, is expected to bring about 200 jobs and take roughly 18 months; its only entrance will be off Interstate Drive.

    Read at WVLT 8 →
  • 3B Media News · Oct 21, 2026

    The 2026 Crossville Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 12; free entry applications opened Oct. 26 at the Parks & Rec office at Centennial Park.

    Read at 3B Media News →
  • UCNow · Oct 21, 2026

    The Tennessee Recovery Continuum Summit brought treatment and recovery leaders to Crossville to work on connecting care from treatment to long-term recovery.

    Read at UCNow →
  • Crossville Chronicle · Oct 19, 2026

    At the October council meeting the city attorney clarified that the Nov. 3 water referendum does not by itself approve a merger with the Cumberland Plateau Water Authority, and that the question could return for another vote after 90 days.

    Read at Crossville Chronicle →

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

Long before there was a town, travelers crossing the Cumberland Plateau toward the Cumberland River settlements rested at stands and inns along the toll roads, and the Walton Road linked Southwest Point (Kingston) with Nashville — Interstate 40 now follows much of it. When the General Assembly carved Cumberland County out of eight neighboring counties in the mid-1850s (the Tennessee Encyclopedia gives 1856), the crossroads settlement then called Scott’s Crossroads, near the middle of the county, was chosen as the seat even though Crab Orchard, Grassy Cove, Mayland and Pleasant Hill were larger.

The Tennessee Central Railroad arrived in September 1900 — a boxcar served as the first station — and Crossville was incorporated on Dec. 1, 1901 (UT MTAS). The present courthouse went up in 1905; the depot burned on Valentine’s Day 1925 and was rebuilt across the tracks by May 1926. Sgt. Alvin C. York came home through that depot after World War I, and in 1940 he signed the contract for the movie Sergeant York at Crossville’s Hotel Taylor.

The Depression brought the New Deal to Crossville’s doorstep. South of town the Cumberland Homesteads rose in Crab Orchard stone (First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt came through the depot to visit), and the WPA built the dam for the city’s water-supply lake — named Meadow Park Lake in a 1938 contest and dedicated on June 25, 1939, before a crowd of 15,000. The Palace Theatre opened on Main Street on Nov. 21, 1938.

After the war, Interstate 40 and retirement and golf communities brought new growth, and Crossville-born publications such as Trade-A-Plane reached a national audience. In December 1963 Broadway veteran Paul Crabtree staged a children’s show with 200 young people that led the town to build the Cumberland County Playhouse. The Palace closed in 1978; the city bought it in 1993, it joined the National Register in 1994, voters approved restoration bonds 2 to 1 in 1996, and it reopened in February 2001 — Crossville’s centennial year.

Visit: The Palace Theatre’s story ↗ · Historic Crossville Depot ↗

Cumberland County’s history → · East Tennessee history hub →

City hall & local resources

City of Crossville official site ↗ — utility and court payments, permits, council calendar and meeting streams, street closures. Crossville has an elected mayor and city council and a city manager; the council meets the 2nd Tuesday at 6 PM CT at the Municipal Building (City Hall). Cumberland County government is based in Crossville too, at the Historic Cumberland County Courthouse.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · official sites only · numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. Times Central (CT). Emergencies: call 911.

Around Cumberland County

← Cumberland County guide — the county directory, Cumberland Mountain State Park, Ozone Falls, Black Mountain on the Cumberland Trail and the Catoosa backcountry.

Other Cumberland County cities: Crab Orchard · Pleasant Hill. Communities: Fairfield Glade · Lake Tansi · Mayland · Bowman · Cumberland Homesteads · Grassy Cove · Ozone. Next door: Bledsoe · Fentress · Morgan · Rhea · Roane county guides.

Other county-seat guides: Wartburg (Morgan County) · Kingston (Roane County) · Huntsville (Scott County) · Jamestown (Fentress County).

Sources

Checked Oct 29, 2026