Visitor directory
Scott County directory
Big South Fork country: the river gorge at Leatherwood Ford, the East Rim and Honey Creek, the Bandy Creek visitor center, Brimstone’s off-road trails and the North Cumberland WMA’s mountains, plus the towns of Huntsville, Oneida and Winfield on the northern Cumberland Plateau along the Kentucky line.
Cities: Huntsville (county seat) · Oneida · Winfield
Communities: Helenwood · Robbins · Elgin · Norma · Pine Hill · Smoky Junction · Straight Fork
Official tourism, parks & attractions
Tourism
- Discover Scott — Scott County Visitor Center (Scott County Chamber of Commerce) ↗12025 Scott Hwy (US 27), Helenwood · (423) 663-6900 · also an NPS Big South Fork visitor center, open 7 days a week 9 AM–5 PM ET · trails, rivers, Brimstone, places to stay and the Chamber’s events.
Parks & outdoors
- Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (NPS) ↗Headquarters at 4564 Leatherwood Rd, Oneida · (423) 569-9778, Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM ET · the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its sandstone gorges, shared with Fentress, Pickett and Morgan counties and McCreary County, Ky.; much of the Tennessee side is in Scott County · open year-round, though some facilities close in winter · firewood ban: bring only firewood from Scott, Morgan, Pickett or Fentress counties (Tenn.) or McCreary County (Ky.) · drones are prohibited.
- Big South Fork NRRA — Bandy Creek Visitor Center (NPS) ↗151 Stable Rd, Oneida, off TN 297 about 15 miles west of Oneida · open year-round 9 AM–5 PM ET; closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day · (423) 286-7275 · rangers, park permits, bookstore, restrooms and free Wi-Fi · next to Bandy Creek Campground and the Bandy Creek and Oscar Blevins Farm loop trails.
- Big South Fork NRRA — Leatherwood Ford & East Rim Overlook (NPS) ↗Where TN 297 crosses the Big South Fork · walk the old low-water bridge (the main river crossing until 1983), riverside boardwalks and picnic spots, and trailheads for Angel Falls, the Grand Gap Loop and the O&W Trail · the East Rim Overlook is an easy 300-foot paved walk at the end of East Rim Rd, off TN 297 · rocks in the river are slippery and currents can be tricky, so wade with care.
- Big South Fork NRRA — Honey Creek Loop (NPS) ↗A strenuous 5.5-mile loop in the park’s southern Tennessee section, from a remote trailhead off Mt. Helen Rd or Mountain View Rd · the Park Service says even experienced hikers should allow at least five hours · steep, narrow sections, many creek crossings, slick boulders and confusing junctions · not recommended right after heavy rain or a hard freeze.
- Big South Fork NRRA — campgrounds (NPS) ↗Bandy Creek Campground in the heart of the park, and Station Camp, open year-round for campers with or without horses · check-in and check-out at noon ET · campsite reservations through the NPS campgrounds page.
- North Cumberland WMA (TWRA) ↗About 205,000 acres of mountains across Morgan, Scott, Anderson, Campbell and Claiborne counties · open year-round for hunting, fishing, camping, wildlife watching and OHV trails · OHV riders need a North Cumberland OHV riding permit (at least one adult per vehicle); horseback and bike riders need a High Impact Habitat Conservation Permit · watch for old mine hazards and check hunt dates before you go · TWRA Region 4, (423) 587-7037.
- Scott State Forest (TN Division of Forestry) ↗A state forest in Scott and Fentress counties, surrounded by the Big South Fork and reached by Leatherwood Ford Rd (TN 297) · hunting, hiking and horseback riding, with roads and trails designated by use (map on the state page) · the fire towers may be photographed but not climbed.
Attractions
- Brimstone Recreation ↗Privately managed off-road park outside Huntsville · about 19,000 acres with more than 300 miles of OHV trails and roads, plus cabins and a campground · open 365 days a year · trail passes, rules and event dates on Brimstone’s site.
Museums & history
- Museum of Scott County (Huntsville) ↗400 Scott High Dr, Huntsville, on the Scott High School campus · a village of more than a dozen log and stone buildings, built and run by Scott High students since 2003, telling the county’s story from prehistoric times on · includes the USS Tennessee BB-43 World War II Remembrance Museum, open Sat Nov 7, Sat Nov 21 and Sat Dec 5, 10 AM–4 PM (Chamber calendar).
Government
- Scott County government ↗Scott County Office Building, 2845 Baker Hwy, Huntsville · (423) 663-2000 · Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM · County Commission meetings and workshops are on the county calendar.
- Town of Huntsville (county seat) ↗Town Hall, 3053 Baker Hwy, Huntsville · (423) 663-3471 · Mon–Fri 8 AM–4 PM · Board of Mayor and Aldermen meets the third Thursday at 6 PM.
- Town of Oneida ↗19922 Alberta St, Oneida · (423) 569-4295 · Board meets the third Thursday at 6 PM · Main Street events, Oneida City Park and town services.
- Town of Winfield (MTAS listing) ↗(423) 569-6139 · Board meets the second Monday at 6 PM at the Winfield Municipal Building · Winfield holds a town election on Tue Nov 3, 2026.
- Scott County libraries ↗Public libraries in Huntsville, Oneida and Winfield, plus the Robbins Book Station.
Shared with neighboring counties
- Big South Fork NRRA (NPS) — shared with other counties; listed under East Tennessee (general)
Local resources
- Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
- Scott County Sheriff’s Department(423) 663-3111Scott County Justice Center, Huntsville · Sheriff Brian Keeton ⓘ source
- Big South Fork Medical Center (ER)(423) 569-852118797 Alberta St, Oneida · 24-hour emergency department · for emergencies call 911 ⓘ source
- Scott County Health Department(423) 663-2445344 Court St (courthouse square), Huntsville · Mon–Fri 8 AM–4:30 PM ⓘ source
- Scott County Mayor’s Office(423) 663-2000Scott County Office Building, 2845 Baker Hwy, Huntsville · Mayor Dennis Jeffers ⓘ source
- Scott County Schools(423) 663-2159Huntsville · calendars, closings ⓘ source
- Oneida Special School District(423) 569-8912195 N. Bank St, Oneida · calendars, closings ⓘ source
- Scott County Election Commission(423) 663-3210Scott County Office Building, 2845 Baker Hwy, Huntsville · Election Day Tue Nov 3: 8 AM–8 PM at your own precinct ⓘ 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 · Scott County
The Independent Herald’s Echoes in Time series profiles Black Creek, the valley community near Robbins on the old road toward Jamestown.
Read at Independent Herald →Scott County’s unemployment rate fell to 3.9% in September, down from 4.4% in August, state labor data show.
Read at Independent Herald →The Oneida Special School District named August Barna, a 20-year educator, principal of Oneida High School.
Read at Independent Herald →Construction is underway on a new $2.2 million gym at Huntsville Elementary School, with a regulation floor and bleachers for 575.
Read at WBIR 10 →Great Dane’s Huntsville plant is building the company’s new all-aluminum Freedom Ultra flatbed trailer.
Read at Independent Herald →The Big South Fork asked Scott County Commission to back its bid to become an International Dark Sky place, joining Pickett State Park and the Obed.
Read at Independent Herald →
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
Paleoindians sheltered under the plateau’s sandstone overhangs during the last Ice Age, and settlers carved small farms out of the forest in the early 1800s. In 1849 the General Assembly created Scott County from parts of Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan counties and named it for General Winfield Scott, whose Mexican War campaigns were fresh in the public’s mind. The county seat, Huntsville, was named for an early hunter, and the first county court met in 1850. The old Scott County Jail, with its fortress-like design by Chattanooga architect J. G. Barnwell, is the oldest building still standing in Huntsville.
Scott County was strongly Unionist. Andrew Johnson spoke against secession at the courthouse in Huntsville on June 4, 1861, the county voted overwhelmingly to stay in the Union, and later that year the county court passed a protest resolution declaring a “Free and Independent State of Scott.” After the war the Cincinnati Southern Railroad through Oneida opened the county to timber, coal and brick-making, the Oneida & Western line ran west toward Jamestown until it was taken up in 1953, and U.S. 27 arrived in the late 1920s.
Howard Baker Sr. and his wife, Irene, represented the region in Congress, and their son Howard Baker Jr. became a U.S. senator for Tennessee and President Reagan’s chief of staff. Today the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area protects the river gorges on the county’s west side, the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area covers the mountains to the east, and Brimstone’s off-road trails draw riders to the hills outside Huntsville.
Towns & communities
- Huntsville — county seat; the courthouse square, the Historic Scott County Jail and the Museum of Scott County on the Scott High School campus
- Oneida — town of about 3,800 on US 27 and the railroad; Main Street events, Big South Fork Medical Center and the road west to the park on TN 297
- Winfield — town on US 27 near the Kentucky line
- Helenwood (community) — on US 27 between Huntsville and Oneida; the Scott County Visitor Center
- Robbins (community) — in the south of the county; Barton Chapel remembers the Rev. William E. Barton’s ministry, begun here in 1885
- Elgin (community) — southwest of Robbins, toward Rugby
- Norma (community) — in the mountains of eastern Scott County
- Pine Hill (community) — east of Oneida
- Smoky Junction (community) — in the far southeast, near the Morgan and Anderson county lines
- Straight Fork (community) — in the Cumberland Mountains of eastern Scott County
Our place stories in and near Scott County
Go deeper
Neighboring counties: Anderson County · Campbell County · Fentress County · Morgan County · Pickett 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.