Visitor directory
Washington County directory
Historic Jonesborough and the International Storytelling Center, Johnson City and the Tweetsie Trail, the Gray Fossil Site, Tipton-Haynes and the State of Franklin story, Buffalo Mountain, Boone Lake’s Winged Deer Park, and the Cherokee National Forest’s Sampson Mountain Wilderness on the Unicoi and Greene lines.
Cities: Jonesborough (county seat) · Johnson City (also Carter & Sullivan) · Watauga (also Carter)
Communities: Gray · Telford · Limestone · Fall Branch (also Greene) · Spurgeon (also Sullivan) · Oak Grove · Embreeville · Sulphur Springs
Official tourism, parks & attractions
Tourism
- Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center (Town of Jonesborough) ↗117 Boone St, Jonesborough · Monday–Friday 8–5, weekends 10–5 · (866) 401-4223 · the town’s events calendar, the Jackson Theatre and downtown attractions.
- Visit Johnson City (Convention & Visitors Bureau) ↗Visitor Center, 302 Buffalo St, Johnson City · Monday–Friday 10–4:30, Saturdays 10:30–4 (May–October) · (423) 900-2526 · trails, downtown, places to stay and events.
Parks & outdoors
- Buffalo Mountain Park (Johnson City Parks) ↗570 High Ridge Rd, Johnson City · 725 acres on Buffalo Mountain’s north slope · 8.2 miles of trails with a 1,500-foot climb from the picnic area to the top; White Rock Trail is a 4.5-mile loop · 7 AM–9 PM March–October, 7 AM–7 PM November–February; upper lot closed Dec 15–March 15.
- Winged Deer Park (Johnson City Parks) ↗4137 Bristol Hwy, Johnson City, on Boone Lake · 1.5 miles of paved, lighted trails, a disc golf course, and beginner and intermediate mountain-bike trails off Carroll Creek Road · Parks & Recreation (423) 283-5815.
- Tweetsie Trail (Johnson City Parks) ↗10-mile rail trail on the former ET&WNC “Tweetsie” railroad between Johnson City (Legion & Alabama streets) and Elizabethton (Carter County) · a relatively flat grade for walking, running and biking.
- Cherokee National Forest — Bald Mountains & Sampson Mountain Wilderness (USFS) ↗Southern Washington County’s share of the Unaka Ranger District, including part of the 7,992-acre Sampson Mountain Wilderness · remote, few roads · wilderness groups are limited to 14 people · Unaka District office (423) 638-4109.
Attractions
- International Storytelling Center ↗Downtown Jonesborough — home of the National Storytelling Festival, held each October. Check the center’s site for programs and tickets.
Museums & history
- Chester Inn Museum (Heritage Alliance) ↗Chester Inn State Historic Site, 116 W. Main St, Jonesborough · run by the Heritage Alliance, which also offers Historic Jonesborough tours · (423) 753-9580.
- Tipton-Haynes State Historic Site ↗2620 S. Roan St, Johnson City · 45 acres with eleven historic buildings, a cave, a spring and a nature trail; site of the 1788 Battle of the State of Franklin · Tuesday–Saturday 9–4 (March–October), 9–3 (November–February) · guided tours on the hour · (423) 926-3631.
- Gray Fossil Site & Museum (ETSU) ↗1212 Suncrest Dr, Gray · ETSU’s Pliocene fossil dig and museum, shared with Hands On! Discovery Center · Tuesday–Saturday 10–5, Sunday 1–5, closed most Mondays · admission through Hands On! · (423) 434-4263.
Government
- Washington County government ↗County mayor, commission agendas, archives and county offices · Historic Courthouse, 100 E. Main St, Jonesborough.
- Town of Jonesborough ↗County seat · Town Hall, 123 Boone St · (423) 753-1030 · town departments, parks and Main Street.
- City of Johnson City ↗City Hall, 601 E. Main St · (423) 434-6000 · parks and recreation, trails, police, fire and city news.
- Washington County & Johnson City public libraries ↗Washington County Library: Jonesborough, 200 Sabin Dr (423) 753-1800 · Gray, 533 Sid Martin Rd, Suite 120 (423) 477-1550 · Johnson City Public Library, 100 W. Millard St (423) 434-4450.
Shared with neighboring counties
- Boone Lake (TVA) — shared with other counties; listed under East Tennessee (general)
Local resources
- Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
- Washington County Sheriff’s Office423-788-1414112 W. Jackson Blvd, Jonesborough · Sheriff Keith Sexton ⓘ source
- Washington County/Johnson City Emergency Management423-434-6082Preparedness, CERT and hazard plans · for emergencies call 911 ⓘ source
- Washington County/Johnson City EMS423-975-5500296 Wesley St, Johnson City · for emergencies call 911 ⓘ source
- Johnson City Medical Center (Ballad Health)(423) 431-6111400 N. State of Franklin Rd, Johnson City · emergency department and trauma care ⓘ source
- Washington County Health Department423-975-2200219 Princeton Rd, Johnson City · Monday–Friday 8–4:30 · Tennessee Department of Health clinic ⓘ source
- Washington County Mayor’s Office423-913-8521Historic Courthouse, 100 E. Main St, Jonesborough · Mayor Joe Grandy ⓘ source
- Washington County Schools423-753-1100405 W. College St, Jonesborough — calendars, closings ⓘ source
- Johnson City Schools(423) 434-5200100 E. Maple St, Johnson City ⓘ source
- Washington County Election Commission423-753-16882516 E. Oakland Ave, Johnson City · Election Day Tue Nov 3, 8 AM–8 PM ⓘ source
- Veterans Service Office423-753-1628Historic Courthouse, 3rd floor, 100 E. Main St, Jonesborough · by appointment, Monday–Friday 8–4:30 ⓘ 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 · Washington County
Commissioners approved $800,000 to design and contract the roof replacement for David Crockett High School's new and old annexes; the county can now take bids.
Read at WJHL 11 →The Great Jonesborough Pumpkin Party is Wednesday, and Halloween Haunts & Happenings fills downtown Friday 5:30–8 p.m., with a costume contest at 7.
Read at WJHL 11 →Johnson City Fire Department offers a free hands-only CPR class Nov. 24, 6–8 p.m., at 2832 W. Walnut St.; registration required.
Read at City of Johnson City →West Walnut Street closes between Green Pond Road and Sunny Slopes Drive Thursday afternoon for the First Frontier Trail ribbon-cutting.
Read at City of Johnson City →Construction is under way on BWXT's 325,000-square-foot Jonesborough facility; the company expects full production by the end of 2029.
Read at WJHL 11 →“A Vintage Christmas” rolls down Boone and Main streets Saturday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m.; parade entries are due Nov. 30.
Read at WJHL 11 →
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
North Carolina’s legislature created Washington County in November 1777 from the western territory called the Washington District and named it for George Washington; at first it took in all of what would become Tennessee. Long hunters came early — settlers told of a tree on Boones Creek carved “D Boon cilled a bar on tree 1760” — and families followed in the late 1760s. Jonesborough, named for North Carolina legislator Willie Jones, was chartered by North Carolina in 1779 and laid out in 1780 as the county seat, and work began on a log courthouse.
After North Carolina ceded its western lands in 1784, settlers met at Jonesborough and organized the State of Franklin, with John Sevier as governor; Jonesborough served as its first capital before Greeneville. The rival faction loyal to North Carolina was led by John Tipton, and in February 1788 a skirmish known as the Battle of the State of Franklin was fought at his farm near today’s Johnson City. Churches and schools came early: Tidence Lane organized Buffalo Ridge Baptist Church in 1779, and Samuel Doak founded Martin Academy, now Washington College Academy, in 1780. A young Andrew Jackson lived in Jonesborough in 1788 while waiting to travel west, and in 1819 the Quaker Elihu Embree began publishing his antislavery Manumission Intelligencer there, renamed the Emancipator in 1820.
The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad reached the county in 1857–58, and the settlement around Henry Johnson’s station became Johnson City, chartered in 1869. The county was largely Unionist in the Civil War; after it, the ET&WNC “Tweetsie” line and George L. Carter’s Clinchfield railroad made Johnson City a rail and industrial town. Carter donated land in 1911 for the normal school that is now East Tennessee State University, and the federal soldiers’ home at Mountain Home is today the Quillen VA Medical Center. Jonesborough’s Main Street was preserved as a historic district, and in 1973 a storytelling festival began there that grew into the National Storytelling Festival, held each October.
Towns & communities
- Jonesborough — county seat; Main Street historic district, the Chester Inn and the International Storytelling Center
- Johnson City — largest city; ETSU, downtown, Buffalo Mountain and the Tweetsie Trail (part of the city reaches into Carter and Sullivan counties)
- Watauga — small city on the Carter County line; almost all of it lies in Carter
- Gray (community) — northern Washington County; the Gray Fossil Site & Museum
- Telford (community) — farm community southwest of Jonesborough
- Limestone (community) — southwestern Washington County near the Greene line
Our place stories in and near Washington County
Go deeper
Neighboring counties: Carter County · Greene County · Hawkins County · Sullivan County · Unicoi 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.