Take a scenic drive through the wooded hills and rural byways of Middle Tennessee as we follow Tennessee Route 100 from Bon Aqua to Chestnut Grove. This 43-mile stretch takes us through quiet valleys, small-town centers, and the forested ridges of Hickman and Perry Counties, offering an authentic look at Tennessee’s slower, storied side.
We begin our journey turning west from TN-46 onto TN-100 near Bon Aqua, a community with ties to both railroad history and country music legend Johnny Cash, who once owned property nearby. The road immediately sets the tone: a gently curving two-lane highway flanked by pines and pastureland, winding through the heart of Wrigley, a former company town once tied to the lumber industry. Here, the highway briefly veers southward, tracing the contours of the Duck River valley as we roll through a stretch of peaceful countryside dotted with farmhouses and hayfields.
After a few miles of this southern diversion, TN-100 bends back to the southwest for about seven miles, continuing its relaxed but purposeful march through the hills. Just ahead, we reach a notable junction with TN-230, where the road shifts again—this time to the south as we approach Centerville, the seat of Hickman County. From this vantage, the town unfolds gradually: modest homes on wooded lots give way to a more urban rhythm as we near the heart of town. At the first intersection with TN-50, we pick up a brief concurrency as we roll past downtown Centerville, where brick storefronts and a central courthouse square reflect the town’s early 20th-century charm. On the south side of town, TN-50 peels away again, and we continue our descent along TN-100, now solo once more.
Leaving Centerville behind, the road shifts again, curling southwest toward Aetna, where TN-48 crosses our path near the community’s northern edge. This area marks a subtle change in landscape: the hardwoods grow denser, and the hills begin to stack up more steeply. Just beyond, we swing westward again, skirting the northern edge of Pleasantville, a community that lives up to its name with its scenic meadows, rolling farmland, and shaded hollows. The road here narrows in feel, hugging the land tightly and offering brief but memorable vistas between the treetops.
As we near our final destination, TN-100 arcs gently southwest one last time, threading between ridges and creeks as we enter Perry County. The scenery becomes more rugged, the shoulders more wooded—signaling our approach to the western end of the Highland Rim. We reach Chestnut Grove, not so much a town as a point on the map where TN-100 meets US-412, a more modern east-west corridor that links this secluded region with the larger towns of Linden to the west and Hohenwald to the east.
This drive is more than just a connection between two points—it’s a window into Tennessee’s backroads, where natural beauty and cultural history run deep. Whether you’re chasing autumn color, following the legacy of rural communities, or simply savoring the road, this stretch of TN-100 rewards travelers who take the time to look around.
🗺️ Route Map
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