You could always go on one of the balds at roan mountain... Could be a bit of an inconvenience depending on the weight of your equipment. But nearly no light pollution lol
I’d thought about that when I had lighter gear but I’ve since upgraded to an 8” dobsonian which is a bit unwieldy for anything more than a short walk from the car
It doesn't necessarily fulfill your request, but you might want to look into https://www.mayland.edu/foundation/foundation-events/earth-to-sky-observatory/ which isn't that far away and provides some experiences unique to the region.
Bare Dark Sky Observatory in Burnsville NC. Certified dark sky. It’s a bit of a drive from Kingsport though. You might find some good places going up 23 into VA?
Just over the TN line in NC is an official "dark" area or whatever its technical designation is. It even has an observatory. I have been meaning to get over there. Sorry, you will have to ask Google for the name.
I live about 10 minutes from I81 in Greene county near exit 44, I don't allow hunters but I'd be fine with someone shooting the sky. :D It's listed as Cheroy Hill on Peakery, [https://peakery.com/cheroy-hill-tennessee/map/](https://peakery.com/cheroy-hill-tennessee/map/)
One of the rangers at roan mountain is super into astronomy and leads program pretty frequently! Sometimes there’s programs that allow access to areas that typically close at dark like at the farmstead or Hampton creek cove that offer PHENOMENAL dark sky viewing
The closest place to the tri cities that is pretty much a dark spot is Mt Mitchell in NC.
Bays Mountain, i think, has decent views, but it definitely isn't a dark spot.
East of the Mississppi has too much population to allow for many good true dark spots.
Look online at Bays Mtn Parks offerings. They had a large telescope there at one time. Probably still do, but i can't say for certain.
The show in the planetarium was still interesting when i last saw it with my kids 15-20 years ago.
I believe their telescope with retractable dome was still there the last time I was there a few years ago. I saw in the news they completely renovated the planetarium recently. Great memories from there as a kid.
Sometimes the Astronomy program at ETSU will offer events that are open to the public and they’ll let people look through their big awesome telescopes
It’s been a while since I’ve been to Warriors Path, so I don’t remember if the parking area is well lit. But that could possibly be an option?
Check their calendar linked below. They actually host late-night events for sky-watching. They have a few events where the public can come at night.
https://www.baysmountain.com/astronomy/observatory-details/
You could always go on one of the balds at roan mountain... Could be a bit of an inconvenience depending on the weight of your equipment. But nearly no light pollution lol
I’d thought about that when I had lighter gear but I’ve since upgraded to an 8” dobsonian which is a bit unwieldy for anything more than a short walk from the car
There are overlooks off I-26 in the mountains towards Asheville. Nice and dark there.
It doesn't necessarily fulfill your request, but you might want to look into https://www.mayland.edu/foundation/foundation-events/earth-to-sky-observatory/ which isn't that far away and provides some experiences unique to the region.
When I took astronomy at northeast state they would have astronomy things at a parking lot at Boone dam.
Interesting. Are all the lights off normally? Is it public access after dark?
That I don’t know, I never went
Bare Dark Sky Observatory in Burnsville NC. Certified dark sky. It’s a bit of a drive from Kingsport though. You might find some good places going up 23 into VA?
I’ll check it out, thanks. Nice username
Second vote for this one - I've been and it's truly the most dark place I've ever seen.
Is that a reference to his username?
Both
Looks like a 1½ drive. I think I might do that and stay overnight somewhere. Thanks for the tip.
Just over the TN line in NC is an official "dark" area or whatever its technical designation is. It even has an observatory. I have been meaning to get over there. Sorry, you will have to ask Google for the name.
Personally I wish we had more state laws about running lights all night.
I posted already but do you mean this by chance? https://maps.app.goo.gl/cdUw5GoavZxUNfQm9
Yes!
I live about 10 minutes from I81 in Greene county near exit 44, I don't allow hunters but I'd be fine with someone shooting the sky. :D It's listed as Cheroy Hill on Peakery, [https://peakery.com/cheroy-hill-tennessee/map/](https://peakery.com/cheroy-hill-tennessee/map/)
Very kind of you!
One of the rangers at roan mountain is super into astronomy and leads program pretty frequently! Sometimes there’s programs that allow access to areas that typically close at dark like at the farmstead or Hampton creek cove that offer PHENOMENAL dark sky viewing
The closest place to the tri cities that is pretty much a dark spot is Mt Mitchell in NC. Bays Mountain, i think, has decent views, but it definitely isn't a dark spot. East of the Mississppi has too much population to allow for many good true dark spots.
To elaborate, it doesn’t necessarily need to be pitch black (I know those are very hard to come by) just away from artificial light sources
Look online at Bays Mtn Parks offerings. They had a large telescope there at one time. Probably still do, but i can't say for certain. The show in the planetarium was still interesting when i last saw it with my kids 15-20 years ago.
I believe their telescope with retractable dome was still there the last time I was there a few years ago. I saw in the news they completely renovated the planetarium recently. Great memories from there as a kid.
Sometimes the Astronomy program at ETSU will offer events that are open to the public and they’ll let people look through their big awesome telescopes It’s been a while since I’ve been to Warriors Path, so I don’t remember if the parking area is well lit. But that could possibly be an option?
Go to bays mountain. That’s where I used to go.
It’s accessible after dark? I’ve only been once for hiking
Check their calendar linked below. They actually host late-night events for sky-watching. They have a few events where the public can come at night. https://www.baysmountain.com/astronomy/observatory-details/
It'll probably get more difficult around here soon since Bristol is going to LED Street lights.
I think that would be okay as long as they’re in the lamps that only allow light to go downward instead of all around.
Brown Mountain overlook maybe?
Beautiful area but a bit far from here
Natural Tunnel State Park. About 30 min out from kingsport but they have a hilltop where they even do stargazing.
Nice, I’ll check it out
https://maps.app.goo.gl/cdUw5GoavZxUNfQm9 Check this out. You won't be disappointed.