Tennessee, otherwise known as the Volunteer State, sometimes gets a bad reputation for being a home for hillbillies. However, there's a lot more to this state than how Hollywood tends to portray it. I, for one, am very proud to call Tennessee my home state. In fact, there are quite a few really cool things about Tennessee that you may not know, and here are just a few.

1. It's the birthplace of Country Music.

Thanks to Ralph Peer in 1927, Bristol Tennessee/Virginia is where country music was born. In downtown Bristol you can visit the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. Here, you can also join in on the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Festival, which celebrates country music's roots in this town.

2. It's the home of Country Music.

Speaking of country music, Tennessee also holds the home of country music in Nashville. Pretty much every country music star holds a concert here when they are on tour. This is also where all the wannabe country music stars move to in hopes of becoming discovered

3. Ober Gatlinburg.

Do you ski or snowboard? If so, check out Ober Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Here you can enjoy skiing on five acres of the world's largest artificial ski terrain.

4. Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey

Most everyone has either drunk it (if you are of drinking age, of course) or at least heard of it. And if you haven't done either, then you, my friend, must be living under a rock. This Tennessee whiskey is made in Lynchburg and is a state staple, folks.

5. Mountain Dew

If you're anything like me, Mountain Dew is your go-to drink when you need a burst of energy. We have the town of Knoxville to thank for housing the fabrication of this product. It was originally created here in the 1930s as a mixer for whiskey. So, if you like Jack and Coke and are 21 or older, you should give Jack and Dew a try? How could you go wrong with mixing two Tennessee drinks?

6. Neyland Stadium.

Personally, I've never felt anything quite like being in Neyland Stadium on game day. For those of you who might be living under a rock again, Neyland is the home of the Tennessee Volunteer football team. It doesn't matter if we win or lose, no other crowd matches what Vols fans bring to the table in that stadium. On September 12, 2015, Tennessee fans set a record for the loudest decibel level ever recorded at Neyland Stadium with a reading of 114 decibels.

7. MoonPies.

We're back to the food and drink scene again. Tennessee is also the state where the classic MoonPie was first created. If you haven't tried one of these, you should really go down to you local convenience store and buy one.

8. Miniature Golf

Who doesn't love miniature golf? I may not be any good at it, but it's still a fun summer activity to say the least. According to Movoto, the first patented miniature golf course, Tom Thumb Golf, was built in Chattanooga in 1927 to attract to the creator's hotel.

As you can see, there are so many things that make Tennessee a special place to call home. Plus these are just a chosen few. So next time you affiliate Tennessee with negative thoughts, remember that it can't be all that bad if all these things came from there.