Bigfoot in Tennessee
64 mapped reports in the TidyTuesday extract of the BFRO database (#21 of 49 states with reports). A row is a submitted report, not a confirmed animal.
One profile per state. 'stats' are computed from sightings_seed.csv (4,045 mapped BFRO reports, 1869-2021, from the TidyTuesday 2022-09-13 extract). These are mapped reports in that extract, not all reports ever made and not confirmed sightings. Class A = clear sighting, Class B = sound/tracks/obscured view, Class C = secondhand or less reliable (BFRO definitions). Festivals, creatures and museums are pulled from festivals.json, regional_creatures.json and research.json.
Mapped reports
- Class A (clear sighting report): 29
- Class B (sound, tracks, or an obscured view): 35
- Class C (secondhand): 0
- Years: 1955–2021. Since 2010: 9.
- Busiest decade: 2000s (26). Busiest month: April (10).
- Seasons: spring 17, summer 22, fall 17, winter 8.
- Counties with at least one mapped report: 42.
Top counties: Sevier County (4); Lawrence County (3); Cumberland County (3); Tipton County (3); Sumner County (2).
Regional names
- Tsul 'Kalu (Judaculla) — Indigenous tradition (Cherokee); sometimes associated with Bigfoot
Festivals
- Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Festival · Townsend · 2026 edition was May 2 (6th annual); usually early May
- Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference · Gatlinburg · 2026 edition was July 25 (8th annual); usually mid-to-late summer
- Upper Cumberland Bigfoot Festival · Crossville · 2026 edition was Oct 17-18; mid-October