Paris: History, Cityscape and Fish Fry

Paris, Tennessee, combines historic features of its town center with an annual festival. When planning your trip, it helps to distinguish between lasting impressions of the cityscape and an event whose dates change each year. This will help you choose suitable travel dates and decide what to focus on during your stay.

City History and the Henry County Courthouse

The business district of Downtown Paris is part of a Historic District on the National Register. Downtown Paris’s traditional Tennessee town square is centered around the Henry County Courthouse. The first refers to the business district and its historic designation; the second describes the layout of the square around the courthouse. These two aspects offer different perspectives on the town center.

The Paris-Henry County Heritage Center is housed in Cavitt Place, a two-story Italian Renaissance-style building constructed in 1916. The Heritage Center features changing exhibits and a permanent exhibit on the history of Henry County. A visit therefore brings together two themes: the region’s history and a building with a clearly specified construction date and architectural style. The changing exhibits complement the permanent exhibit, which focuses on regional history.

The Heritage Center is listed as being open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Check these hours again before your trip. This is especially useful if you want to fit a visit into your day’s schedule.

Eiffel Tower Park and the Splash Park

Eiffel Tower Park is home to a 60-foot steel tower shaped like the Eiffel Tower. The distinctive feature links the park’s name to a local attraction whose shape and height are clearly specified. The tower offers a unique point of interest for visitors interested in the town’s distinctive landmarks.

Water wheelchairs are available for use at the Eiffel Tower Splash Park. Ask a staff member for assistance. This practical information is important when planning your visit if you need to take the use of a water wheelchair into account.

World’s Biggest Fish Fry: Dates and Food

The World’s Biggest Fish Fry is a weeklong festival in Paris, Tennessee. It takes place during the last full week of April and returns every year; the exact dates vary from year to year. If you want to plan your trip around the event, use that year’s festival dates as your guide.

The festival also includes the Fish Tent, where an all-you-can-eat catfish meal is served. The specific days when food is served also vary from year to year. The festival dates and food service answer two different planning questions: when the event takes place and when the meal is available. Check both for the year of your trip before setting your dates.

Boutiques and Buildings in Downtown Paris

Downtown Paris has boutiques in buildings dating to around 1920. Individual shops and their opening hours may change. Cavitt Place, which houses the Heritage Center, was built in 1916; the boutique buildings date to around 1920. These two dates place the respective buildings in context without grouping them together as a single architectural ensemble.

Your trip can therefore have different points of focus: the Fish Fry draws attention to a particular week in April, while the town’s history, courthouse, and Heritage Center shape its historic center. First decide which event will determine your travel dates, then look for a hotel in Paris that suits your stay.

For the broader travel overview: Henry County.