Even before Senator Corker got involved, the rebirth started with the 1992 opening of the Tennessee Aquarium, which drew more than 1 million visitors that first year. Restaurants, shops, and attractions sprang up like wildflowers around a stream. The Bluff View Arts District flourished into a neighborhood of galleries, bistros, and bed-and-breakfasts, all tucked in historic homes on the river bluff.

The energy spread across the river to the North Shore, where cafes and shops popped up along Frazier Avenue. Family-friendly Coolidge Park came alive with children splashing around a giant fountain and riding a refurbished carousel, whose fanciful beasts were hand-carved locally. The Walnut Street Bridge, built in 1891 and condemned in the 1970s, was saved and restored as a pedestrian bridge that spans the river. "We've connected our city so people can walk," says Senator Corker, who helped raise $120 million to complete the city's transformation in just 35 months.

above: The cascading stairway of The Passage is the nation's most elaborate memorial to the Trail of Tears.