Festivities kick off with a Fun Walk with Mayor Karl Dean at 1:30 p.m. Sunday beginning at the Walk of Fame Park. You can catch a sneak peek of the inside during the public preview tours and open house 2-6 p.m.  Live music will be occurring throughout the building, featuring the Grammy Award-winning Nashville Symphony at 3 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom. After your tour, gear up for live music with Phil Vassar and 10 Out of Tenn 2-6 p.m. on the Plaza.

Monday kicks off with the official ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. at 5^th Avenue & Demonbreun. A public open house will be 5-7 p.m. with a concert closing out the festivities featuring Sheryl Crow, The Time Jumpers with Vince Gill, Fisk Jubilee Singers and Mikky Ekko.

There’s an interactive feature as well. For all you social media butterflies, as you Instagram and tweet and link to Facebook, use the hashtag #MeetMusicCity to connect with other attendees and to see everyone’s tweets, Nashville-filtered pictures and Facebook updates.

The Music City Center is a 2.1-million-square-foot convention center, which includes parking, and boasts more than 353,000 square feet of exhibit space, 1.2 million square feet of public space and a parking garage holding 1,800 parking spaces. The Center is working towards LEED Silver certification with its green roof, solar panels and its 360,000 gallon rainwater collection tank. Commissioned and acquired artworks from local and national artists will display throughout the Music City Center as one of the largest public art collections in the nation.

The center is much more than a meeting place. With its location in the very heart of downtown Nashville, it will serve as a gathering spot for visitors seeing Nashville for the first time. It is steps from the Ryman Auditorium and the honky tonks along the Broadway strip and music venues that have helped launch some of music’s biggest stars.

Just south of Broadway, the Music City Center is located on a 16-acre site that is adjacent to both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bridgestone Arena. The convention center was designed with the idea of it being Nashville’s next landmark building, especially with its extensive outdoor green space that can be utilized for outdoor concerts and events.

The Music City Center Grand Opening extravaganza is a Nashville party you won’t want to miss!

You know you’re hooked when the sound of an engine bursting into life, propeller blades whirring, is as intoxicating as the smell of newly mown grass on a summer’s evening.

This coming weekend the skies over Sumner County Regional Airport (M33) in Gallatin will reverberate with WWII and Korean War era planes at the annual Warbird Fly-In. You may find it impossible to resist gazing heavenward as they fly low and fast, giving you the opportunity to relive the days of fighter aces and heavy bombers that fought in the Pacific and the European Theater, or over the jungles of Korea. These big, bold aircraft were flown by heroic young pilots and crew in their early twenties, on combat missions against daunting odds. Many never made it home.

Gallatin Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 1343 is hosting the Warbird Fly-In on Saturday, May 18, 9am-4pm and the event is free to the public. Bring along the whole family for a day of food, fun, and classic rock music by the Von Skow Band.

Watch formation flying by Yaks and fly-bys of Stearmans, L-19s and a collection of immaculately restored Warbirds such as the P-51 Mustang and F4-U Corsair.  Activities will include ‘missing man’ formation flight by the Ridge Runner Flight Team of T-34s, fire department and EMS displays, and the reenactment of a ground bunker attack.

Inside the airport FBO terminal is a permanent aviation art exhibit of over 40 airplane sketches by artist, aviator, adventurer and Hendersonville, Tennessee native, Bill W. Fergusson. Penned during the 1930’s and ’40’s while in high school and serving in the USAAC and USAAF, his sketches map the evolution of early single engine aircraft through military trainers, fighters and bombers.

Training first as a WWII fighter pilot, Bill’s career took him all over the world as stunt pilot for the TV series Sky King, national and regional sales manager and demonstration pilot for major aircraft manufacturers and distributors, and recreational glider pilot. Make sure you leave your comments in the visitor’s book at the exhibit.

The EAA, an international membership organization that encourages all forms of recreational aviation, is best known for the world’s largest airshow held over 10 days every year in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  Young Eagles is a special program designed to introduce young people to the thrill of flying.  You can sign up your children aged 8 to 17 for regularly planned Young Eagles days at local EAA Chapters like Gallatin and Lebanon. Volunteer EAA pilots donate their airplanes and time to give free flights to Young Eagles, who are then presented with a certificate. Many pilots have personally flown several thousand, and to date, more than 1.9 million Young Eagles have taken flight in 90 countries.

So what’s the next step after that? Sign on for flight training or stop in any Sunday afternoon for one of the regular cookouts at the airport FBO and meet other flying enthusiasts. The 6300ft runway and lowest fuel prices in the area attract many visiting pilots and corporate jets. The Gallatin EAA Chapter meets the second Tuesday evening of each month, and is open to anyone interested in aviation.

EAA Chapter 1343 and GTO Aviation are hosting the second annual Steam Plant Fly-In and Expo Saturday, June 22 at Sumner County Regional Airport (M33). This all-day event, 8 a.m. -4 p.m., will feature food, live music, displays, vendors, educational sessions and lots of airplanes.

If you’ve never been to a Fly-In Breakfast, this is the way to feed your passion literally. Attracting over 100 people and dozens of airplanes, the Gallatin EAA Chapter hosts a Fly-In Breakfast (or Drive-In for those without wings) at the airport the second Saturday of every month. This is also open to the public. You’re guaranteed to hear some good stories, enjoy a delicious breakfast, and see an amazing collection of airplanes including ultralights and homebuilts. You may even talk someone into taking you for a flight!

Do you have a favorite Warbird? We’d love to hear your personal stories!

Puppet troupes from France, Germany, Argentina, Japan and China will come to Nashville to share their talents in shows and events. Kawasemi-Za, the troupe from Japan, will perform “Silent Poems,” a show with no words that animates the puppets in such a way they almost seem alive as they convey various emotions and timeless, meaningful messages. The German troupe, Dresdner Figurentheater, will present the classic “Peter and the Wolf” for adult and children audiences. Sombras Chinas, the Argentinian troupe, will perform “No Toquen Mis Manos” (“Don’t Touch My Hands”) through Chinese hand puppetry that combines music and hand movements instead of words to tell a story. Vélo Theatre troupe from France uses “object theatre” as a way to interact with the audience. By definition, object theatre uses everyday objects rather than constructing theatrical puppets; for example, a box of spoons could become a village. They will perform “And Then He Ate Me” and “There’s a rabbit in the moon.” Dragon Art Studio from China will present “Images of China” which is a series of short scenes based on traditional and not-so-traditional Chinese tales.

Other performers include Phillip Huber, who is best known for his marionette work in “Being John Malkovich” and Disney’s “Oz, The Great And Powerful;” Wild Goose Chase Theater which introduces eclectic puppetry through the use of cardboard and everyday objects; Puppets to Go which will perform “The Frog Prince” with rod and hand puppets; Nationally-renowned and two-time grant recipient from the Jim Henson Foundation for his solo productions of “Suitcase Circus” and “Pinocchio, Lee Bryan;” and the Nashville Public Library’s own Wishing Chair Productions & The Puppet Truck, started in 1938 by Tom Tichenor, will perform “Ellingtown,” a show that takes the audience through old New York with Duke Ellington, the great master of jazz.

Nashville’s first international puppet festival was in 2008 which attracted more than 18,000 people. Tickets to the festival are free but limited. You can order tickets in advance for a $2.50 per ticket convenience fee.

In addition to the festival, the library will host two special events in collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Wishing Chair Productions will present “String City: Nashville’s Tradition of Music and Puppetry” June 20 at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum’s Ford Theater. TPAC will host a performance by nationally-renowned Phillip Huber June 22.

Are you planning on attending the 2013 Nashville International Puppet Festival? What are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments below!

Smoke on the water: Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest pairs the best barbecue with the best river views. Photo by Marvin Garcia. Copyright © Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Growing up, Rodney remembers going down to the contest, walking around, and leaving curious about competitive cooking. He’d cook at home for family and friends, but in that setting, “Everybody tells you it’s good,” he says. Then he took the judges’ course. “Sampling world-class barbecue, you see where you are and where you want to be,” he admits. That was in the late 1990s. He’s been judging and cooking competitively ever since.

A few years ago, Rodney met Mike Godwin, head cook for the Paradise Porkers. Rodney had the competition experience; Mike, the flavor profile. Together with the tight-knit Porkers, they’ve taken 16th place in the WCBCC Shoulder category and ninth for Ribs. “After that, we hit the [competition] circuit hard,” Rodney says – as frequently as every other weekend – in hopes of improving their ranking at the 2013 WCBCC. What’s their strategy? “We’re going to be very consistent, and make sure that everything we do is fresh and of good quality – the rubs, the sauces – everything is going to be us.” Rodney, Mike and the Paradise Porkers have also chosen to focus on pork this year instead of the WCBCC’s ancillary categories, which range from wings to seafood to sauces.

Rodney’s advice for competitors? Set your product apart with a unique flavor profile, and remember that showmanship sells: “The judges are only going to have one or two bites [of your dish]. They need to understand the story of how you got there – tell them what they’re tasting and about the flavor profile. It moves you up a bit,” he suggests.

To visitors and locals interested in experiencing the WCBCC, he shares this:

1. Join the Cooker Caravan, a free guided tour featuring select teams (including the Paradise Porkers). The teams typically talk about their cookers (“rigs,” in competition-speak), their methods, and their passion. Cooker Caravan tours are typically given every half-hour between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday during the WCBCC.

2. Register for the Kingsford Tour of Champions. This is your opportunity to taste (and judge) competition-quality barbecue. You’ll try four samples prepared by selected teams; then vote for your favorite. It’ll cost you $10, though $2,500 is at stake for the winning team. As I’m writing this, shifts were still available Thursday from 2-4 p.m. and 4-6 p.m. Register online here.

3. Learn something new, or make a new friend. As I learned from Neil Gallagher, pit master for the WCBCC team “Too Sauced to Pork,” many of the teams are friendly and inviting. Rodney echoes this: “Take a genuine interest in a team. Just ask the questions. We want to show off,” he offers. That said, Saturday morning (when teams are feeling the ultimate crunch of competition) is probably not the right time to solicit conversation. But I find Thursday and Friday to be pretty mellow days – perfect for getting to know the teams and learn more about competitive cooking and barbecue done right.

As I learned from Too Sauced to Pork, the WCBCC team I shadowed last year, most teams are willing to show you around their “rigs” and even teach you a thing or two. Just show a genuine interest in what they’re doing.

Other know-before-you-gos:

1. It’s tough smelling all that competition barbecue and knowing you can’t partake. Fortunately, there will be licensed food vendors in Tom Lee Park throughout the WCBCC.

2. There will also be nightly live music (Robert “Wolfman” Belfour on Thursday; Jimmy Van Zant on Friday; Percy Sledge on Saturday). View the full schedule here.

3. The WCBCC is open to the public Thurs., May 16, 10 a.m. to midnight; Fri., May 17, 11 a.m. to midnight; and Sat., May 18, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets are available online for $8 ($9 at the gate; children six and under enter free). You can also go V.I.P. Personally, I like to go free – admission is complimentary 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

More Memphis in May to-dos:

You may recall that the WCBCC is just one part of the month-long Memphis in May International Festival. I previewed some of the events for you last month, but here’s a recap of my best bets:

Salute to Sweden events: Illuminating Sweden, Memphis in May’s designated honoree for 2013, you’ll find the country’s culture expressed through visual art, performances, cinema, and more happenings across town through the end of the month. View the full schedule here.

Memphis in May’s closing ceremony, the Sunset Symphony, is your invitation to pack a picnic and listen to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra beneath the wide-open sky. Photo by Marvin Garcia. Copyright © Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Sunset Symphony: Memphis in May’s closing event (May 25), with crowd-friendly selections performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra; fireworks; food vendors (plus a picnics-allowed policy) – all set on the Mississippi. Tickets available online for $8 or at the gate for $9 (children 6 and under enter free).

Were you among the muddy masses at Beale Street Music Fest earlier this month, or are you planning to attend the WCBCC or other Memphis in May events still to come? Share your experiences (or what you’re looking forward to) in the comments section below.

The show is in its last few episodes of the season, so tune in for the next two Wednesday nights on ABC at 10/9c to see how season one wraps up. If you’ve missed any episodes, don’t despair. You can stream all episodes of the show and not miss a beat. For many Nashvillians, the familiar locales that populate the show have engendered a feeling of being a part of the drama. 

The storyline follows reigning Queen of Country Music, Rayna James (Connie Britton), who is in a constant power struggle with rising young crossover artist Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere). The conflict in their personal lives, coupled with Rayna’s wealthy power broker father Lamar Hampton (Powers Booth), who pushes her husband to run for election as mayor of Nashville, drives the drama and keeps viewers waiting for more. The thread that runs through it all is, of course, the music. Nashville’s songwriting and publishing community has been deeply involved, coming up with songs that help define the characters, and fans can go to iTunes to purchase music from the original soundtrack. 

The TV series was created by Oscar-winner Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise), and directed by R.J. Cutler (The September Issue, The War Room, A Perfect Candidate), both of whom are co-executive producers with Steve Buchanan (Senior VP, Media & Entertainment, Gaylord Entertainment).

Buchanan is enthused about their vision to give people a greater familiarity with all that Nashville has going for it, attracting visitors to personally discover the city’s wonderful attractions, eat in the cosmopolitan mix of restaurants, and stay in the hotels. Nashville’s most famous export is music, and the show certainly puts that front and center. The cast and crew have experienced firsthand some of the city’s magic, filming at the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Café, and many more famous landmarks. 

Actors like Charles Esten (Deacon), hooked on the energy of Music City, have taken the experience further than the screen, playing in his downtime on Nashville stages.

If you’re a fan, you’re no doubt so close you can almost hear the music.

You’ve seen the show. Now come and see the city! The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, in partnership with Nashville Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, is offering you the chance to win an authentic “Nashville Experience.” 

The Nashville sweepstakes runs on the Official Tennessee Facebook page until 11:59pm on May 29, so head over to this link or the state’s website to enter and you could win:

• Two (2) roundtrip airfare tickets
• Three (3) night hotel stay at the Hutton Hotel (based on availability/expires 5/31/14)
• The Opry Backstage Tour at the Grand Ole Opry
• The Nashville Show Tour with Grayline
• Nashville Show swag (CD and/or Merch)
• One (1) Music City Backstage Attraction Pass (good for two people)
• Music City Gift Bag 

The winner will be announced on June 3.

If you could meet one famous personality in Nashville, who would it be?  

All photos courtesy of ABC.

Loafering is an old Southern term meaning you are free to do as you wish: waste time,
dodge worries, do what makes you happy. Alabama-born writer Rick Bragg maintains loafering is “less active than piddling, more respectable than slacking off. This talent requires a clear conscience and a light heart.”

A farm bed and breakfast inn is a good place to loafer because, as a visitor, you are not expected to work. Innkeepers John and Diane Vogt gather the eggs, feed the horses, tend the gardens, and pick the fruit for your breakfast. They prepare a breakfast fit for a five-star restaurant. From your table on the balcony, while you are eating the fluffy scrambled eggs, you can listen to the commotion in the hen house. It doesn’t get more “farm-to-table” than that!

“A lot of people come to relax and read,” says Diane. “When they arrive, many ask about Internet connections or televisions in their rooms. The next day we ask, and they say they never checked their e-mail or even turned on the TV. That’s how restful this place is. People just want to get away from it all.”

Guests will take a constitutional around the pond, feed the horses in their buttercup-strewn pasture, and sense the natural beauty of the place wherever they walk. Panoramic views of the mountains spread before you, making everything — especially your responsibilities and worries — seem distant.

 The Vogts have put their heart and soul into the flower gardens. Wisteria fringe the arbor. Blousy flowers and blooming shrubs cascade down the hillside, and hostas and wildflowers fill the 3 acres of woodland. Dogwood and other flowering trees line the gravel driveway. Willow trees encircle the pond and provide a roost to egrets that pass through occasionally.

The brick farmhouse has three bedrooms with private baths, and the log house has a two bedroom family suite with a shared bath. Rooms invite you to while away the time. Interiors have comfy, not pretentious, furnishings and souvenir treasures from around the world. Games, puzzles, DVDs and books are available in both homes.

John and Diane, who opened the B&B in 2011, serve hearty breakfasts in the tradition of their German and Swedish forbearers. They serve homemade baked goods for afternoon snacks. Nightly rates are $125. An elevator in the farmhouse makes the second-floor bedrooms handicapped accessible.

Situated along the south branch of Barkley Creek, the 25-acre Storybrook Farm is less than a mile from downtown Jonesborough, but it takes you thousands of miles from the worries of everyday life.

Storybrook Farm is one of several farm accommodations in East Tennessee that offer a tranquil respite. Plenty of rocking chairs and lazy day porches await you at Pioneer Cabins and Guest Farm in Townsend and Twin Valley Bed and Breakfast Horse Ranch in Walland, both located in the foothills of the Smokies. For find a complete list, visit http://www.tnvacation.com/stay/.

A dozen red carnations? About $15 cash and carry.

Tying up your mother on Mother’s Day – priceless!

I never personally tied my mother up on Mother’s Day when I was a boy in L.A. (Lower Alabama, not that other one) but if you believe the Internet, tying up your mom on Mother’s Day is the right thing to do – at least in the former Yugoslavia.

The whole thing starts three Sundays before Christmas when parents tie up their kids until they promise to be good. The following Sunday the kids tie mom up until she gives them sweet treats. Dad gets tied up the third Sunday until he produces gifts (or promises gifts) for Christmas.

Mother’s Day is celebrated on different days and in different ways in 46 countries around the world but I’m thinking the Yugoslavian model probably wouldn’t get a lot of traction here.

So how have we come to celebrate Mother’s Day as we do?

Ancient festivals worshipping motherhood and goddesses like Isis, Cybele and Rhea held by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans? Nah.

Hallmark, enterprising florists and chocolatiers dominate today but not in the beginning. It really got started when Julia Ward Howe, who wrote “The Battle Hymn of The Republic” in 1861, called for mothers to come together to protest war, promote international peace and celebrate motherhood. But her plan failed to thrive.

A West Virginia woman named Anna M. Jarvis who never became a mother herself made a national Mother’s Day her mission in life.

After her own mother’s death, she was determined to have her mother’s dream of a day to honor all mothers come true. On May 10, 1908 at Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, she arranged for her mother’s favorite flowers, white carnations, to be given to every mother in attendance.

This time the idea took hold. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Mother’s Day as a national holiday to be recognized each year on the second Sunday of May.

In one of life’s many ironies, Jarvis became downright incensed by what she saw as the growing commercialization of Mother’s Day. She made her dislike of greeting cards and florists widely known.

Mother’s Day was supposed to be a day for children to spend time with their mothers.

Of course Mom should not have cooking, dishwashing or cleaning duties, so taking her out to dinner has become popular. This year you can treat your mom to a yummy buffet at one of the Mother’s Day banquets at Tennessee’s State Parks on May 12.

Spending time with mom and Mother Nature is easy when you’re in Tennessee.

Buffets begin at Cumberland Mountain, David Crockett, Fall Creek Falls, Henry Horton, Montgomery Bell, Natchez Trace, Paris Landing and Pickwick Landing at 11 a.m. The menu and hours vary a bit at each location so check the TN State Park website at www.tn.gov/environment/parks for details.

Relax on a bench with Mom in lush green woods and reminisce about the pleasures and treasures she’s provided you.

With entrees like carved roast beef, brisket, baked or smoked chicken, smoked or roasted turkey, fried catfish and peel and eat shrimp, plenty of hot veggies, cold salad bar, fresh warm rolls, cakes, pies, cobblers and banana pudding what more could she want? Maybe a walk along a tree-lined path or time to sit together on a garden bench reminiscing a bit while enjoying the quiet beauty provided by Mother Nature.

And a big hug filled with all the love and appreciation you feel for all she has given (and forgiven!) you.

Anna would have liked just such a Mother’s Day. I’ll bet your mom will too.

Taking an early morning stroll along one of the many trails provided by the State Parks can be the stress-reducing activity Mom needs.

We’re as curious about other cultures as they are about us. Maybe that’s what drove West Tennessee native Rita Wilson to study in Florence, Italy, while obtaining her degree from Northwestern University. Maybe it’s what motivated her to take the acting gigs in Europe when they came. Maybe it even drew her to Englishman Peter Howard, whom she eventually married.

Peter and Rita lived (live) an extraordinary life. When Rita’s friend, Wink Martindale (a fellow West Tennessean), connected her with his agent, Rita made a career acting, singing and dancing in Hollywood and abroad. Peter, an engineer and physicist, retired at 40, but acts anything but: Since retiring, he’s watched one of his innovations put to use on the International Space Station, and decided to open a winery.

That explains why you can now find this Italianate villa in Humboldt, about half-an-hour north of Jackson:

Photo courtesy of Crown Winery.

Crown Winery began as a 50-acre farm, a landscape of woods and ponds. In 2004, Peter planted the first vines with the help of Dr. David Lockwood, a faculty member in The University of Tennessee’s Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and an Extension Fruit and Nut Crops Specialist. “We didn’t know anything about growing grapes,” Rita remembers, continuing, “Dr. Lockwood showed us how to plant, what varietals [would] work better – he even helps us harvest when he’s in the area!”

Three years later, the grapes yielded their first wine. In 2009, the Howards built the villa. Today, it sits amid 23 acres of grapevines. Though that makes Crown one of the state’s largest wineries, operations remain intimate and local: All grapes are grown and all wines are bottled and labeled onsite; added fruits, when they come into play, are sourced nearby. (More on that in a moment.) You can buy the wines by the case or the bottle onsite, or find them in wine and liquor shops throughout the region – Humboldt, Jackson and Memphis are good bets.

The Wines

Rita, Crown Winery’s official taster, names the Chambourcin Special Reserve her personal favorite (she prefers full-bodied reds). “The Chambourcin grape is a lot like a Merlot, but better. Merlot grapes won’t grow here, but Chambourcin [will].” Peter, the winemaker, likes the Sangiovese, a medium-bodied red. “They said [the Sangiovese grapes] wouldn’t grow here, but [Peter] likes a challenge,” Rita says.

Today, I’m interested in the Strawberry Strut, a limited edition made from strawberries grown on Green Acres Farm in nearby Milan, and as a tribute to the West Tennessee Strawberry Festival (see footnote). It takes seven tons of strawberries to meet Crown’s production demands.

It’s strawberry season in West Tennessee.

Winery Tours

With strawberry season right on top of us, now is a good time to visit Crown. Peter and Vineyard Manager Taylor Barker guide tours (20-year-old Taylor was recognized by the Tennessee FFA Foundation in 2011 for fruit production). Discover the winery ($15), the vineyard ($15) or both ($30); tasting included. Tour times vary, but Fridays at 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. are fairly routine – regardless, reservations are required. Tour price for visitors 18 and under is waived and the winery runs a golf car for visitors who can’t walk the entire route (tours can last from 30 to 90 minutes).

Wine Down Fridays

Now through Oct. 4, 2013, I’d recommend reserving the Friday tour and staying for Wine Down, Crown’s seasonal signature. Friday nights from 7-10 p.m., you can listen or dance to live music and purchase a bottle of Crown wine plus snacks – Rita and Peter offer a spread of Tennessee cheeses, fresh-baked bread and cake ball truffles made in Jackson. New for this season, a local restaurateur is also offering dinners for purchase, but you can bring your own food (or even order in). Crown’s home page is the best place to find details on each week’s entertainment and refreshment offerings.

A strawberry-sweet footnote:

The West Tennessee Strawberry Festival runs through May 11 – a small-town spectacle as sweet as the fruit that’s inspired it since 1934. Expect princesses; recipe contests; floats big and small; a carnival; a barbecue cook-off; car, horse and tractor shows; a pet parade; loads of live music and more. View the full event schedule here, and be sure to wear something red.

Thurs., May 9, the Junior Float Parade will cruise through town during Humboldt’s West Tennessee Strawberry Festival, celebrated since 1934. All rights reserved by Strawberry Festival.

If you like Crown Winery, tell us about your favorite bottle in the comments section below. If berries are your thing, share your favorite recipe!

It meanders its way west across Middle Tennessee nearly 270 miles from its headwaters on the Highland Rim near Manchester to its mouth on Kentucky Lake. It is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in North America with more than 50 species of freshwater mussels and 151 species of fish. It has pretty and interesting rock bluffs, forested hillsides and, as you might imagine, lots of critters that quack. The upper Duck River flows past a 2,000 year-old American Indian ceremonial site known as Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park, but the best canoeing and fishing sites are yet to come.

The Duck River has more varieties of fish per mile than any other river in North America and you’re likely to see great blue herons, kingfishers, deer, turkey, beavers, ducks and the occasional mink and otter. Stealthy canoes and kayaks give paddlers excellent opportunities for candid camera shots.

The Duck River is relatively small as it flows into the Normandy Lake basin where a dam stretches 2,807 feet across the river. The dam does not produce electricity, but this pretty little lake provides flood control and water supply for Normandy Hatchery. Normandy Lake has no marinas but there are two recreation areas for camping and six boat ramps along its 72 miles of shore line. Normandy Lake is popular with bass, walleye, crappie and stripe anglers. There are trout below the dam for about 11 miles where the water remains cool enough for rainbow and brown trout.

The Normandy Hatchery lies in a bend of the Duck River and keeps the river stocked with trout and walleyes. One of the best sections for a canoe or kayak float trip begins below Normandy Dam. If the fishing is hot, you’re likely to catch your limit before you reach the historic grist mill dam at Cortner Mill four miles downstream. From this location it is an additional 7.6 river miles to take out at the U.S. 41 bridge.

For a real treat, make reservations for dinner at Cortner Mill Restaurant where milling corn meal and flour have given way to serving dinner by reservation Tuesday through Saturday and champagne brunch on Sunday. Plan for an overnight stay nearby at the Parish Patch Farm and Inn and you’re all set for a quiet relaxing evening.

Cozy hammocks at the Parish Patch Inn invite you to kick back and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

This 300-acre country estate has 21 rooms and suites in six buildings. Swimming, fishing, hiking, canoeing, bicycling, jogging and bird watching are readily available on the farm. The owners allow canoe access to the river from their property. They welcome pets of all sizes and types “from hamsters to elephants” as long as they are at least one year old. Kids have room to explore, swim in the pool, hangout in the playhouse and see what’s happening with the beefalo grazing on the farm.

Downstream the Duck River continues its way past Henry Horton State Park which has camping, lodging and ranger-led canoe trips with canoe rentals available at a nearby outfitter. In Columbia, more than 2,000 acres that were originally intended to create a TVA reservoir is now managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency as the Duck River Complex, a State Natural Area within the 12,800-acre Yanahli Wildlife Management Area. The Duck River flows past the 1817 Gordon House at milepost 407.7 on the Natchez Trace Parkway before reaching Centerville. It joins the Buffalo River shortly before emptying into Kentucky Lake a few miles east of New Johnsonville near US 70.

An eight-mile canoe trip on the Duck River at Henry Horton State Park floats over gravel bars, around islands and along scenic bluffs.

The lower section of the Duck offers anglers a good chance of hooking up with hefty stripers as well as the species mentioned above except trout. Tennessee Natural Areas has a float trip scheduled for Saturday, August 10 on a section of Duck River from Leftwich Bridge to the TWRA take out at Howard Bridge. Canoes can be rented through a local canoe vendor for this half-day trip.

Not much can beat a day on the Duck River! Let us know if you’ve been a quackin’ in the comments!

Four miles downstream from Normandy Dam, you’ll need to take out or portage at the site of the historic Cortner Mill Dam. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

EAST

Travel to Tennessee’s “Secret City” Oak Ridge and discover its best town secret, Jefferson Fountain. The old-time establishment embraces and maintains the down home coziness not only in the restaurant atmosphere but in the delicious food. Everything is home-cooked and the hand-dipped milkshakes are a definite “must-try.” Jefferson Fountain is famous for its “Myrtle Burger” and “Y-12 Breakfast.” You can even get some souvenirs at the little gift shop full of knick-knacks, Oak Ridge history and old-fashioned candy.

Old medicine bottles line the walls and gadgetry from the last century can be found at The Old Drug Store in Cumberland Gap, Tenn. Grab a sandwich with your ice cream and sample a piece of homemade candy. Round off your Cumberland Gap visit with a tour of Gap Cave at the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park that is home to countless cave formations and strange animals that have adapted to cave environments. Waterfalls, trails and rich history can also be found throughout the park’s 24,000 acres.

At Tinsley Bible Drug Company, old meets new at one of the oldest continuously operated businesses in Dandridge, Tenn. Founded in 1911, amongst the apothecary bottles with antique labels the store carries 21^st century medicinal products as well as chocolates, greeting cards and designer fragrances. The old-fashioned soda fountain and luncheonette are popular among tourists and locals where they can get a great breakfast or the famous Bible Burger served on a steaming hot bun. The soda fountain is open until 6 p.m. where you can get your favorite ice cream including hand-dipped cones, banana splits and sundaes.

MIDDLE

One of Nashville’s oldest businesses, Elliston Place Soda Shop, opened in 1939, is a time capsule of Americana with black-topped stools at the lunch counter, Formica tables and red-and-white tiled walls. You can even jam to your selected tunes as each individual booth has its own jukebox. Malted milkshakes, banana splits, steaks and burgers are popular on the menu. The historic touches of Elliston Place make it a local favorite. The soda shop is open Monday – Saturday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and you can order most meals for under $10.

Make a stop at the historic Thomas Drugs of Cross Plains, a full service drugstore and soda fountain established in the early 1900s. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Thomas Drugs is home to a 1930’s soda fountain. Enjoy lunch and a variety of ice cream treats, like a juicy hamburger with a classic malt shake, Coca-Cola float or banana split.  Thomas Drugs is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Learn about Lynnville, Tenn. by stopping at Soda Pop Junction. Filled with local memorabilia, you get a history lesson just by looking around while your food is being prepared. Eclectic with a punch of local flavor, visitors love the fried bologna sandwiches, burgers and fried pickle spears. Soda Pop Junction uses creamy Blue Bell Ice Cream for shakes, malts and hand dipped ice cream. Visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner but make sure you have cash on you as Soda Pop Junction only accepts cash payments. The establishment is open Monday to Thursday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WEST

The history behind Stewart’s Coffee Corner is extensive as the business has been open since 2004 but the actual building has been in Lexington, Tenn. since 1878. Stewart Drug Store was one of two drug stores in town and was surrounded by three saloons, one buggy and wagon shop, a hotel, livery stables, a school with three teachers, a Methodist church and four dry good stores. It was a local soda shop and hangout for teenagers and young adults. The soda shop is still in business but under a new name, Stewart’s Coffee Corner, and serves sandwiches, shakes, malts but also coffee from around the world. The shop is filled with history and local stories and should be added to your list if you’re headed to the Lexington area.

Tradition and true family recipes passed down from generations can be found at The Silver Caboose in Collierville, Tenn. Everything on the menu is made from scratch and is filled with flavor. Try the toasted ravioli, chicken salad which can come in a tomato or surrounded by mixed fruit or try the classic Reuben with thinly sliced corn beef, Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing. Pair it with a milkshake made from one of the remaining original soda fountains in Tennessee, dating back to the 1800s with its original marble top and old soda pumps. Satisfy your sweet tooth with a hot fudge sundae complete with whipped cream, chopped pecans and a cherry.

Penny Hill Shoppe in Union City, Tenn. started as a small ice cream shop in Florida but was then moved to the “Volunteer State” where a 50s feel was maintained with checkered floor, aluminum accents and retro red bar stools at the lunch counter. Everything in the shop gives a nod to the cultural phenomenon of the 50s right down to the old fashioned fountain which proudly serves Coca-Cola as well as old fashioned strawberry, cherry, pineapple and chocolate soda, milk shakes, malts and even a strawberry delight – vanilla cake and ice cream topped with strawberry sauce and whipped cream. Yum! You can also get breakfast, pitas, wraps, salads and baked goods.

Which soda shop is on your list to visit? Let me know in the comments below!

So I’ve been sitting on a great story to bring you this:

That’s Stax Records founder Jim Stewart cutting a ribbon in celebration of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music’s 10th anniversary. Students from Soulsville Charter School and Stax Music Academy surround him.

It was absolutely worth the wait.

Today doesn’t merely mark the museum’s 10th anniversary. It marks Jim Stewart‘s first public appearance ever at the museum. You perhaps understand why this is so, considering that he rode this label he founded – one of the most influential music labels in the world – from the bottom to the top and down again, beginning in 1957 when he started Satellite Records in his wife’s uncle’s garage and ending in 1975 when he sacrificed his personal fortune in a failed attempt to save the label. Since that time, Stewart has retreated into privacy. Yet, he will always be the man who put the “ST” in Stax; the serendipitous force who turned an abandoned movie theater, too big and too cockeyed to make any acoustic sense, into music legend. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. He did not personally attend the ceremony.

This morning, however, he was flanked by niece Doris Fredrick (daughter of Estelle Axton, who put the “AX” in Stax), Curtis Johnson of the Astors and Deanie Parker, first CEO of the Soulsville Foundation and head of publicity for Stax Records until it closed in 1975, as the Street Corner Harmonies, a group of students enrolled in Soulsville Charter School and Stax Music Academy, performed this:

If that made you tear up, you’re not alone.

Following the performance, the students had the chance to meet Stewart and pose for pictures like this one, including Doris Fredrick and Deanie Parker:

So happy Stax Museum Day, y’all. Here’s that story I’ve been telling you about:

You know the fairytale: Character slogs through under-appreciated existence; character discovers he/she is royalty?

Cast the characters as Memphis-based Stax recording artists in the mid-1960s: recording all day; gigging all night; missing widespread acceptance in the U.S.

Then the label sends a group – Booker T. and the MG’s, The Mar-Keys, Sam and Dave, Arthur Conley, Eddie Floyd, Otis Redding, Carla Thomas – on a European tour in the spring of 1967.

Lives change.

In the book, Soulsville, U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records, ethnomusicologist Rob Bowman quotes Steve Cropper as reflecting on the tour: “…We were just in Memphis cutting records; we didn’t know. Then we got over there, there were hordes of people waiting at the airport, autograph hounds and all that sort of stuff…They treated us like we were the Beatles or something.”

How do you explain the incongruity?

I asked Carmel Lonergan, a BBC radio producer and director of the 2006 Stax-focused documentary, Soulsville. Carmel, born (and today based) in Manchester, England, began, “We had the Beatles. We had Windrush [an influx of calypso, reggae and ska].” “We had ‘white rock’ covered [Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant],” added Carmel’s husband, Rich. Carmel concluded: “The U.K. was hungry for lively, different music.”

The answer sounded forth in an unlikely harmony of progression and tradition: “’60s youth culture was forming – they wanted something new,” Carmel explained. Yet, she underscored, “The U.K. has [always] looked to American music – big band, jazz.” Stax soul music, all-American, but with unheard-of frenetic tempos and fat sounds, was the answer.

U.S. acceptance of soul eventually broadened when Redding and Booker T. and the MG’s ignited California’s Monterey International Pop Music Festival upon returning from Europe. But to say that Stax was, and is, “big overseas” is an understatement. Europe’s “massive soul following,” as Carmel classifies it, remains feverish to this day. “Everybody knows the logo,” Carmel and Rich told me, snapping in unison. In the north of England, the couple reports that soul nights “were big in the ‘70s and [are] still going…there’s a new generation coming up” – a generation that’s discovering the music all over again.

In the course of creating Soulsville, Carmel was serenaded by Eddie Floyd and moved by the relationship between Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Porter helped Hayes, who had suffered a stroke, communicate during their interview with Carmel. “It was like a dance,” Carmel remembered, of the way the pair related. No wonder, then, that Carmel considers creating Soulsville the highlight of her 22-year career with the BBC.

Carmel and Rich were in town as part of a junket including several high-caliber European journalists to experience Stax to the Max, the annual street festival that unfolds in Memphis’ Soulsville neighborhood around the Stax Museum of American Soul Music. Though rain delayed the festival by a day, the line-up didn’t quit from Sunday afternoon into evening, climaxing with a Stax Revue featuring William Bell, Toni Green and Kirk Whalum with special appearances by the Temprees, the Mad Lads and the Astors, and closing with a performance by Stax Music Academy. I’ve included some photos of the event below to hold you over until you make the trip for yourself. In the meantime, take a listen to some sweet soul music and tell me – who’s your favorite Memphis soul artist?

The first act we caught at 2013 Stax to the Max was the Vic High School R&B Band from Victoria, British, Columbia.

Away from the main stage, community groups and vendors added to the scene. These chalk artists were recreating Memphis artist Carroll Cloar’s Wedding Party, which hangs inside the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art.

We discovered local jewelry designer Brittney Boyd among the vendor tables. You can find her fresh pieces at Hoot + Louise on South Main.

There was so much activity in the kids’ zone, my daughter bounced herself silly.

But back to the music: Here’s Toni Green during the Stax Revue.

Scimitar, a peregrine falcon, can predict rain better than a weatherman.

Sammy, at age 19, is considered the oldest kestrel on record.

Victory, a golden eagle looks very intimidating, especially when he flexes talons strong enough to crush rock (almost). She has a wingspan of six feet.

Brittany Barajas and Owltilla

The huge yellow eyes of Owltilla, a great horned owl, are mesmerizing and its head can swivel 280 degrees.

Sundance, a Harris hawk with shiny brown feathers, has a way of screeching in a whisper.

Christian Knatt and Osceola

Even Osceola, a bald eagle with only one wing, has a regal presence. Wildlife program coordinator Christian Knatt places the giant in an outdoor compound with all the respect shown to royalty. He tells me Osceola likes to go hang gliding with a buddy, so this huge bird does fly.

Challenger, the star of flock, has visited with presidents, football players and movie stars. This bald eagle appears before crowds of 100,000 and has been just about everywhere.

The American Eagle Foundation, home to birds big and small, was established in 1985. It is a not-for-profit organization with ties to Dollywood. Every year, thousands of park visitors watch the birds at the Eagle Mountain Sanctuary aviary and at the Wings of America birds of prey show. Eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and vultures show off their flying skills in an open-air theater.

The birds are a highlight of my visits to Dollywood, but I had the opportunity recently to tour the off-park center in Pigeon Forge. Groups can take tours to the center by calling in advance to make reservations.

In its long brown buildings I met the cast of characters: Scimitar, Victory, Owltilla, Sundance, Osceola, Challenger and others.

Caregivers provide a safe haven for birds of prey that are non-releasable because of physical disabilities or past experiences with humans, known as imprinting.

The raptor barn is a busy place with volunteers and workers in constant motion weighing and feeding birds, taking them outside for sunlight and socialization, and giving them exercise and training. The birds are inspected daily to make sure they stay healthy and happy.

“They all have different personalities,” says Brittany Barajas, explaining how birds let workers know their mood of the day. Brittany possesses a wealth of knowledge that she is eager to share. She can always tell when rain is about to roll in because Scimitar will jump into a bird bath.

Brittany, a poised 16-year-old who has volunteered at the center for four years, introduces me to Owltilla. I feel very lucky to be up close so I can examine this incredibly beautiful great horned owl.

Janine Orlando and Scimitar

Janine Orlando works outdoors with Scimitar, who is trying to gain strength after coming here with a wing injury. “She gets excited because she knows if she’s going to fly, she is going to eat,” explains Janine as Scimitar flaps her wings in anticipation. Janine walks 20 to 30 yards and then blows a whistle. Scimitar flies from the perch to Janine’s glove, receives pieces of lean quail breast, and then flies back again to the perch.

Al Louis Cecere and Challenger

American Eagle Foundation founder and president Al Louis Cecere and wildlife program coordinator Robert West perform a similar flying exercise with Challenger. Al stands at one end of a long hall and Robert at the other. On Al’s whistle command, Challenger leaves Robert’s glove and flies to Al’s. It’s back and forth five or six times. Challenger is a very fast eagle, so only a white and brown swoosh is visible.

“Challenger has been to five presidential inaugurations,” Robert says, in running down a long list of places the eagle has been and the people he’s met. “He bit President Bill Clinton. The president was warned ‘You can’t touch the bird,’ and when he did, the president learned not to do it again.”

Other buildings at the center are devoted to breeding, exercising, quarantine and rehabilitation; they are not open to the public to ensure minimal disruption. The breeding program has hatched and released dozens of eaglets into the wild. One eaglet hatched the morning of my visit. Al takes pride in the six eaglets hatched this season and he expects at least two more are on the way.

The process is intriguing. The eggs are hatched in an incubator. Once hatched, the eaglets are fed with a puppet resembling an adult bird so the little ones remain unaware of humans.

Parent couples live in a separate protected compound. They receive a wooden egg in their nest. A short time after an eaglet is hatched, Al will go to the nest and replace the wooden egg with some broken egg shells and the baby. “It seems kind of weird that they wouldn’t know the difference, but when we take the wooden egg out and put the baby in, they just go right to it.”

Robert West and Victory

Have you visited the American Eagle Foundation? Let us know about your trip in the comments! 

On this sunny, spring day families stroll the 55-acre estate ablaze with tens of thousands of tulips, woodland flowers, azaleas and dogwoods. Hanging from ropes in a grove of trees like a troop of monkeys, youngsters experience a “trees-eye-view” in a special canopy climb experience. Nearby, folk gather in the Herb Garden enjoying the outdoor serenade of a jazz ensemble, while laughter and squeals escape from children playing tag in a rustic tree house. The gardens are bursting with life, color and music.

Cheekwood is one of the last Grand Country Era Estates built in the United States, ranking with the lavish homes of the Vanderbilts, Fords and Duponts. Known as The House that Coffee Built, it was established on the Maxwell House Coffee fortune and completed in 1933.

The Cheekwood Story: Good to the Last Drop

The story goes back to the late 1800’s when Leslie Cheek joined his father in the family’s wholesale grocery business in Nashville and married Mabel Wood from Clarksville. By the time he was president of the company, his cousin Joel had developed a superior blend of coffee supplied exclusively to the prestigious Maxwell House Hotel, and thus the Maxwell House brand was born. President Roosevelt innocently coined its catchphrase, declaring the coffee to be “good to the last drop” while staying in the Maxwell House Hotel on a visit to Nashville. The family’s investment paid off handsomely when Joel Cheek sold his coffee business to Postum (now General Foods) for over $40 million in 1928.

Leslie and Mabel poured some of their newly acquired fortune into building their dream home. By 1933, New York architect Bryan Fleming had transformed 100 acres of woodland in West Nashville into a country estate with limestone mansion and extensive formal garden. Regrettably, Leslie only lived two years in the home before dying of heart failure.

In 1957, descendants donated the property to the State of Tennessee as a site for a botanical garden and art museum. Cheekwood is now on the National Register of Historic Places and the 30,000 sq. ft. Georgian-style mansion is a living museum decked with art collections founded on the permanent collections from the former Nashville Museum of Art.

Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art is a Destination of Choice, declares Fodor’s.  Every season overflows with special events for the whole family. The highlights of spring at Cheekwood are gardens blooming with 55,000 tulips, chamber music from Vanderbilt Blair School of Music every Sunday, small concerts scattered across the grounds and free Drop-In ‘Art’tivity workshops for kids.

Bruce Munro Comes to Cheekwood

Opening May 24 through November 10, Cheekwood will host the second-ever North American exhibit of Light, transforming the gardens into an enchanting dream-like landscape of glowing fiber optics by acclaimed British artist Bruce Munro. Throughout this season, Cheekwood will extend its hours past 4:30pm to 10pm Wednesday-Friday for visitors to enjoy this magical wonderland under the night sky.

During June and July you can focus on fitness by showing up 7am Friday morning for Yoga in the Garden, or hike the Woodland Sculpture Trail at your leisure. Thursday evenings will feature programs ranging from puppet shows to musical performances for family enjoyment.

Cheekwood is a delight to visit at any time of the year. Stop at the Pineapple Room for lunch with a friend, browse the eclectic gift shop, pack a picnic and relax in the botanical gardens, sign up for an art class, register your kids for morning or afternoon summer camp, or mix history with art and music as you take a guided tour through the mansion.

And if you’re looking for an excuse to spend more time on this beautiful estate, you can book Cheekwood for weddings and special events, or become a Friend of Cheekwood and volunteer!

What are you most looking forward to at Cheekwood this year?

Riverplains Farm stretches across 400 acres of rolling hills and bottomlands. The Holston River makes a bend as if to keep the verdant pastures in its grasp. Jennifer Niceley, Rachel Niceley and Anna Niceley Barreiro, the three daughters of State Senator Frank and Cyndie Niceley, longed for the verdant vistas of Clinch Mountain and returned to the farm in Jefferson County.

The trio pursued educations and careers in far-flung places, but “[f]or whatever reason, we all ended up back here and are dedicated to reinventing the farm and trying to make things more sustainable,” Jennifer says. For many years, Riverplains Farm operated as a dairy farm with Holsteins, but now it has beef cattle, hogs, chickens, corn, and vegetables. The farm near Strawberry Plains has been with the Niceley Family since the 1940s.

Historically horses have been important to the Niceley family. Rachel continues this tradition with horse training, carriage driving, boarding and fox hunting events. She also raises hogs.

Jennifer and Anna focus on food. Together with friend Misty Oaks, Jennifer and Anna own a catering business that hosts farm dinners. All of the food on the table comes from Riverplains Farm or other farms within Jefferson County. Long tables stretched across a pasture overlooking grazing horses or directly on the banks of the Holston River. I was fortunate to be a guest at such a culinary event, and I had the pleasure of experiencing their delicious, organically grown cuisine. Until the musicians tuned up their instruments, the only sounds that were heard were the distant clucking of chickens and the rush of water. Very little interferes with the quiet of the countryside.

In recalling a Harvest Moon dinner, Jennifer observed, “I noticed the dinner seemed to nourish people on more than one level. A lot of our guests don’t live on a farm, so for them it is a magical experience to come.” She says many people seek a rural escape, and a bountiful meal at Riverplains Farm is a refreshing departure from the ordinary.

Jennifer and Anna learned traditional cooking methods from their mother, Cyndie, who prepared daily meals for the farm workers. Friends gravitated to the family home, where gracious hospitality made everyone feel welcome.

Anna Niceley Barreiro with daughters Montalee, left, and Maggie

Once she was on her own, Anna gained more experience by working in restaurants and quizzing the chefs about cooking technique. Nowadays, she handles the catering arrangements for the farm dinners, typically for groups of 30-40, and for weddings.

“The private parties are very affordable for what we offer—the quality of our food and the beauty of the farm,” says Anna, who juggles cooking and catering with being a stay-at-home mom, raising daughters Montalee, 3, and Maggie, 10 months. She and her husband, Dino Barreiro, a carpenter, live on the farm.

Jennifer praises her sister, saying, “Anna is a naturally gifted chef and baker.” She shares the story of Anna, who at age 5 made breakfast pancakes, asking her father to stir the batter because she was too little to handle the big bowl and spoon.

Anna, Jennifer and Misty are launching Mr. Canteen, a food truck to serve farm-inspired meals in Knoxville beginning in June. Heirloom vegetables, pasture raised chicken eggs, corn meal and grits, and Heritage pork sausage are available at several Knoxville grocery stores, such as Three Rivers Market. Grass-fattened beef is available through special order. Hickory Cane corn (an heirloom non-genetically modified variety) is grown at the farm, using no pesticides or chemicals. The corn is stone ground at a local mill. The chicken eggs are GMO and soy free.

During the summer, Jennifer’s work hours are sun up to sun down. “It’s very demanding, just the 200 chickens alone are demanding,” she says as she overlooks three huge garden plots ready for cultivation. “My role is the ingredients—farming what they are going to have at the dinners or on the food truck,” says Jennifer. She and her husband, Matthew DeBardeloben, live on the farm’s river bluff.

The family is dedicated to sharing the fruits of their labor and the gifts of their land. For East Tennesseans looking to be rural and quiet, Riverplains Farm provides a very special location for a farm-inspired meal.

EAST

Staying: Slip away from the hustling world and into a place hailed by National Geographic Traveler Magazine as “reflecting a destination of true character and out of the ordinary lodgings.” Richmont Inn in Townsend celebrates the culture of the mountain people through the architecture, décor and cozy pampering given to each guest. You can choose a chalet suite which features a shower with a rain head sprinkler and body sprays, a massaging spa tub and a fireplace. Snuggle down in your micro-fiber sheets as the fire slowly dies. The main building rooms are rich with antiques and artwork. “Country chic” comes to mind, especially in the Robert Mize room and the William Bartram room with its deep red fabric, hardwood floors and homey patterns. Rooms in the main building range from $160-$220 a night. Experience why National Geographic called it “Appalachia with Style.”

Doing: Pack a picnic lunch and spend your day surrounded by endless Great Smoky Mountain peaks. Learn about the culture and history of the people who call the mountains their home at the Great Smoky Mountain Heritage Center. You’ll find historic buildings like the Wilder Chapel, a smokehouse, sawmill and granary. See 5,000 years of Native American life through hunting, pottery, food and medicine. Pioneer, mountain culture, a postal wagon, farm equipment and more are waiting for you to see. Want adventure? Head on over to Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend which was carved over tens of thousands of years in one of the earth’s oldest mountain chains. The 200-foot high Silver Falls, a double waterfall, is open on the lower section for visitors but you can take a peek at the lighted upper room where the upper falls is located.

Eating: If you don’t wish to pack a picnic lunch, dine at The Wild Plum Tea Room, named for the wild plum trees surrounding the log building. Sandwiches, house salads and yummy desserts like Brownie Delight, Amaretto Bread Pudding with its specialty wild plum tea is a delight not to be missed. Be sure to pop into the little gift shop that overlooks the dining area. The restaurant is open daily 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. March to mid-December. Reservations are accepted after 10 a.m.

MIDDLE

Staying: If you want to stay somewhere environmentally conscious while in Nashville, you’ll want to stay at the Hermitage Hotel. Besides the luxurious amenities the hotel offers, you have the option of donating $2 for every night of your stay to the Land Trust for Tennessee. Through this initiative, guests have raised over $157,000 for land conservation. Because of this program, the farm at Glen Leven, a 66-acre historic site, took shape. Originally donated to the Land Trust for Tennessee by the Thompson family, Glen Leven was bought by The Hermitage Hotel and made into a prosperous farm. The Trust allowed Capitol Grille, the restaurant inside The Hermitage Hotel, to grow tomatoes, potatoes, beans, squash and other vegetables which have been used in its culinary creations and the hotel’s room service. A small herd of cattle were purchased and beehives for honey are being planned along with expanding the vegetable area.

Doing: Get out into the surrounding area and tip your hat to the farmer by visiting the Tennessee Agricultural Museum which features artifacts from the pioneering days of Tennessee farm families like early farm equipment and household goods. See the agricultural development that happened in the state throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Eating: Chow down on delicious steaks, burgers and salads at Ted’s Montana Grill. They also have a gluten-free menu. The company is committed to being environmentally responsible. They use energy-efficient, low-voltage lighting to reduce energy consumption, reuse their cooking oil to reduce air pollution, carbon emissions and reliance on imported petroleum. The company recycles more than 370 tons of glass, plastic and aluminum each year and even uses paper straws as they aspire to be 99% plastic-free.

WEST

Staying: Memphis is the mecca of blues, soul and jazz music. Literally feel the electricity of the city by staying at the Peabody Hotel, which features four electric vehicle charging stations capable of charging the Nissan Leaf and the hybrid-electric Chevrolet Volt. There isn’t a fee for the charging stations and guests only pay for parking as they normally do while staying at the hotel. Tennessee is the only state east of the Mississippi to receive the electric vehicle charging stations. The historic hotel offers luxurious amenities including a spa and salon, pet friendly rooms and Segway tours of downtown Memphis.

Doing: Brush up on your musical history by making a stop on Union Avenue to see Sun Studio, the birthplace of rock and roll. Started in 1950 by Sam Phillips, a record producer, the studio became famous when a guy named Elvis Presley walked in and sang “That’s Alright, Mama” with a backup band with Scotty Moore and Bill Black. The rest is, as they say, history. Many other musical legends have walked in Sun Studio and recorded hit songs like Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Charlie Rich.

Eating: Savor organic, locally grown produce in your meals when you dine at Felicia Suzanne’s downtown Memphis restaurant like goat and feta cheese from Bonnie Blue Farm, ham from Benton’s Country Hams and your dinner rolls from La Baguette French Bread & Pastry Shop. Try the trout almondine with caramelized sweet potatoes and almond brown butter or the pepper-crusted salmon on a bed of sweet corn etouffee. Finish off your decadent dinner with chocolate fried pies in Prichard Distillery’s rum sauce and salted caramel chocolate chip ice cream or the Peppermint Patty: old-fashioned baked fudge in chocolate sauce coupled with peppermint ice cream.

Did you hear Michelle Obama say those words on April 9? If not, stream the Memphis Soul Workshop she hosted in the State Dining Room of the White House here. Middle and high school students from across the country were invited to attend and ask questions of a panel that included musicians connected to Memphis soul – Sam Moore, Mavis Staples and Justin Timberlake among them.

The workshop was a prelude to the evening’s entertainment, “In Performance at the White House: Memphis Soul,” during which Moore resurrected “Soul Man” and Staples graveled through “I’ll Take You There” like soul royalty. Timberlake and Steve Cropper collaborated on “(Sittin’ on) the Dock of the Bay,” William Bell smoothed over “You Don’t Miss Your Water” and Eddie Floyd punched out “Knock on Wood.” By the end of the evening, Cropper had also contributed to an Alabama Shakes rendition of “Born Under a Bad Sign” and Memphis-influenced artists from Ben Harper to Cyndi Lauper and Queen Latifah joined in on “In the Midnight Hour.” Harmonizing it all was the production’s musical director, Booker T. Jones.

The connection, of course, is Memphis soul, fostered in so many ways by Stax Records in Memphis’ Soulsville neighborhood. It’s where names including Bell, Floyd, Moore and Staples grounded their legacies; where Cropper and Jones (along with the late Duck Dunn and Al Jackson, Jr.) bucked segregation to make music as transcendent today as it was in the 1960s – indeed, where the sounds cut so deep a groove, no one from Timberlake to the Shakes to the President of the United States (an unabashed Al Green fan) can shake it.

This marker, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, stand on the former location of Stax Records.

No hard feelings if you didn’t get the White House invitation. Watch the streams I provided above; then hot-foot it to Memphis. Any time is a good time to visit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (located on the original site of Stax Records), but this year, and particularly this month and next, are really good: As the 10th anniversary of the museum’s opening, 2013 has been declared the “Year of the Stax Museum,” with May 2 marking “Stax Museum Day” statewide.

Get ready for Stax Museum Day: May 2, 2013. Image courtesy of Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

Get here in time for the weekend (Sat., April 27, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.) to experience Stax to the Max, the museum’s annual street festival. We loved last year’s event (think continuous live music on two outdoor stages, food trucks, arts groups, children’s activities and vendors), but this year promises some biggies, including hometown boys The Astors performing together for the first time in 40 years, a set by William Bell and The Temprees and a finale by the Stax Music Academy, an after-school and summer music program for middle and high school students focused on performance and the Stax legacy. Admission to the festival is free and museum admission is just $2 between noon and 5 p.m. The music goes on for hours, so bring a lawn chair (though no coolers are allowed).

Stax to the Max is free to attend; just bring some cash for drinks and snacks, a lawn chair and your time…live music will sound from two stages throughout the day. Shown here is Stax Academy’s 2012 festival performance. Photo courtesy of Stax Museum of American Soul Music.

p.s. I’m preparing to meet a group of European journalists who are in town to experience Stax to the Max – check back here next week for their perspectives, festival photos and tips for celebrating Stax Museum Day. Until then, tell us how Memphis soul has influenced you in the comments section below!

In this loosely informal and spontaneous live radio variety show styled after the Grand Ole Opry, a legion of music lovers cram into the huge barn behind the Loveless Cafe, ready for a night of discovery. Every Wednesday night from 7:00-9:30 p.m., up-and-coming artists share the stage with legendary musicians. In this blending of new technology with old values, the younger generation has the opportunity to learn from its predecessors and gain new mentors.

The light flashes ON AIR and the show begins, introduced by announcer Keith Bilbrey. The first group is an established name and the music has the fans spellbound. Is it the atmosphere, the intimacy, the acoustics in a barn, shoulders touching in wooden chairs packed tightly for the overflow audience? The music may be jazz, bluegrass, rockabilly, folk, gospel – all roots of Americana music.

Typical of live radio shows, there is plenty of informal chatting, as sponsors are thanked and artists take a turn perched on stools for an interview in one corner of the stage. If you haven’t been before, you really don’t know what to expect next!

Out in the wings, the Loveless Café keeps the regional flavor of food alive for all who come to sample authentic Americana. You can purchase locally made Moonshine – yep, it’s not illegal anymore! – to go along with their famous fried chicken and all the trimmings.

Back on stage, the second segment features an aspiring artist, many self-styled after well-known names. Music City Roots is the place to discover the new trends in music style, where backyard meets sophistication and new genres evolve.

The Vietti Chili girl is a well-recognized icon, even as far away as Japan. She dances on to the stage singing a little jingle Grand Ole Opry-style and segues into the next segment for an emerging artist, who has 10 minutes and three songs to introduce themselves to the world. This is the moment the scouts and music industry people are watching and listening to with special attention. Who will be the next great find signed by a local agent or record company?

“This is a point of discovery for new talent,” enthuses Executive Producer John Walker. “The whole purpose of the show is to create a platform on a global scale that could broadcast the talent of Music City.”

Global? Yes indeed! Music City Roots is broadcast worldwide on live streaming internet and syndicated radio in 30 cities across America. It has just moved its local Nashville flagship to 94.5 Hippie Radio. The show’s creators and executive producers, Todd Mayo and John Walker, recently signed a TV and syndicated radio deal in Australia, expanding their global vision to cross-pollinate musical talent with different cultures.

“In June, representatives from Tamworth, Australia’s capital of country music, are coming here to sign a sister city proclamation with Nashville and Mayor Karl Dean,” said Walker. “We’re planning an Australian-themed night at Music City Roots to celebrate.” Being an Aussie-American, you can bet I’ll return for that occasion! Check out their schedule online for coming details.

Mayo and Walker also created the runaway success Bluegrass Underground, where Americana music is performed in a cave 300 feet below ground, and are now taking Music City Roots to the next level. March 2013 began their new spin-off, Scenic City Roots, in Chattanooga. This monthly version of the Loveless Barn event is performed live at Track 29, on the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo campus, with the purpose of showcasing Chattanooga as a city rich in history and musical culture.

“We want to keep the regional flavors alive,” said Walker. “It’s part of our country’s heritage.” Their future plans? To spread a trail of music across the state.

Music City Roots host Jim Lauderdale gathers all the artists on stage and wraps up the evening with the Loveless Jam. It’s a little bit of everything, all harmonizing together. A reminder that we are all connected, if we just take the time to discover our roots.

Who’s your favorite new group or artist that you’ve only recently discovered? Where did your first hear them?

Maybe it’s a cultural thing. One neighbor is from Portugal. The other moved from the NASA shuttle program in Houston. So I guess they led interesting, well-traveled but catfish-deprived lives before making their way to Leipers Fork.

Looks like it’s up to me to introduce them to the fine southern traditions of fried catfish.

Catfish about 10 to 12 inches long are called “fiddlers” and fit nicely into a skillet of hot oil.

The first part of my plan involves a summer trip to the Tennessee River to catch fresh catfish, perfect for frying whole. So we’ll head to Pickwick Landing State Park (www.tn.gov/environment/parks/PickwickLanding) to stay in a pet-friendly cabin.

A comfortable cabin at Pickwick Landing State Park is close enough to enjoy the amenities at the inn and marina but nestled in the woods, giving you a feeling of getting away from it all. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

The park is on Pickwick Lake and just south of the dam so I’ll have easy access to the lake and river. The lake is famous for its smallmouth but I’m after catfish this trip so I’ll go below the dam with a can of worms. The trick is not to catch the big blue cats. I’ve hauled in 30-pounders but those weighing five pounds or less taste better.

While Jake, my wonder dog, and I go catfishing, the rest of the group will enjoy the inn’s indoor and outdoor pools and the hiking trail that follows the shoreline. Too bad there’s not a golfer among us to enjoy the 18-hole par 72 golf course, but one of our small group is a dedicated historian who will enjoy a visit to the Tennessee River Museum on Main Street in Savannah, about 12 miles north.

The Tennessee River Museum in Savannah tells the story of the earliest prehistoric nomads, Mississippian mound builders who built complex ceremonial sites nearby and the tragic two-day Civil War battle that took place at Shiloh. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

Savannah grew from a ferry and riverboat landing on the Tennessee River, the interstate highway of its day during the early 1820s. Legend says about 60 years ago a Savannah businessman wanted a distinction between his home town and that other Savannah. Since folks here were serious about catfish – catching them and eating them – the nickname “Catfish Capital of the World” was born.

Tennessee River Museum exhibits include steamboat transportation; routes through Savannah used during the Trail of Tears; and the Civil War on the river, including the Battle of Shiloh which took place up-river on the western shore

The Tennessee River Museum’s collections include hundreds of fossils from the Paleozoic and Cretaceous periods, numerous arrowheads, bone needles and awls and a rare eight-inch stone effigy pipe of a kneeling man that was unearthed in 1898 at the Shiloh Mounds complex, now a part of the 4,000-acre Shiloh National Military Park (www.nps.gov/shil).

About ten miles south of Savannah, the staggering losses during the Civil War Battle of Shiloh included 13,047 Union men lost, wounded or dead and 10,699 Confederates losses. (Photo:Cathy Summerlin)

Centuries before General U.S. Grant arrived in Savannah, prehistoric mound builders created a mile-long line of mounds on the eastern shore. Most of those mounds have long since disappeared from view. The Cherry Mansion remains on top of one of the 14 mounds that made up this complex.

General U.S Grant was headquartered in Savannah at the Cherry Mansion during the spring of 1862 and traveled upstream by river steamer each day to the troop encampment at Pittsburgh Landing on the other side of the Tennessee River. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

If the catfish aren’t biting, we’ll head over to Hagy’s Catfish Hotel (www.catfishhotel.com) which is about a mile from Shiloh National Military Park. The original Catfish Hotel was more of a catfish shack, known for the fried catfish and Southern hospitality shared with fishing buddies and family. Three generations of Hagys continue the tradition of serving finger-lickin’ fiddlers. Their menu has expanded to include critters served fried, grilled and chilled that never saw the likes of the Tennessee River but thankfully, catfish is still king.

We’ll be ready to hit the hay after a big plate of fried catfish and hushpuppies, but there’s no lodging at this “hotel.” Good thing it’s only a 20-minute drive back to our cabin at Pickwick Landing.

Pickwick Landing State Park is an ideal location for enjoying water sports including fishing, sailing, and water skiing on Pickwick Lake. You can also discover the fascinating history of the area and enjoy some of the finest catfish to ever land in a skillet. (Photo: Pickwick Landing State Park)

Love catfish? Share your favorite recipe in the comments if you dare! 

I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for one of the most extreme weekends I’ve had in a while. I was going on an adventure of a lifetime with Middle Tennessee Hot Air Adventures, taking a hot air balloon ride around Franklin on this very early morning. I’ve had it on the top of my bucket list with a couple of stars next to my scribbled writing ever since I saw “The Wizard of Oz.”

The drive to Franklin was peaceful, quiet and dark which made me want my pillow even more. Maybe they would have one in the balloon basket? Hey, a girl could dream, which reminded me of sleep.

Anyway, I arrived in downtown Franklin and met Logan Bedford, the captain. His dad started flying in the 1970’s and Logan grew up flying in balloons and learned to pilot them at an early age. He even retold a story of how he fell asleep in the basket and when he woke up, his dad and he were about 1,000 feet in the air. Logan has been all over the world from New Zealand to France and Mexico.

We drove to the launching site, a large field surrounded by trees and the sound of twittering birds waking up their neighbors. The sun made its lazy rise as Logan and his crew assembled the balloon. The passengers (there were six of us) were welcome to help but we were too busy taking photos of the process to lend a hand.

While we were snapping photos, Logan and the crew attached the burner system to the basket and then the balloon envelope and began inflating it using a powerful fan. Once the balloon was inflated, the burner flame was blasted into the mouth of the envelope until the balloon inflated all the way.

Logan waved us over and told each of us when to get in the basket so the balloon wouldn’t float away. The actual launch was smooth and I didn’t even notice we were in the air until we were about 50 feet from the ground, maybe because I was too awestruck by the view.

To keep us aloft and climb to a higher altitude, Logan pumped the burner flame into the balloon by opening the propane valve. He caught different wind currents to change the course of the balloon, giving us a chance to snap photos of different views. Tennessee’s rolling hills never looked so gorgeous. Below us, neighborhood rooftops were slowly doused in sunlight as the sun made its slow ascent into the clear blue sky.

The only part I was a bit hesitant about was the landing. We were told, upon coming in for a landing, we were to hold onto the bars of the basket and slightly bend our knees to prepare for the impact the basket would make as it landed.

Never to worry, Logan made a softer landing than I expected or imagined was possible. Two bounces and we were safely on the ground. The crew grabbed a cord attached to the top of the balloon to help us stop. When we were all safely out of the basket, the photos continued while the crew pushed the air out and stuffed the balloon back into its travel sack, much like you would a sleeping bag.

It’s safe to say I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything in the world. Middle Tennessee Hot Air Adventures also does sunset rides as well as rides where you ascend while it’s still dark to watch the sunrise from the basket.

To see how a balloon ride from launch to landing occurs, check out the story Tennessee Crossroads did on Ace High Ballooning, another ballooning company in Franklin.

Have you ever taken a hot air balloon ride in Tennessee? Share your experiences in the comments below!

Jonesborough is Tennessee’s oldest town, so people here have had a long time to build a sense of community. Perhaps the town’s frontier heritage established a tradition to know the neighbors and look out for each other.

Fortunately for the visitor, the town’s embrace extends to everyone who comes by. With flower boxes decorating sidewalks, American flags flapping in the breeze, and shop windows tempting you to step inside, Jonesborough is a pleasant destination.

A trusting, relaxed attitude is pervasive here. A shopkeeper asked a couple to mind the store for just a minute. She needed to slip into the restroom. “Just make sure no one walks off with the cash register.” At a specialty shop a few door down, the shopkeeper was apparently running an errand, but left the door open so I could look around. One locked business had a “Gone Fishing” sign.

Small businesses feature an enticing selection of antiques, collectibles, home decorating items, toys, glass art, quilts, crafts, jewelry, and weekend apparel. The best place to indulge is Earth & Sky Confections where artisan chocolates are beautiful works of art and unbelievably delicious.

Beginning in May, free musical entertainment attracts a congenial crowd to the sidewalks in front of the Washington County Courthouse. Music may be bluegrass, Celtic, jazz or old-time blues. To mix things up a little bit, performance artists and storytellers join local and regional bands on the stage. Traffic is blocked off so lawn chairs can spill into the street. This free entertainment begins at 7 p.m. every Friday night through September.

Jonesborough Days, a July 4 holiday extravaganza, will feature a parade, Civil War encampment, Native American village, craft, live entertainment, food vendors, and fireworks. Activities are scheduled for July 5-6.

The biggest event in town is the National Storytelling Festival produced by the International Storytelling Center in the heart of Jonesborough. Locals feel a tremendous ownership of the festival, and take lots of pride in the high caliber of storytellers who spin their tales to audiences large and small. Early ticket sales indicate attendance will be very good this year. More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the Oct. 4-6 festival.

A Teller-in-Residence program almost guarantees visitors will hear a story when they come by the International Storytelling Center. Storytelling Live! begins its 12th season on May 7. Twenty-six nationally known storytellers will appear at the center theater every week through Nov. 2. Ghost story nights and other special events are on the calendar too.

Jonesborough has other entertainment venues, such as the favorite Jonesborough Repertory Theatre. You might want something simpler, like playing bocce or listening to bluegrass at the Depot Street Brewing Co. This local brew pub sells a flavorful selection of craft beers to enjoy in casual indoor and outdoor tasting rooms.

For dinner, locals directed me to The Dining Room at the old Town Hall building for fine Cuban-influenced cuisine. The empanadas, asparagus soup and Cuban sandwich I ordered had some tasty seasoning. I had an equally pleasing meal earlier in the day at the Main Street Café. It attracts a jubilant luncheon crowd because of its sinfully rich brownies and pastries, the perfect dessert to their wholesome sandwiches, salads, quiches and soups. Submarine sandwiches, burgers, milk shakes and root beers are served at the Jonesborough General Store and Eatery.

Hospitality in Jonesborough dates back to the era of John Sevier, Tennessee’s first governor. Main Street was once the Old Stage Road, a vital connector from the frontier to older settlements. The renovated Historic Eureka Inn hosts overnight guests, as does the cozy Blair-Moore House, a bed and breakfast with great charm and award-winning breakfasts. Visitors can glimpse history at the Chester Inn, also on Main Street, which now serves as a historical museum with a very knowledgeable guide who leads tours through the second floor guest suites. Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson, all destined to become U.S. presidents, slept here.

A descriptive map for a walking tour of Jonesborough’s historical sites can be picked up at the Historic Jonesborough Visitors Center. In addition to an information desk, it has a small heritage museum and gift shop.

Have you experienced Historic Jonesborough? What stood out?

Up on the roof

The Peabody Hotel Rooftop Parties are thoroughly modern these days, but there’s a sense of tradition in all things at this landmark you just can’t shake (no matter how hard you’re dancing). The Rooftop Parties date to 1939 when “Sunset Serenades” occupied a supper club on the east end of the hotel roof. Big names, including Tommy Dorsey, performed.

If you thought the lobby of The Peabody Memphis was legendary, try the roof. Photo courtesy of The Peabody Memphis.

This season, you’ll hear a mix of international to local pop, rock, dance, funk and cover acts (Canadian crush Carly Rae Jepsen opened the season on April 11; Nashville’s Hot Chelle Rae performs April 18; American Idol’s Stefano Langone guests May 2). The parties happen every Thursday night from 6-11 p.m. through Aug. 15. From the lobby of The Peabody, hit the elevators and head all the way up – and keep these party tips in mind:

• Admission to The Peabody Rooftop Parties is $10 ($15 on April 18), which includes one free drink. Ladies and hotel guests get in free until 7 p.m.
• If you think you’ll return often, purchase a VIP pass when you reach the roof. The pass includes admission to all parties (with one free drink at each); access to the rooftop VIP lounge; discounts on Peabody merchandise and dining; valet parking – and an express elevator ride to the roof ($125 for the season).
• If you’ll be in Memphis July 4, plan to be here that evening – the Rooftop Party will offer a choice view (and vibe) as fireworks flash over the city.
• Love a freebie? Select Friday and Saturday evenings (4:30-8:30 p.m.) from Memorial Day through Labor Day, The Peabody hosts Sunset Happy Hours on its roof. You’ll pay for your drinks, but admission and the views are free. Call the hotel (901-529-4000) to confirm dates.

Down on the block

Back on the ground, just across Union Avenue from The Peabody, a season-long celebration underscores the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds baseball season, which opened April 4. You can view the full promo calendar here (hint: there’s a discount or giveaway available nearly every home game), but note my best bets:

• At Tuesday home games, you’ll find select two-for-one ticket specials and hot dogs, sodas and popcorn for $2 each (on “Wet Your Whistle” Wednesdays, $10 gets you a Field Box ticket, one 16 oz. PBR and a PBR koozie, provided you’re at least 21).
• Warm up for a Friday home game at a Redbirds block party. Gates open at 5 p.m.; expect beer specials and live music until 7 at these family-friendly gatherings on AutoZone Park’s pretty plaza. The next block party is scheduled for May 10.
• Saturdays are for fireworks. Displays cap Saturday home games and create the city’s largest July 4th show, Red, White & Boom.
• Sundays, select players will sign autographs for 30 minutes after gates open. Stay ‘til the end of the game, when kids get to run the bases and high-five Rockey, the Redbirds’ mascot.

Block parties, fireworks and Sunday staples like “Kids Run the Bases” keep downtown Memphis’ AutoZone Park family-friendly.

What’s your favorite party this time of year in downtown Memphis?

Willa’s family bakery, from its humble beginnings in the highlands of North Carolina, has brought its closely guarded secret recipe to Middle Tennessee, carrying on the tradition begun in Willa Allen’s home kitchen many moons ago.

Adapting her mother’s shortbread and cheese straw recipes, Willa created the Classic Shortbread Cookie and the Cheese Biscuit, which both soon became legendary across the South.

Over 30 years later, Eric Rion and his wife, Teresa, have added an exciting new dimension to the family business of Willa’s Shortbread, experimenting with multiple flavors to create an evolving taste sensation with every bite.

On my recent trip to Willa’s bakery, Eric handed me a cookie to sample. “This is a special batch we’ve made up for the Charleston Tea Plantation,” he explained. “The green flecks are tea leaves that we added to the dough mix. This is the only tea plantation in the United States.”

It adds an appealing snap to the flavor and I reach for another – just to be sure.

Adorning one wall in the small cookie-making factory tucked away in Madison, on the north side of Nashville, is a colorful collection of labels. “Those are all customers,” Eric explained. “We create personalized labels for a lot of customers, and we’re exploring new flavors all the time.”

He glanced at the clock. “We’ve got to get this next batch in the oven pretty soon.” He emptied dough from the mixing bowl into the cookie-cutting machine and began cranking the handle while sliding a tray underneath. Neat rows of cookie dough dollops dropped out like soldiers on the tray as he cranked.

“This is a real art,” he said. “You have to make little tweaks for every flavor to make sure the cookie dough drops just right.”

When the trays are stacked on a rolling rack, they’re wheeled into a huge walk-in oven for baking and then cooled overnight.

All Willa’s cookies are made by hand in small batches to ensure freshness and quality, using only natural ingredients with no preservatives or artificial flavorings.

It’s definitely a local thing. “We’re Traditionally Southern and try to use Tennessee companies in the process wherever possible,” Eric noted as he spread out a series of collector tins with vintage Tennessee labels. “We use a local artist and Anderson Design Group in Nashville to create our labels. Many customers provide their own labels. Our personal style is the handcrafted vintage look.”

The Spirit series celebrates America’s history and charm with a classic postcard design. Inside each collector tin are three postcards and, of course, a healthy sampling of the delicious all-natural shortbread bites.

The cookies have been sold by mail order all over the country for the past 30 years, but now the Rions are developing new varieties using ingredients and flavors from the South, such as locally-produced honey, tea leaves and chopped pecans.

Regular customers range from little tea shops in Alaska to northern Minnesota, the Mount Vernon Estate (VA), Williamsburg, Asheville, the Country Music Hall of Fame, Loveless Café, hotels, bed & breakfasts, golf tournaments, luxury vacation rentals, welcome centers and dozens of places in between. Many are private label customers.

Eric stops me before I leave: “You must try this special flavor… Tupelo Honey shortbread.” He’s been experimenting with a variety of honey flavors and I’m keen to offer my services as a taste tester. Wow, it is smooth and delicious. You’ll have to take my word for it, or contact Willa’s Shortbread today to special order your own!

Have you sampled Willa’s Shortbreads? Let us know your favorite flavor in the comments! 

Lucky for me, the oldest existing mountains in the world, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the half-million acres inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park are a half-day’s drive from my front door.

The Smoky Mountain Field School has programs ranging from one day sessions on birding, nature photography, plein air painting, wilderness orienteering, edibles and medicinal plants to animal tracking, fly fishing, Cherokee history, canoe trips and overnight hikes. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

Even luckier, I discovered the variety of programs offered from March to November by the Smoky Mountain Field School, a joint venture between the University of Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Registering for one of the Field School hikes to the top of Mount LeConte with an overnight stay at the historic lodge built in 1926 on one of the highest peaks in the Smokies sounded like a pretty good adventure to me.

Every year family traditions, lasting friendships, wedding anniversaries and personal milestones are celebrated with pilgrimages to the lodge built on top of Mount LeConte by Jack Huff in 1926. (Photo: Doug Brown)

Five trails lead to LeConte Lodge and entail a minimum hike of 5.5 miles one way with elevation changes of up to 3,800 feet. That kind of climbing is hard on calves and quads going up and tough on the toes and knees going down. I was used to walking a mile or two most days on our country road and hiking down to our creek, but decided I’d better ramp up my training for several weeks before the trip.

The temperature gradient from Gatlinburg to the mountaintop parallels travelling from Tennessee to Maine in a day’s walk so I knew layers of clothing, plenty of water and comfortable hiking boots would be essential.

I looked forward to hiking past waterfalls, wildflowers and above the timber line. I shucked down to short sleeves about half-way up the trail but was surprised that a light snow was falling by the time the lodge came into view at 6,400 feet. I didn’t assume I’d have room service, indoor plumbing or electricity at the top but was glad to find a steaming cup of hot chocolate waiting.

Overnight guided hikes are offered to Mount LeConte in spring, summer and fall by the Smoky Mountain Field School. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

Supplies are carried by llamas up the Trillium Gap Trail on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays so designer salads aren’t on the menu for the family style dinner. Wine is an option and was worth the extra $10. I figured it was probably the altitude and the exercise (and the fact I didn’t have to carry it up the mountain myself) that made the canned beef and veggies taste so good!

Cabins are equipped with water buckets, kerosene lamps, a propane stove and metal grills over the windows to keep nuisance bears at bay.

A flashlight and some strong motivation were needed to make the trip to visit the flush toilets once the sun set. But the twinkling lights of Gatlinburg in the distance and an incredible star display overhead kept me company as I made my way across the uneven terrain.

Talk of clear weather and anticipation of a beautiful sunrise at Myrtle Point got most everyone moving before dawn the next morning.

During the summer of 1924 committee members from the Department of the Interior saw the sunrise from Myrtle Point and the Smokies were selected as the site for the first national park in the eastern U. S. Photo Cathy Summerlin

All too quickly breakfast was over and it was time to head back to civilization. But it had been such a good trip I felt sure I’d be returning to this memorable spot.

Are you ready for your adventure? For information about Smoky Mountain Field School classes being offered through November 9 this year, call 865-974-0150.

Before you decide it can’t get any better, walk out to Cliff Tops for the sunset view. (Photo: Cathy Summerlin)

EAST

If you’re in Chattanooga, spend a night watching the Chattanooga Lookouts, named after Lookout Mountain, play at the AT&T Field. The team is a minor league baseball team who plays in the Southern League and has been a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2009. The stadium seats 6,160 fans and boasts luxury suites that can be rented for the season or individual games. A 14-seat skybox is $300 a night if you want to splurge. The stadium hosts birthday parties and group outings. What’s special about the AT&T Field is that whenever a Lookouts batter hits a home run, its version of the Chattanooga Choo Choo chugs its way down a train track from behind the right-center field wall. Catch a game with the Chattanooga Lookouts, currently third in the Southern League North. Individual tickets are $5 for general admission, $6 for upper box seating and $9 for lower box seating.

Watch a baseball game under the lights with the Smoky Mountains as your backdrop. Inspired by the Wrigley Field, the Smokies Park in Kodak houses the Tennessee Smokies, a Minor League Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Able to hold 6,000 people and more with a lot of standing room, the Smokies Park allows fans to roam the ballpark because of a wide and uninterrupted concourse that circles around the field and covered between the dugouts. There are picnic tables and a restaurant on the premises, plus near left field is a wooden party deck able to hold 60 people. The rental fee includes all-you-can-eat ballpark fare. The team’s season is underway and the current top batter is Jair Fernandez with a .333 batting average (the best batting average in a season was .485 by Tip O’Neill of the St. Louis Browns in 1887); Alberto Cabrera is the leading pitcher with 14 strikeouts. Season tickets are still available and individual tickets are $7.50 for bleacher seats and $9.50 for field level seats.

MIDDLE

Family fun in Music City can be easily found with a baseball game at Herschel Greer Stadium. Cheer on the Nashville Sounds, a Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, as they take the field and usually dominate as they are second in the Pacific Coast League American Northern. And no wonder with Scooter Gennett’s batting average of .474 and Tyler Thornburg’s 12 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. The stadium is best known for the scoreboard shaped like a guitar. Any player’s home run that hits the scoreboard receives a guitar in a post-game ceremony at home plate. The mascot, Ozzie the cat, is probably the cutest asset to attending a game. He’s at every Sounds home game and makes a big impact on audience enthusiasm and participation. Every Saturday game ends with a spectacular fireworks show. Season tickets are available and individual tickets to a game are $12 for reserved seats and $8 for general admission.

WEST

The Memphis Redbirds, a Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, get down to baseball business at the AutoZone Park, voted the No. 1 Minor League Ballpark by Baseball America. Currently third in the Pacific Coast League American Northern, Chad Huffman is leading with a .444 batting average for the season. The stadium has the same feel as Fenway Park or Wrigley Field as it is a state-of-the-art facility with a press box and HD video board, two open-air decks that can seat 175 people and three party balconies. There’s also a fireworks show after every Saturday night game. You’ll think you’re at a major league game as the AutoZone Park also has major league lighting for when the sun goes down. You can even do a tour of the baseball park for $5 during the day. A behind-the-scenes look at the park awaits you as you’ll tour the press box, training facilities, clubhouse and scoreboard control room. Season tickets are available and individual tickets start at $6.

Currently fourth in the Southern League North are the Jackson Generals from Jackson. The team is a Double-A Southern League Affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They play at Pringles Park, a 6,000 seat Minor League Baseball stadium that was awarded the 2010-2011 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship and named after the Pringles brand which is manufactured in Jackson. If you want to catch a high school or college game, teams play on the field until the Jackson Generals season begins. Besides holding family-friendly baseball games, you can also sign up for the baseball camp held every year. You can play on the same field as the Jackson Generals and get lessons from the professionals on how to play like a Major Leaguer. You can score big during Dollar Thursdays where you get general admission tickets, hot dogs, small popcorn and beverages for $1 each. Join in on all the fun that happens at Pringles Park with season passes or individual tickets which are $10 for reserved seating and $6 for general admission.

Which Tennessee team will you root for this baseball season? Let me know in the comments below!

It’s a fitting visual considering the perennial festivals that kick off spring festival season in the city: Africa in April and Memphis in May. Sure, the fests promise food and music. But the cultural exchange fostered by both elevates them from your typical corndog-and-carnival affair. On one level, I’m describing the tens of thousands of global citizens you’ll rub elbows with at the festivals. On another, I’m describing their shared mission: To illuminate international cultures through multi-disciplinary events. (Read: There’s a good chance you’ll learn something, but you’ll have an amazing time doing so.)

Specifically, Africa in April selects a different African nation to spotlight each year; Memphis in May selects from countries the world over. Here’s how it all plays out – including those juicy festival tidbits you’re looking for (parades! barbecue! the Beale Street Music Festival lineup!) – to help you plan your festival season in Memphis:

Festival: Africa in April Cultural Awareness Festival

When? April 17-21

Backstory: “We wanted to produce a festival to celebrate African-American culture and invite everybody,” Dr. David Acey tells me. (Acey, a University of Memphis professor, founded the festival with his wife, Yvonne, a Memphis City Schools teacher.) “We started in 1986 with five people walking down to Main Street in African clothes with a few drums,” he remembers. The festival now attracts some 25,000 attendees.

Africa in April’s organizers estimate that nearly 150 international vendors will fill this year’s festival marketplace in Robert Church Park, April 19-21. Photo by The Commercial Appeal.

Up your awareness: The festival has developed such a reputation, Dr. Acey says that countries are now requesting to be honored – sometimes up to two years in advance. This year’s honoree is the Republic of Senegal, and events like April 17’s International Business and Economic Trade Luncheon (at the University of Memphis) will unite entrepreneurs from the U.S., Senegal and other African countries previously honored by the festival. Senegalese delegates from the country’s Minister of Tourism to one of its star fashion designers to Habib Faye, a Grammy-nominated producer and bassist, will attend select festival events, and some will join a tour arranged by Dr. Acey and state representative G.A. Hardaway (yes, like that Hardaway). The tour will include Memphis’ National Civil Rights Museum and Ernest Withers Collection Museum & Gallery, the Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center in Henning, Tennessee and the State Capitol in Nashville.

Party down: Friday, April 19, the festival shifts to Robert Church Park, just off of Beale Street. Watch the International Diversity Parade at 10:30 a.m.; then browse the marketplace, filled with some-150 global vendors. Sat., April 20, listen to a Blues Showcase while you shop; Sun., April 21, get to the park to hear live jazz, gospel and reggae from Memphis and African musicians (the marketplace will remain open Sunday as well).

Memphis in May’s closing ceremony, the Sunset Symphony, is your invitation to pack a picnic and listen to the Memphis Symphony Orchestra beneath the wide-open sky. Photo by Marvin Garcia. Copyright © Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011 All Rights Reserved.

Festival: Memphis in May International Festival

When? All month long, but the biggies are: Beale Street Music Festival, May 3-5; International Week Salute to Sweden, May 6-12; World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, May 16-18; Sunset Symphony, May 25

Up your awareness: This year, Memphis in May will salute Sweden through a series of events happening all over town, all month long. Eye art glass by Swedish artisans at Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; learn of native Raoul Wallenberg’s heroic Holocaust rescues at the Memphis Jewish Community Center; study the natives of Northern Sweden at Mud Island River Park; examine photos of the country’s iconic Icehotel at Memphis Botanic Garden; view a Nobel Prize exhibit arranged in collaboration with Stockholm’s Nobel Museum at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library Gallery; hear the story of a Swedish R&B crusader known as “Mr. R&B” at the STAX Museum of American Soul Music. May 9, settle into an evening at The Orpheum featuring Skaran, a traditional Swedish music group; STHLM, a folkloric dance troupe; and cuisine by Chef Fredrik Eriksson. Eriksson, named Sweden’s Chef of the Year, will also prepare dinner at The Peabody May 10 and 11. Tickets and/or reservations may be required – find details here.

Party down: Memphis in May’s signature events swirl around downtown’s Tom Lee Park, and some require strategic planning: Start by studying the line-up for Beale Street Music Festival (May 3-5) – and securing rain boots and a poncho. (Read my post from last year and scan these FAQs for more info.) As I’m writing this, only three-day festival passes remain (they’ll be available through April 21), but with a line-up that includes hometown favorites like Al Kapone, the River City Tanlines and Lucero; a Blues Tent that will showcase acts like Jimbo Mathus & the Tri-State Coalition; and big stages set for big names from Patti Smith to ZZ Top, the Black Keys to the Black Crowes, Mavis Staples to Dwight Yoakam and the Smashing Pumpkins to Public Enemy, you’ll need all weekend to process the genre-bending awesomeness.

Next, shift your attention to the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest (May 16-18), where barbecue is king, but an enduring will to party is perhaps just as important. To get a feel for this only-in-Memphis throw-down, review my experience hanging out with one of last year’s teams – then sign up to be a judge in the Kingsford Tour of Champions.

Channel any energy you have left into Sunset Symphony, Memphis in May’s closing event (May 25). Anticipate crowd-friendly selections performed by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, followed by a fireworks display grand enough to bring a month of revelry to a close. Find ticketing info on Memphis in May’s signature events here.

Maybe, like me, you’re already planning which acts you’ll see at Beale Street Music Festival. Perhaps your curiosity is piqued about Senegal or Sweden. Whatever you’re anticipating, tell me your top reason for getting to Africa in April or Memphis in May in the comments section below.

Ole Smoky Moonshine, which is smack-dab in middle of town, has been producing 100 proof White Lightning for more than two years now.

“To be able to capture this part of Americana and show people what was the essence of a way of life is just amazing,” says Johnny, the company’s groups coordinator. “In a way our family has come full circle. We were making a living off moonshine then—right or wrong, but that’s what we had to do to get by—and we’re making a living off moonshine now.”

Johnny Baker manning over his family’s moonshine.

Johnny has a history of moonshine in his family. He talks of a great uncle who ran a still in the attic of his home in Knoxville, until the law spotted smoke coming from his chimney on a day when there shouldn’t have been, came in and busted it up.

Master distiller Justin King comes from a line of moonshiners that stretches four generations, back to when prohibition made illegal moonshine-making big business in the Appalachia hills. “He was homeschooled,” jokes Johnny.

King learned well. Two of Ole Smoky’s products—Apple Pie and Blackberry moonshine—finished first and second in Best of Show in the American Distillers Institute judging in Colorado.

When the Tennessee legislature loosened the laws on distilleries several years ago, owners wasted no time in setting up Ole Smoky Moonshine.

“We were the first legal moonshine distillery in Tennessee,” Johnny boasts.

Starting out with five employees, a few pieces of equipment and a couple products, the company now has more than 100 employees working three shifts in what used to be a large shopping area now called “Moonshine Holler.” Ole Smoky produces nine types of moonshine, ranging from 40 to 100 proof. Three of the products are distributed in 45 states.

“We have taken great pains to stay as true to the form of how this was done as possible,” Johnny says.

That includes using copper still equipment instead of stainless steel, which would be much easier to maintain. It’s copper because “that’s what they used,” says Johnny.

The corn used to make the ’shine is ground at the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge. “When you see that old wheel running extra hot, that’s for us,” Johnny explains.

Walls and displays within the still area, store and moonshine sampling area are put together with wood from various barns and homesteads of surrounding Appalachia. A reconstructed log cabin holds a display of tobacco items that were once a byproduct of the moonshine business. Several old cars of the type used by moonshine runners back in the day are on display. A “See Rock City” sign adorns one wall.

To add to the flavor, live bluegrass and country music is performed throughout the day and into the evening in an open patio area. Samples of the company’s nine brands are offered for tasting, and jars of the moonshine line the walls ready for sale.

Johnny leads group tours through the operation. He says he enjoys the occasional visitor who “has a little moonshine background.”

“They come with stories of their own and check your validity so that what we are doing here isn’t just smoke and mirrors,” Johnny notes. “It’s been a lot of fun to revisit our heritage. Bringing this part of the past to the present has been rewarding and humbling.”

Ole Smoky is one of several legal moonshine operations now up and running with more on the way. East Tennessee Distillery opened last year in Piney Flats in Upper East Tennessee. The White Lightning Trail takes motorists on the back roads and pockets of East Tennessee’s moonshine country.

Onto this stage emerged aviatrix Louise Thaden, one of America’s most captivating aeronautical record-setters during the late 1920s and 1930s. The only woman to ever simultaneously hold the speed, altitude and endurance records, she frequently beat well-known contemporaries such as Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes and Blanche Noyes.

Flying a Beech Staggerwing C17R into the record books, Louise Thaden and her co-pilot and navigator, Blanche Noyes, surprised the world when they won the Bendix Transcontinental Air Race of 1936, even beating out the boys in this first year that women were allowed to compete.

If you’d like to catch the spirit of this fearless heroine and discover a fascinating trail of aviation history, point your car, airplane or motorcycle 80 miles southeast from Nashville to the Beechcraft Heritage Museum in Jack Daniels territory.

Beechcraft aviation history has been stunningly preserved in the Tennessee town of Tullahoma.  On a grassy campus adjacent to the Tullahoma Airport, you can touch and see every model of Staggerwing biplane ever built, admire the gleaming restored winners of air races, walk an entire hangar lined with Bonanzas and Barons that mark the evolution of Beech aircraft, and delve into archives chronicling this illustrious breed of airplanes.

Inside the entrance of the Beechcraft Heritage Museum is a dazzling silver Beech Bonanza and two larger-than-life portraits of Walter and Olive Ann Beech, founders of the corporation. Walter Beech was born in Pulaski, Tennessee, but spent most of his career based in Wichita, Kansas. His story begins with aviation pioneers Clyde Cessna and Lloyd Stearman in the 1920s. The three originally founded the Travel Air Manufacturing Company, and later split to follow their individual passions, resulting in the birth of Cessna, Stearman and Beech Aircraft Companies.

Lining one wall of the museum are colored sketches of original customer airplanes, detailing individual specs and paint schemes.  On another are photographs capturing a pictorial history of the company. Faded memories donated by Olive Ann Beech from the factory’s archives. In one intriguing picture, two huge crates sit loaded on a monstrous flatbed truck. They contain disassembled Staggerwings ready for the long journey by truck, rail and ship to customers in New Zealand and Australia.

The Staggerwing was a rakish classic of a biplane, a powerhorse with a throaty growl. “It was the ‘Cadillac’ of airplanes, the first fast and comfortable corporate aircraft of the Thirties,” described John Parish Sr, who has donated the land and innumerable, impeccably restored Beechcraft classics to the museum. Staggerwing No. 1, the very first Beechcraft ever built, holds center stage.

The Twin Beech 18 was next in Beechcraft’s evolution. During World War II it was used extensively as a military trainer and became the aircraft of choice for Fortune 500 companies from the ’40s through the mid-’60s. The popular all-metal, single engine Bonanza, introduced in 1947, took the industry by storm and has been in production longer than any other airplane in history.

The gleaming red and black livery of the Travel Air “Mystery Ship” is captivating and I am instantly in love with this sleek, shiny racer that won the 1929 Thompson Air Trophy. Dream on, Amelia! We’re on the hallowed ground of aviation heroes, surrounded by trophies, memorabilia, and the most beautiful flying ships imaginable.

The legacy of aviatrix Louise Thaden is poignant. “When Louise was guest speaker at the Staggerwing Fly-In back in 1973, she suggested developing a museum on the site and promised to donate a lifetime of aviation memorabilia,” said Wade McNabb, curator and CEO of the museum. The original log cabin is now the Louise Thaden Library and a wonderful place to hang out.

A chapel was built to honor Olive Ann Beech, who donated extensive collections from Beechcraft’s archives. Visitors can read her original ledger from the factory, or flip through bound collections of early photographs.

A 1938 E17B Staggerwing displayed without its fabric covering gives a fascinating look at the intricacies of aircraft design.

The entire museum is a living and working entity. It’s the site of an Air Academy for kids, educational and maintenance seminars, aircraft restoration, and every October the annual Beech Party – the world’s only Staggerwing Fly-In that draws over 200 airplanes from all over North America. This year will mark its 40^th anniversary.

As French aviator and author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry so eloquently said, “A pilot’s business is with the wind, with stars, with night, with sand, with the sea…”

Let the magic of flying capture your spirit of adventure! The Beechcraft Heritage Museum is keeping the dream of flight alive for all to experience!

What’s your favorite exhibit? Let us know in the comments!

Photos by Dayle Fergusson & Courtesy of Beechcraft Heritage Museum

EAST

If you want beautiful scenery and a beautiful cycling escape, make your way to Watauga Lake in Elizabethton. Watagua is Native American for “beautiful water” and the lake lives up to its name. Secluded by rolling hills and forest, Watauga is the perfect place to hit the trails and pedal for hours. The lake is about 16 miles long and has a shoreline of 106 miles. It was started in 1942 and dammed in 1948. It’s the highest-elevated reservoir in Tennessee and is almost 2,000 feet above sea level during its full summertime elevation. You can hike, horseback ride and go boating as well.

Not far from Chattanooga is Booker T. Washington State Park on the shores of Chickamauga Lake. This 353-acre park is named in honor of the famous Booker Taliaferro Washington, a former slave who secured an education and became one of the most famous Americans. The park offers a 6-mile bike trail loop. The single track trail has long uphill climbs, very fast down hills and off-camber turns. It’s described as a challenging trail but is still rated for people with all biking abilities. After biking, enjoy a picnic at three large picnic pavilions, which can accommodate 60 people on site or one of the more than 30 individual picnic sites.

Cades Cove is arguably my favorite place on earth. It could be the family memories connected to the lush surroundings, the beautiful 360-degree landscapes Cades Cove offers or maybe it’s a mixture of both. Either way, Cades Cove should be on your list of places to visit because you’ll want to come back again and again. While I’ve only driven the trail, you can hit the trails on your bicycle or rent one at the Cades Cove Campground Store during the summer and fall. The 11-mile, one-way road is very popular because it provides great opportunities to view wildlife like deer, bears and coyotes and tour 19^th century home sites.

MIDDLE

Percy and Edwin Warner Parks are connected by a trail that crosses Old Hickory Boulevard in Nashville. Spanning more than 2,800 acres, the parks are one of the largest in Tennessee and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Percy is larger and contains a one-way paved loop for bicyclists, which is a small part of the 12 miles of hiking and biking trails it offers. It also has an extensive supply of hiking trails and 10 miles of equestrian bridle paths. Edwin has a multipurpose trail that is perfect for cycling and has two trailheads that start at the Harpeth River Greenway System.  Edwin also provides a dog park, the Old Roadway and the Warner Parks Nature Center.

The Land Between the Lakes in Golden Pond, nestled between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, is about 90 miles from Nashville and home to winding trails extending for miles, perfect for cycling or mountain biking. You can start at The Trace and explore, winding your way through meadows, hillsides and a lot of the trails even lead to lakefront bays. Make your first stop at the welcome station for a map of all the trails LBL has to offer. The Canal Loop Trail is a 14.2 mile trail and is rated easy to moderate with four connector trails offering a variety of bike rides. The North South Trail is a 31-mile trail with single-track, logging roads and gravel roads rated easy to advance. Bottomlands, shores and ridge tops make this ride one for the books.

Surround yourself in American history at David Crockett State Park in Lawrenceburg. You’ll find a paved bike trail which leads you to some opportunities to see deer, rabbits, turkey and squirrels. You can stop at the environmental classroom overlook and shelter and see where Crockett’s industrial operations took place on Shoal Creek below Crockett Falls. David Crockett was one of the most famous pioneers in American history. He was also a soldier, politician and industrialist who served and died at the Alamo Mission in 1836, aiding the Texans for their independence from Mexico. The state park offers cabins, boating, fishing, hiking and picnic facilities.

WEST

Coursing along America’s backbone, The Mississippi River Trail, about 3,000 miles of bikeways and pathways, starts at Itasca, Minn. and finishes at the Gulf of Mexico. This isn’t your typical afternoon-in-the-park kind of ride since it could take you a day or two if you wanted to ride the whole thing. Hop on Tennessee’s section at Reelfoot Lake in Tiptonville on roads with little to moderate traffic. You’ll then ride for nine miles along quaint farm roads to Ridgely until you arrive in Dyersburg and make your way to Ripley. For 12 miles you’ll travel on one of four of the Chickasaw bluffs, composed of a very fine soil called loess. The soil was made from the constant dust blown across the prairies for many years that settled on the banks of the lower Mississippi. Native American history will greet you as you’ll be traveling through the same land that belonged to Chickasaw Indians. You’ll make your way from Ripley to Covington. Make your way to the Mississippi Delta which some say begins in the Peabody Hotel in Memphis.

Snap on your helmet for a scenic 5-mile bike ride through heavy forest at the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park in Memphis. The 13,467-acre park is home to oak, tupelo and cypress trees with two lakes and one of the largest disc-golf courses in the Southeast. Turkey, bobcat, fox and otters are abundant in the park. It’s even home to the American Bald Eagle which sometimes can be spotted along with over 200 species of waterfowl, songbirds and birds of prey like hawks and falcons. Horseback riding, hiking and 49 campsites round up the Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park as a fun way to get away from the city and into the quiet comfort of nature.

The Greenbelt System in Collierville is a group of trails, sidewalks and connectors to local schools, businesses and neighborhoods. With these easy, accessible trails they’re a great way to get outdoors and walk or, in this case, bike to your destination. Besides the practical use of the Greenbelt System, there are regional trails you can bike which connect to other regional greenbelts like the ones in Shelby County and Germantown. Also included is the Peterson Lake Nature Complex, a 70-acre nature multifaceted compound that includes boardwalks, wildlife observation decks and wetland study areas. It’s an effort to preserve over 2,800 acres of the Wolf River Corridor.

What are some of your favorite Tennessee bike trails? Let me know in the comments below!

Paris will host The World’s Biggest Fish Fry later this month, just as it has for 60 years – with an all-volunteer staff (the Jaycees), a flurry of events and a ton (actually, five tons) of fish. No one in town misses it, and it calls like a homecoming to those who’ve moved away. Add those numbers to the masses who come just to see what the fuss is about, and you get some 100,000 attendees.

Located on Kentucky Lake and just 12 miles from the fishing haven that is Paris Landing State Park, Paris, Tennessee is catfish. This welcome sign went up in the middle of town in 1982. Photo courtesy of Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.

Here’s a tip: It’s already tough to get a hotel room in town, but I’ve been told that Paris Landing State Park has some availability (and all guestrooms at the park inn feature balconies overlooking Kentucky Lake – sweet).

Here’s the good news: The festival spreads out over several days (April 18-28), so you have piles of chances to get in on it, including:

2013 Collegiate Bass Fishing Open (April 18-20): Anglers launch each day at safe light from Paris Landing State Park. Catch weigh-in Fri., April 19 and Sat., April 20 at 3 p.m. near the state park marina.

Fish Tales (April 20, 2-4 p.m.): Get your ticket to hear stories and live music in the town garden.

Kick-off Street Dance (April 22, 7 p.m.): A free event set to the country, blues and classic rock stylings of local Ray Lewis Band on downtown Paris’ Court Square.

Carnival: Opens April 23 at 5 p.m. with all the anticipated amusements on the Henry County Fairgrounds (through April 28).

These and other events (view the full schedule here) are but a prelude to Weds., April 24, when the fish tent opens. (These days, it’s actually a building at the Henry County Fairgrounds, but the event used to occupy a tent before it grew so popular, explained Jennifer Wheatley, Executive Director of the Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.) Jennifer, who’s been attending the Fish Fry since she was a little girl, also told me that one of her favorite festival moments happens in the fish tent, when, on opening night, “…the [festival] princess tosses out the first hush puppy to her daddy.”

Witness the moment Weds., April 24 around 5 p.m. (The tent will remain open Wednesday night until 9 and open again Thurs., April 25 from 5-9 p.m. You can also pop in Fri., April 26 and Sat., April 27, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.) What’s inside? For $12, community volunteers will pile your plate with all-you-can-eat catfish, hush puppies, French fries, coleslaw and white beans. The price includes a drink. (Want to hear an authentic Southern “bless your heart”? Ask for your catfish grilled; then politely take the breaded wonder.)

The World’s Biggest Fish Fry has a princess. This year, it’s Ali Davis, shown here receiving a scholarship check from Fish Fry General Manager Andrea Lamb. Ali, who instituted a service project component for this year’s court, will throw the festival’s first hush puppy to her father on April 24, signaling the opening of the fish tent. Photo courtesy of Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.

Thursday through Saturday, a patchwork of events accompanies the food. Browse the arts and crafts show; watch nightly rodeos presented by the International Professional Rodeo Association; and get to these signature events:

Grand Parade (April 26, 10 a.m.): Groups will march and floats will, well, float from Wood Street to the fairgrounds. You’re welcome to watch just about anywhere along the parade route, but you should know that Parisians are serious about spectating – Fish Fry General Manager Andrea Lamb told me people start reserving spots by parking vehicles – including flatbeds supporting sofas – Thursday night. Andrea, by the way, lined up Verne Troyer as the parade’s grand marshal – turns out he’s a repeat visitor to Paris.

The Grand Parade. Photo courtesy of Paris-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.

Small Fry Parade (April 27, 10 a.m.): This non-motorized children’s parade brings out a bunch of costumed kiddos and more oh-isn’t-that-so-cutes than a baby shower. The mini-event laps Court Square in downtown Paris.

Catfish Races (April 27, 10:30 a.m.): Registration is required to compete, but don’t get caught up in that – just get to downtown Paris’ Courthouse Lawn to watch as contestants show up with their own catfish in aerated coolers, line them up in the 15-foot-long raceway (made of acrylic chutes), and let them go.

Ever wondered what happens at a catfish race? Here’s Paris local Jane Sinnema attempting to corral her athlete into the chute. Photo courtesy of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

If you’re headed to the festival, note this address for the Henry County Fairgrounds: 517 Royal Oak. Note too that many events require admission – find ticket and pricing details here. Then, tell me what you can’t wait to taste, see or experience at this year’s World’s Biggest Fish Fry in the comments section below.

Fifteen commercial marinas, cabin and chalet rentals as well as several campgrounds are located along its 620-mile shoreline.

Completed in 1943, Dale Hollow is one of Tennessee’s prettiest, most pristine lakes.

During one of our many trips to Dale Hollow, we started the day with a big breakfast at Sunset Marina’s floating restaurant before heading out in a houseboat rental that was a floating creature-comfort palace. Dinner at the marina is a special treat because it is served with a sunset view of the lake.

Dale Hollow Lake’s 27,000 surface acres amid densely forested slopes and numerous small coves and inlets provide ideal getaways for enjoying sunset views.

The full-service marina offers supplies, cottages, pontoon and ski boat rentals at the Obey River bridge on TN 111 south of Byrdstown and about 30 minutes north of I-40.

On another visit we stayed in one of the lovely waterfront chalets at Eagle Cove Resort which has also has houseboats, fishing and ski boat rentals. Our days were dedicated to fishing and canoeing, but evenings were devoted to relaxing in a hot tub on the deck overlooking the lake. They have pet friendly lodgings so next trip we’ll be bringing Jake, our golden retriever.

We were angling for Dale Hollow’s legendary smallmouth bass but knew we’d be equally happy with rainbow trout or walleye, both of which are gaining on the smallmouth’s reputation. Walleyes congregate in the headwaters during the cold months and move down in the lake as the water warms. Anglers catch trout year-round by trolling spoons at depths where the water temperature remains between 50 and 60 degrees.

Between mid-March and Memorial Day use deep diving crankbaits, small grubs and small jigs with pork to entice small mouth. After Memorial Day fish spinnerbaits with pork and jigs with pork on points and drop-offs at night. The lake’s water is so clear, a four- to six-pound-test line is essential.

Smallmouths abound but the mid-section of Dale Hollow from Mitchell Creek to the junction of the Wolf and the Obey Rivers is the best area to hang a trophy.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Obey River Recreation Area is adjacent to Sunset Marina and offers a boat ramp, swimming area, picnic areas, drinking water, flush toilets, dump station and 131 campsites, most with water and electric hookups. Spring lake front camping opens on Friday April 12th. For information and reservations call 1-877-444-6777 or check out their website.

Less than five miles from the Obey River bridge, learn about contributions to world peace made by Tennessean Cordell Hull at Cordell Hull Birthplace State Park. A congressman from the fourth Tennessee district to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1907 until 1931, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1931. He resigned his senate seat in order to be Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Secretary of State from 1933 until 1944. During his tenure he guided the United States toward cooperation in international relations

Shortly after illness forced him to retire, Cordell Hull was awarded the 1945 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts leading to the establishment of the United Nations. During the Awards Ceremony the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament presented the Peace Prize to him “for his long and indefatigable work for understanding between nations.”

In addition to a reconstructed log cabin, museum, library and archives, the park has a picnic area and a 2.5-mile roundtrip hiking trail leading through a mixed hardwood forest to Bunkum Cave. For more information call 931-864-3247 or visit the park’s website.

Cordell Hull, widely known as the “Father of the United Nations,” was born in the fall of 1871 in a log cabin on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau.

Below the dam on the banks of the lower Obey River, the Dale Hollow Hatchery produces 1.5 million rainbow, brown and lake trout annually for distribution in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. The hatchery and visitor center are open to visitors daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

What are you favorite spring haunts in Tennessee? Share your picks in the comments! 

Lead singer Kimberly Perry and her two brothers talk about how things don’t really change in Greeneville. With its brick sidewalks, flower boxes and proud old buildings, Greeneville is the quintessential East Tennessee town.  It’s a piece of heaven for those who value mountain culture, down-home fun and close ties with kinfolk.

Andrew Johnson Statue

Greeneville and a string of neighboring historical towns are a big part of the Sunny Side Trail. The 475-mile motor route meanders through the oldest communities in East Tennessee, including Jonesborough, Elizabethton, Dandridge, Rogersville, Johnson City and Bristol. In the 1770s, settlers entered this vast Appalachian region, the sacred hunting ground of the Cherokees, to establish farmsteads and communities.

Greeneville was a trading center even before Tennessee was a state. It dates to 1783 when the land was part of North Carolina. These early pioneers sought their independence from the British sovereign and established the State of Franklin the next year; Greeneville served as its second capital.

Davy Crockett birthplace

Just like today when celebrities—such as Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry— patronize the stores and eateries in Greeneville, so was it 200 years ago.  Boldface names included Davy Crockett, born along the banks of the Nolichucky River in Greene County. Andrew Johnson worked as a tailor in Greeneville and, much later in his professional life, rose to become the 17th U.S. President. The National Park Service maintains his tailor shop and home; it is open for tours. Several other historic homes and churches are open for visitors.  Presidents Andrew Johnson, Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk frequented taverns and boarding houses on the stagecoach roads through the East Tennessee mountains. These historical landmarks are highlights of the Sunny Side Trail; less illustrious landmarks, such as moonshine stills and bootlegger hangouts, are other stops along the way.

Andrew Johnson home

Destinations focused on music, crafts, adventure sports, and shopping punctuate the Sunny Side Trail, as it stretches from Bristol down to Pigeon Forge.  The Farmer’s Daughter Restaurant and Three Blind Mice gift shop near Greeneville are among locally owned places also a part of the route.

The Sunny Side Trail edges Great Smoky Mountains National Park and loops through Cherokee National Forest, Warriors’ Path, Roan Mountain and Panther Creek State parks. It features 19 golf courses and 12 marinas, with ample opportunities for fishing, canoeing, rafting and other water sports.

General Morgan Inn

Have you taken a drive on the Sunny Side? Share your trip in the comments!

EAST

Not only is the American Museum of Science & Energy a place that features exhibits on robotics, static electricity and models of weapons but it’s located in Oak Ridge, named “Secret City” for its involvement in the “Manhattan Project” during World War II. Lots of history and scientific fun await you in Oak Ridge and the museum. Learn about the world of the atom from natural radiation and fusion to how nuclear energy works in space. The American Museum of Science & Energy is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1 – 5 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children 6 – 17 years old.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum in Gatlinburg is where the strange and bizarre collide in a fascinating and intriguing museum filled with artifacts from around the world, a 3D moving theater where you’ll feel every bump, turn and dive in movies like “Bamboo Express!” and “Happy Feet Mumble’s Wild Ride.” The Mirror Maze will challenge you to find your way out amongst the infinite reflections in every direction. Surprising corners, continuous circles and dead ends make this a maze you won’t forget. No visit to Ripley’s is complete without seeing the Guinness World Records Museum where the world records are brought to life through great exhibits, interactive games and themed galleries.

You will never look at salt and pepper shakers the same way again. Standing proudly before the Great Smoky Mountains is a museum that’s in its own eclectic category. The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers in Gatlinburg, Tenn. highlights more than 20,000 shakers from around the world. Most recently, the museum was featured on Peter Greenberg’s “Window Seat or Aisle Seat” blog as one of the “13 Wacky and Weird US Road-Trip Spots.” The museum has had visitors from Canada, Mexico, France and many other countries. They even have a sister museum in Spain. The displays feature shakers in all shapes and sizes from telephones, corn on the cob and tractors. The Museum of Salt and Pepper Shakers is wacky, weird and fun to explore.

MIDDLE

A piece of history lies in Lynchburg at the Moore County Old Jail Museum. Not only are there displays of artifacts like vintage clothing and a history of Moore County with photos, but there’s also an old jail cell where you can see how the inmates spent their time. The jail has been around since 1893 and was also the very first building to be constructed especially for Moore County when the County Court appointed a construction committee who acquired a place on Main Street. The jail was in operation until the new facility was completed in 1990. The old jail building became a museum in 1991. The museum is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. $1 donation is asked of adults and children under 16 are free.

See Tennessee’s oldest silent movie theatre when you visit the Palace Theater in Gallatin. The unique theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The theater thrived from 1913 to 1977 and became a focal point on the town square. In the early 1990s, the Palace Theater was bought and a renovation project to restore it to its former glory became a reality. It’s a weekend destination for locals and is a piece of history you can take part in by taking in a live show, movie and other performances.

The Arnold Engineering Development Center at the Arnold Air Force Base is the most advanced and largest complex of flight simulation test facilities in the world. There are 43 aerodynamic wind tunnels, jet and rocket test cells, space chambers and arc heaters to simulate the high temperature experienced when reentering the Earth’s atmosphere. It’s a cool place to learn about the major facilities on the base and what goes on behind the scenes. Tours are offered every day and take about two and a half hours. It’s encouraged to make your reservation at least two weeks in advance.

WEST

Fascinated with fire? You may want to check out the Fire Museum of Memphis in downtown Memphis which is a turn-of-the-century firehouse complete with history on the bucket brigades to today’s firefighters. See the horse-drawn era of firefighting, fight flames from a snorkel basket, feel the heat in the Fire Room. You can even test your skill in finding an escape route to survive a fire. This interactive museum is perfect for little ones and for older kids and adults. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for children 3 – 12 years old.

Gatlinburg has salt and pepper shakers. Trenton has the largest teapot collection of porcelain Veilleuse-Theieres – or, nightlight teapots – in the world at the Trenton Teapot Museum. Dating from 1750 to 1860, there are teapots from all over the world. You’ll want a cup of tea after you browse the 525 different teapots. The collection was begun by Dr. Frederick C. Freed. An avid traveler, he began his collection which numbered over 650, the largest in the world.  Today, over 3,000 visitors from around the world come to view the collection. Admission is free and the exhibit is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Batmobile, Mystery Machine and Inspector Gadget mobile are all on display at Rusty’s TV and Movie Car Museum in Jackson. Take a look at some of the most famous vehicles in entertainment like the 1981 DeLorean from “Back to the Future”,” The General Lee from “Dukes of Hazzard” and Herbie from “The Love Bug.” Over 25 cars that have been used in movies and TV shows are on display along with lots of memorabilia. Admission is $5 and the museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Appointments are encouraged Monday through Thursday.

Which uncommon attractions in Tennessee are you planning to visit? Let me know in the comments below!

Innkeeper and owner Kathleen “Kathy” Janke captures the possibility of 365 sunsets a year from her inn with 360-degree views. From her mountaintop, guests gaze across woodlands that stretch to the horizon, seemingly without end.

“Gracehill is the highest house in Blount County,” says Kathy, who takes pride in the award from Inn Traveler magazine for “Best Scenic View from a B&B in the United States.”

Guests won’t doubt her claim after they experience her driveway. From Townsend, the drive is a steep series of curves, but the rewards are great, not only for the view, but also for the four guest rooms, fanciful gardens, and kind-hearted hospitality.

Kathy came to Townsend from Chicago. She and her mother, Marilyn Janke, left the Windy City, roamed across the United States and Canada for 17 months, and landed in Townsend, where they purchased Little River Village Campground. They managed the campground, a cabin rental operation, gas station, convenience store, and deli business for 10 years. Then it was time for a change. Kathy worked part-time as a bookkeeper and landscape designer, and began construction on their house.

A dynamo, Kathy spent 14-hour days stacking mountain stone, painting, wallpapering, laying tile, and shopping for furnishings. Even with the assistance of her brother, Mike Janke and his wife, Traci, the building project, on the summit of Little Round Top Mountain, presented many challenges. Kathy was able to open in 2000 after nearly three years of construction.

The inn has won 20 different awards. Kathy is a regular contestant in culinary competitions, and she has put her years of experience in landscaping to good use. Her talents as an artist cross over into interior design. Many antiques, paintings and collectibles come from her family collection or were gathered during her travels through Africa and South America.

With an atmosphere that resonates elegance without pretention, the living and dining rooms on the main floor are thoughtfully furnished for relaxation and conversation. Kathy, an avid reader, knows where reading lights and chairs need to be.

Hostess extraordinaire, Kathy does more than open her home to guests. She prepares an elaborate, ever-changing breakfast of coffee cake or pastry, fresh fruit and a main course. With 10 sets of china, Kathy creates a different look every day of a guest’s stay. Frequently, guests choose to eat their generous breakfast on the expansive veranda where they enjoy panoramic vistas of the Townsend valley and Chilhowee Mountain range.

Guest rooms are equal measures welcoming and soothing. They take their names from movie titles, showing Kathy’s preference for classics starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Key Largo is furnished in Eastlake burled walnut antiques. The light-infused room features a sweeping fabric drape above the sumptuous bed. Kathy suffused the bath with the seaside hues of aquamarine and flamingo. A guest can sit in a plump upholstered chair for views of the mountains or exit the room to the main veranda.

Rich, saturated colors confer a sense of romance in Casablanca. Air circulates by a palm-leaf fan. Oak antiques, a tapestry, and African-motif accessories add intrigue to the ambience. Guests can go through double French doors to the veranda.

The soft colors and luxury fabrics in Spellbound envelop guests in tranquility. This intimate room, furnished with handsome antiques and a chandelier, has several special features: fireplace, two-person whirlpool, and separate steam shower. Double French doors open to a private balcony that overlooks a fern- and flower-fringed waterfall.

An artful mix of pattern, texture and color, Roman Holiday is resplendent with Italian antiques, fireplace, collectibles, and marble bath. This guest room is handicapped accessible. Windows give views of the rose garden and forest filled with wildflowers, mountain laurel and rhododendron.

Rates at Gracehill are $260-300 based on a two-night stay (slightly higher in October).

From its perch, the inn provides easy access to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is within a short drive to Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Maryville. Gracehill joins a varied and extensive list of accommodations that have long made Tennessee a destination for B&B-hoppers. The Bed and Breakfast Association of Tennessee has more than 40 properties, with about 30 properties located in East Tennessee. They range from large estates, such as Whitestone Country Inn, to single cabins and family homesteads. Gracehill is also listed as a member with the Smoky Mountain Bed and Breakfast Association.

What’s your favorite B&B in Tennessee? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Tucked away behind Trousdale Place and within sight of Gallatin’s historic square, the Sumner County Museum is three stories of crammed-in, hands-on history, a virtual walk-through timeline progression of settlement in Sumner County. The museum, one of the area’s hidden treasures, is open Wed-Sun, April 1-Oct. 31.

“We want to teach people what happened in history and why,” explains John Garrott, local historian and co-founder of the museum. “School kids come and learn what it took for a settler to get here across the mountains and survive.”

He pauses at a display of silver Spanish coins cut into small wedges. “Why do you suppose those coins have been cut up?” he asks. He tells the story of the first settlers who came westwards, raised crops and livestock, and floated their bounty of tobacco, animals skins, corn and whisky to New Orleans in flatboats.

“They came back flush with Spanish silver coins,” he relates, “their value being their weight in silver. So they cut them into pieces to pay their debts.”

Garrott the historian is an amazing guide. This is a rare treat, since he is usually squirrelled away in his carpentry workshop creating antique reproduction masterpieces.

The whole museum is a walk through local history, beginning with pre-history Indian artifacts and arrowheads. Treasures excavated from early fort sites, surveying instruments, a fully equipped carpentry shop filled with tools used to clear the land, cut logs, split shingles and make furniture. A basket-woven coffin stands in one corner leaning against an old rain barrel. The blacksmith’s and the tinsmith’s shops display wagon wheels, nails, tools, washtubs, stove pipe.

Garrott points to a long barreled rifle in the gunsmith’s shop. Jonathon Browning was one of two noted gunsmiths who came from Sumner County in the 1820’s. He converted to Mormanism and his second wife produced a son, John Browning, who invented the Browning Automatic Rifle, the first of its kind in the world.

The stories continue. Dusty records sit atop a square piano. Civil War memorabilia. The early soap box derby driven by a young Gallatin boy who went on to become a USAF U-2 pilot traveling faster than the speed of sound. A loud buzzer shatters the silence and a strange traffic light flashes from green to red. Only two colors on this 4-way light. No amber. “They used to say ‘Oh, you come from Gallatin, where the red light rings!’” laughs Garrott.

It’s impossible to tour this museum quickly! Too much to see. En route to Garrott’s favorite treasure we pass an old moonshine still, an apple cider press and Gallatin’s first fire engine. Garrott pats the fender of a 1910 Hupmobile. “When I was 18, a man sold me two tires for $35. I thought it was a lot until he told me this car came with them. I couldn’t believe it! This old Hupmobile is now 103 years old and I bought it for $35!”

Now that you’ve absorbed the entire history of Sumner County, walk across the grass outside the museum to Trousdale Place, the beautifully preserved home of Tennessee’s 16^th Governor, William Trousdale (1790-1872). General, War Horse of Sumner County and foreign minister to Brazil, Trousdale enjoyed life in the heart of the county seat. The house was built in 1813 by prominent lawyer John Bowen and purchased by Trousdale in 1822.

Too old for active duty during the Civil War, Trousdale acted as ambassador between the residents of Sumner County and the Union forces that occupied Gallatin, winning favor that exempted his family from having to evacuate their home. It was also home to his two sons who were wounded as Confederate soldiers.

Widowed and grieving daughter-in-law of William Trousdale, Annie Berry Trousdale was the last in the family line to live in the home. She donated the property to the United Daughters of the Confederacy (Clark Ch. 13) in 1899 to preserve it as a museum and especially honor Confederate soldiers.

Trousdale Place is open by appointment only, tours given by hostesses in period dress. Many original pieces of furniture are on display, including a 9ft tall grandfather clock. Call (615) 452-5648 for more info and to make reservations. It is also available to rent for weddings, meetings and family gatherings. Here’s your chance to experience the grandeur of this Governor’s mansion!

Tell us what you most enjoy about the Sumner County Museum – did you find a special treasure that brought back memories?

I focused on the town’s railroad and Civil War history (and gelato). But I could have written a piece on its historic churches alone.

Collierville’s already done this, in a sense – print this and you’ve got yourself a DIY tour with liner notes (historic markers at each site add detail). You could walk or drive between stops, but on a spring day, I’d start from the town square and fan out on foot – inside this compact grid, you’ll discover several churches within walking distance. I’d recommend bringing your camera – back-dropped by a clear sky and trees begging to bloom, the architectural details of these old structures make great photo ops.

My favorites:

Located right on the town square at North Rowlett Street, Collierville United Methodist Church was erected in 1900. Note the stained glass windows (imported from France) and, if you can get inside, beadboard wainscoting and ceilings. (The sanctuary is still used for Sunday morning services and special events including weddings.)

One block off the square (to the west) at Walnut and West Mulberry streets, you get a twofer: Saint Andrew’s Episcopal and Collierville Presbyterian. St. Andrew’s intrigues with architecture and tradition: Gothic Revival styling follows the form of a cross; eight “medallion” windows, imported from England, were gifted by the contemporary Bishop of Tennessee (we’re talking 1890 or so here); the church’s original brass bell, forged in New York in 1891, remains in the bell tower – and still calls parishioners to worship today.

Across the street, Collierville Presbyterian is all charm with its small scale, white clapboard siding, red front door and current raison d’être: Sheltering Simply Done Catering and Cupcakes, the repurposed church offers deliverance…by dessert. (Open Tues., Weds. and Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thurs., noon to 6 p.m.)

Gothic Revival details and the original brass church bell distinguish St. Andrew’s Episcopal in Collierville.

Collierville Presbyterian Church is cute as a cupcake outside…

…and in. (The church currently houses Simply Done Catering and Cupcakes.)

Half a mile south at Main Street and Poplar Avenue, acquaint yourself with another repurposing: Collierville Christian Church (circa 1873) as the Morton Museum of Collierville History. Scan the permanent area-history exhibits and changing local art; then slip into the sanctuary for an aesthetically transforming experience: sunlight streaming through the arched stained glass windows; a delightfully-detailed ceiling and spindles that will make you smile.

Collierville Christian Church, constructed in 1873, today serves as the town history museum. Outside, gables and a tower define its Frame Vernacular Gothic Revival style; inside, it’s all stained glass and spindles:

Next stop: The Village Chapel at Casey Jones Village

Northeast 90 minutes of Collierville in Jackson, Casey Jones Village has something new to show you: the Village Chapel. If you recall my story about Casey Jones Village, and the Shaw family that directs it, you won’t be surprised to learn how the chapel came to be here. Like his late father Brooks Shaw, Casey Jones Village CEO Clark Shaw unwinds by driving through rural Tennessee, searching for relics (which, for the Shaw family, can mean anything from a ragged sign to a ragged building). The Shaw family had been hunting, in particular, for a classic country church to install in the Village in Brooks Shaw’s honor, when Clark and his wife, Juanita, set out in their beat-up convertible one afternoon. While stopped to examine an abandoned country store, Clark noticed something across the road. “I could see the white of a building through the trees and I said, ‘Honey, I think that’s a church over there,’” he recounted for me. What Clark spotted, in fact, was the century-old Browns Creek Primitive Baptist Church of Haywood County. The Shaws relocated it to Casey Jones Village and began the restoration, adding a missing bell and steeple. The Village Chapel now invites visitors daily to discover its architecture, preservation story and perhaps a quiet moment, though if you venture in on a Thursday around 6:30 p.m., you may catch live bluegrass gospel (an offshoot of the Village’s popular plectral society jam). Clark and Juanita are also developing exhibits for the chapel’s interior, detailing the role of faith in the South with spotlights on hymns, the history of the chapel and Primitive Baptist traditions. The Shaws expect to unveil the exhibits around Memorial Day.

The Village Chapel as it stands today inside Casey Jones Village in Jackson, Tennessee. Photo by Paul Jackson.

Sidetrip to Paris

Another 90 minutes northeast and you’re in Paris, Tennessee, home to Grace Church. Aged gracefully she has – a restoration project completed in 1999 preserved this jewel of the town square, the oldest church building in Henry County. But it’s the glamor that gets me – by the time of Grace Church’s consecration in 1904, the structure had been embellished with windows crafted at the Tiffany plant in Versailles, France (then shipped trans-Atlantically and delivered by horse and rail to Paris, Tennessee) and roofed in part with a financial contribution from J.P. Morgan. The church’s annex, in its first life as the Capitol Theater, served as Paris’ only movie theater and host to the first Miss Tennessee pageant (in 1930). Keep an eye on my blog for details on touring the church very soon.

Which are your favorite historic churches in West Tennessee?

EAST

Spreading over 20 acres with over 1,750 varieties of hosta, daylilies, dahlias and a variety of annuals, shrubs, trees and perennials, The Gardens of Sunshine Hollow in Athens is the perfect way to spend a Saturday outdoors. Three thousand feet of terraced flower beds surround a spring-fed lake. Each scene is three dimensional and the eight miles of trails are complete with quaint foot bridges. Groups of ten can get a guided wagon tour where they’ll see every flower and learn the history of the beautiful gardens. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children under 18 years of age. Children under 12 are admitted free.

Tour Rock City in Chattanooga, which includes an enchanted 4, 100-foot walking trail that features caves, rock formations and lush gardens. Nearly a half million people from around the world come to take in the natural wonders. Take a self-guided walk, about 60 to 90 minutes, among the bluebells, lilacs and rhododendrons. You don’t have to wait until spring to enjoy flowers because Rock City Garden maintains a year-round garden. See goldenrod and red impatiens in the summer; fall crocus and Japanese honeysuckle in the fall; and snowdrops and periwinkle in the winter. Along the trail you’ll find a 1,000-ton balanced rock, a 100-foot waterfall and the legendary view of seven states (Tennessee, Kentucky-Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama) from Lover’s Leap.

Located in East Knoxville, the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and Arboretum is a 47-acre “secret garden” that holds significant historical data from Civil War and Native American activity. The garden certainly has the feel of a secret garden Frances Hodgson Burnett would describe. With beautiful flowers growing alongside stone walls, wooden doors leading to hidden passageways and walkways covered on either side with lovely shrubbery, it’s very easy to believe the garden is enchanted as you amble along the grounds. You can enjoy this natural wonder for free. The arboretum also hosts private events and outdoor concerts in the summer.

MIDDLE

Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville is a gorgeous 100-acre estate featuring not only stunning gardens and walkways but also fascinating art that can be found in the mansion-now-turned-museum. It was first owned by the Cheeks, one of Nashville’s first entrepreneurial families. Cheeks developed a high quality coffee in one of the best hotels in Nashville, the Maxwell House. Postum (now General Foods) bought the company, Cheek-Neal Coffee, for more than $4 million. The proceeds from that sale were put towards the 100-acre estate in West Nashville that locals and tourists now visit and enjoy year-round. The botanical gardens are visited by over 175,000 people a year. The fifty-five acre site includes fountains, statuary and beautiful views. Visitors will find a Japanese garden, a color garden and an award-winning wildflower garden. Speaking of awards, Cheekwood’s dogwood collection was accepted into the North American Plant Collection Consortium, making it the first collection in Tennessee to do so. It’s also the first dogwood collection in North America to be recognized by the organization.

The Hermitage in Nashville is home to the beautiful garden President Andrew Jackson cultivated for his wife, Rachel. In 1825, Rachel purchased flowering plants including wallflowers, polyanthus and geraniums. She was very enthusiastic about her garden designed in a typical four-square English garden consisting of four quadrants and circular center beds. When Rachel died, she was buried underneath a grand cupola with a long passage extolling her virtue and beauty. Jackson would always walk the gardens and visited her grave site every day until his death. The president was laid to rest next to his wife. You can tour the 1,120 acres which includes thirty-two historic buildings, archeological sites, two springs, a cotton patch and a vegetable garden along with the mansion itself. Take the opportunity to partake in the new multimedia tour, complete with interesting stories and facts that transport you to days long gone.

The historic Falls Mill in Belvidere dates back to 1873 when it was a cotton and woolen factory. It was later converted into a cotton gin then a woodworking shop. The water wheel powers the millstones today that grind cornmeal, grits and flour. Open every day, Falls Mill is located in a lush green cove along the banks of Factory Creek. Antique machinery, history and even a printing press await visitors to marvel and learn about the deep history connected to the site. Lace up your most comfortable walking shoes because you’ll want to explore the scenic grounds and building. Public tours are available every day except for Wednesdays.

WEST

The Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis is located on 65 acres of forest, meadow and lake, attracting over 30,000 visitors a year. The nature center has several loops you can take as you learn about the different plants, trees and flowers that thrive. Each loop is no more than .3 miles long and includes the Native Plant Loop, Forest Loop, Tree and Shrub Loop, Meadow Loop and the Forest Ecology Loop. An amphitheater, greenhouse, gazebo and backyard wildlife center, which houses the educational animals in exhibits highlighting habitats and a forest view from two stories up are also featured on the grounds.

Six acres of lush greenery will welcome you to Oaklawn Gardens in Germantown. Daffodils, azaleas and blossoming dogwoods are abundant and make for a great afternoon in nature. You can watch the master gardeners take care of the plants, flowers and shrubs and ask those gardening questions. The beautiful gardens are great any time of year but it’s recommended you begin your trip planning the first two weeks of April. That’s when the gardens experience their explosion of color and it is most impressive.

Edible gardens, an arboretum and sculptures are great assets to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis. It was founded in 1976 and houses over 2,000 objects, including French and American Impressionist paintings and German and English porcelain. The 17 acres of public gardens include woodland tracts, cutting gardens and formal spaces. The gardens were carved out of native woodlands and were designed in an English park fashion. You can find sculptures from 18^th century to modern day in the South Lawn, Cutting Garden, Woodland Gardens and Formal Gardens. Admission is
$7, but you can tour the galleries and gardens for free on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Which of these gardens are you most interested in visiting? Let me know in the comments below!

The family-friendly nature-based festival continues to thrive under the sponsorship of the Friends of South Cumberland State Park. Enjoy more than 15 guided hikes including Fiery Gizzard, Raven Point and Shakerag Hollow from April 12-14. Gardening workshops, art show and sale, craft vendors, native plant sales of more than 100 varieties of wildflowers, ferns, vines, trees and shrubs, and activities to nurture tomorrow’s naturalists and provide something for everyone to enjoy.

The panoramic view from Raven Point is one of the most dramatic in the South Cumberland. Photo: TN photo Svcs

Visit http://www.trailsandtrilliums.org for complete details including a three-day nature journaling workshop on April 10, 11 and 12.

A van tour available during Trails and Trilliums includes stops at the Stone Door and 60-foot high Foster Falls at the South Cumberland State Park with limited walking. Photo: Cathy Summerlin

This year’s Trails and Trilliums is headquartered at the historic Monteagle Sunday School Assembly grounds. The Monteagle/St.Andrews/Sewanee area is a treat for hikers and wildflower enthusiasts but it’s still well worth visiting even if you’ve never broken in a pair of hiking boots or worn out a pair of garden gloves in your life. It can seem like a trip to a world magically frozen in time.

Founded in 1882, the Monteagle Assembly was inspired by the Chautauqua movement of the 1870s that was intended to combine the training of Sunday school teachers with a broader range of educational and cultural pursuits.

On Saturday, April 13, as part of Trails and Trilliums you may explore an old stagecoach road leading down the hill from the Assembly grounds, tour one of the wonderful cottage gardens and learn about the Assembly’s intriguing past and the family-friendly inter-denominational religious, educational, and cultural programs and activities. The summer session lasts eight weeks for the benefit of Assembly members and guests, persons renting Assembly cottages and the local community. For more information check out this site or call 931-924-9000 or 931-924-2286.

Many of the Victorian cottages nestled among footpaths, picturesque bridges and serene tree-lined lanes on the Monteagle Assembly grounds remain in the same family for generations but several are available as weekend rentals during Trails and Trilliums. Photo: Scott Parrish

Fans of bed and breakfast inns should also come on down. The historic Edgeworth Inn on the Assembly grounds and the luxurious modern brick Monteagle Inn & Retreat Center across the highway from the Assembly Grounds are destinations in and of themselves.

And don’t forget to save room for the food. My wife, Cathy, and I thoroughly enjoyed our dinner, the service and the atmosphere at the High Point Restaurant during one of our last trips to Monteagle. They serve appetizing salads and tasty seafood dishes like Horseradish Crusted Grouper. I was tempted to go for the 16-ounce prime rib but happily settled on a deliciously rare filet mignon topped with crab meat. They open for dinner daily at 5 p.m. Call 931-924-4600 for reservations.

The High Point Restaurant in Monteagle is housed in a 1929 mansion purported to have escape hatches on the roof and underground tunnels in the basement used by notorious gangster Al Capone. Photo: Cathy Summerlin

Sewanee and the 13,000 acres owned by the University of South with its graceful stone buildings and lush landscape are only six miles away from Monteagle. We had planned to have lunch at Pearl’s Foggy Mountain Café, but it was a Monday, and they were closed. We intended to walk the Shakerag Hollow portion of the 20-mile Perimeter Trail at the University of the South but booming thunderstorms sent us heading for home. We’ll check the weather forecast next time.

The wildflower display at Shakerag Hollow on the domain of the University of the South is one of the finest in Middle Tennessee. Photo: Cathy Summerlin

Earth Day Activities

Speaking of weather, Earth Day Festivals on April 20 will proceed come rain or shine across Tennessee.

Nashville’s Earth Fest in Centennial Park kicks off at 11 a.m. with nearly a hundred family-friendly booths with information about protecting our environment. International music and dance plus hands on activities are geared for the younger set. You can recycle old cell phones, chargers, and other small hand-held electronics such as MP3 players, PDAs and digital cameras and dispose of your unused or expired pharmaceuticals. For a complete schedule, visit http://www.nashvilleearthday.org.

Knoxville’s salute to Earth Day at Pellissippi State Community College’s Hardin Valley campus is a “zero-waste” event with food, fun and entertainment for the whole family, including your pets! See http://www.knox-earthfest.org for details.

What are you planning for Earth Day?

Commemorating Shiloh’s 151st battle anniversary, Shiloh National Military Park and surrounding venues will host several events daily, April 4-7. All events are free, including:

Thurs., April 4, 5:30-7 p.m.: Dr. Jeff Gentsch, a faculty member at the University of West Alabama and a Shiloh volunteer, will present “From Farmlands to Ravines: the Geography of Shiloh Hill” in the Shiloh Auditorium. (Dr.Gentsch wrote his dissertation on the role of geography at Shiloh, and is known to draw crowds when he details how the topography of the area influenced military strategy and outcomes of battle.)

At the cemetery inside Shiloh National Military Park, some 4,000 soldiers and their family members are buried. Photo courtesy of National Park Service.

Fri., April 5: At 8 a.m., Dr. Gentsch will lead an all-day, 12-mile hike illuminating artillery use at Shiloh. The hike departs from the old Ed Shaw store on Highway 22.

Fri., April 5: 11 a.m. to noon, an interpretive General Beauregard will visit Savannah’s Tennessee River Museum (10 miles northeast of the military park) to discuss the involvement of Creole individuals in the war before, during and after Shiloh. The talk is free with museum admission – while you’re there, check out permanent exhibits on the Tennessee River as an invasion route (displaying ironclad artifacts and the most complete Shiloh artillery projectile collection in existence) and “War and Remembrance” – a look at the establishment of Shiloh National Military Park.

Sat., April 6: A 20-minute ranger program, “The POWs of Shiloh,” incorporates eyewitness accounts as it contemplates the fate of Union captives who surrendered in Shiloh’s infamous Hornet’s Nest. Following the program, a 25-minute film on American POWs throughout history will be shown. (6-7 p.m. in the Shiloh Visitor Center Auditorium.)

Sat., April 6-Sun. April 7: Join the caravan to tour the Shiloh battlefield. The three-hour tours will depart from the Shiloh Visitor Center at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. both days. Note that the caravan tours are abbreviated (the standard self-guided driving tour covers 20 stops), but rangers accompanying the caravans provide a deeper understanding of the most significant stops.

Typically, ranger-led programs run Memorial Day through Labor Day at Shiloh National Military Park. Get an early start April 6 and 7, when rangers will lead caravan tours highlighting the battlefield’s most significant spots, such as the Hornet’s Nest, shown here. Photo courtesy of National Park Service.

Advanced registration for some events is required. Call the Shiloh Visitor Center at 731-689-5696 for additional details and registration information.

More on the war in West Tennessee

About an hour northwest of Shiloh in Jackson, the Carnegie Center for the Arts* is unveiling its own permanent Civil War exhibit trained on the strategic important of West Tennessee to both the Union and the Confederacy. The exhibit, then, presents information on Shiloh, but also on Forts Henry and Donelson, where the Confederacy’s fatal chain of events began. (Fort Henry’s capture on Feb. 6, 1862 marked the Union’s first key victory in the Western theater. Eight days later, a gunboat duel rocked the Tennessee River. The Confederates came out on top. But the Union began receiving reinforcements – and the Confederacy began acting indecisive. By Feb. 16, the Confederacy was asking Grant for terms. This is the part where Grant demands unconditional surrender and gets it – followed by a promotion to major general and victories at Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chattanooga…)

Today, Fort Henry sits, flooded, at the bottom of Kentucky Lake, but you can visit Fort Donelson National Battlefield (about two hours northeast of Jackson in Dover). My fellow blogger, Vernon Summerlin, recently blogged about it – read his piece not only to learn about what you can see and do at the battlefield site, but about the fascinating friendship between Grant and Confederate General Simon Buckner, who surrendered to him there.

*Wondering what happened to the Discovery Museum of West Tennessee? It has a new name – the Carnegie Center for the Arts – to reflect that it’s grown to become more than a children’s museum. It’s still located in downtown Jackson, but with new exhibits – and more in the works.

Sesquicentennial Signature Event

Tennessee’s Civil War Sesquicentennial covers a series of events that launched in 2010 and will continue through 2015. The signature event for 2013 is scheduled for Oct. 9-12 in Chattanooga – a mix of lectures, historic demonstrations, exhibits, workshops, book signings and musical performances on the theme of “Occupation and Liberation.” Registration is required for some events – visit this page or call 615-532-7520 for more information.

And for the most comprehensive study of Tennessee during the Civil War, including a timeline and road trip-ready trails (supported by maps and lists of key sites), bookmark this resource.

Which Tennessee Civil War site intrigues you most?

Pull out your map of Tennessee and put a pin 90 miles east of Nashville. In the heart of the Upper Cumberland, Cookeville is the emerging FITcation headquarters, offering packages from one or two days to a week or two. Explore the scenic beauty of lakes, waterfalls, rivers, mountains and caves and take your pick from working out with the “Fittest Man on Earth,” mountain biking, hiking, rappelling, rock climbing, caving, canoeing and kayaking – all in one package!

Last weekend I went on a FITcation to see what it was all about. “Jam in as many activities as we can fit in one weekend,” I told Molly Brown at the Cookeville-Putnam County Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB). She is the point-person for booking your FITcation, so you’ll have her to blame or thank depending on your level of soreness.

“We’ve signed you up for a CrossFit Mayhem workout with the Fittest Man on Earth,” she advised me. “You’re in Heat 2 at 6:00pm on Friday.” Wait, what? Heat 2? I’m competing??

A fast dash from work in Nashville and I stepped into the midst of the CrossFit Games. Muscled bodies glistened with sweat, bells rang, feet jumped up and down, the thud and bounce of barbells on rubber mats mixed with cheers of encouragement from crowds lining the walls. Intense fitness. People travel from all over the world to train with Rich Froning, the personable Cookeville native and current holder of Reebok CrossFit’s Fittest Man on Earth.

Anyone can sign up for a workout with this amazing man. I get my chance. A quick briefing and Froning launches me into the mayhem with his stopwatch for my 17-minute heat. No records set, but I did last the distance! “Next time you come back, we’ll go mountain biking,” enthused Froning. I’ll add biking to my practice list!

Next morning I’m ready for whatever’s coming next. Obed River in the Upper Cumberland is rated the second most popular location for climbing and rappelling in the United States. Tom Lamb, our guide from Plateau Eco-Sports, chooses Black Mountain for medium difficulty and we hike a short distance through the woods to an unexpected company of huge limestone rocks that dwarf us like ants in a canyon. We tie climbing ropes around a couple of trees, drop the rope over the cliff face and scramble down the steep track.

Wearing helmet and harness, I stand at the base of the rock, scanning upwards for hand and foot holds. The real deal is not like the indoor climbing walls!

Gradually I climb the sheer rock face. Arms shake from exertion, stretching wide to grab onto tiny nubs of rock. Fingers wedge into narrow crevices. Leg muscles flex and tighten, feet jamming against indentations and outcrops for leverage. How does it feel to scale a soaring rock face like a spider monkey? Intoxicating exhilaration once you reach the top! The reward is the free rappel down. Let’s do that part again!

Lamb tells stories of groups of young teens he brings here on high adventure camps. This challenge is for all ages and he uses it to teach life skills.

Within a 40-minute drive of Cookeville are 14 State Parks, including Cummins Falls, Tennessee’s 54^th State Park – officially proclaimed on May 22, 2012 thanks to passionate efforts by Friends of Cummins Falls. The hike down to Cummins is a good cardio workout with numerous river crossings in frigid water. Once our feet are numb with cold, it becomes invigorating. In summertime the deep pool at the base of the falls is a popular swimming hole and the rocks and falls are a playground for hikers. The steep track back up the ridge leads through forests of Hemlock, Beech and Hickory. Laura Canada, Cookeville CVB Director, remembers the day a long rope helped hikers up the steepest slope.

Burgess Falls is a strenuous hike that descends past four waterfalls, dropping 300 feet to the base of the main waterfall. Another great workout!

In between all this physical activity, we recharge at healthy choice restaurants in Cookeville’s historic West Side. Savor the tangy bite of citrus glazed salmon in an orange ginger sauce topped with goat cheese at the New Orleans-inspired Crawdaddy’s Grill. Go totally vegan at Lettuce Souprise You with wheat grass shots at the organic soup, salad and juice bar. Tom Cox, nutritional aficionado at CrossFit, offers his services as a healthy meal planner, complete with menu plan and weekly shopping list. I need to revisit the historic district just to eat my way to good health.

Sunday we take a scenic paddle down the Caney Fork River in canoes with Tom Lamb (Plateau Eco-Sports), a pleasant way to blend cardio and upper body conditioning in a brisk couple of hours. Cookeville is also base for several excellent outfitters who can equip for every outdoor adventure.

My weekend FITcation is over, but yours can be just beginning! So many choices yet to explore. Boot camps, yoga, whitewater kayaking, caving, mountain biking, fun runs and marathons. In the spring, farmers markets and Mennonite Community organic farms will be flush with produce.

Go the healthy route this year and let the destination experts at Cookeville CVB plan the perfect FITcation to suit any age or level of fitness.

Life is too short to stay indoors!

To give you some background, the Cumberland County Playhouse, the only major non-profit professional performing arts center in rural Tennessee, was opened in 1965. It has an annual budget of over $1.8 million and features nearly 500 performances and 1600 classes in dance, theatre and music annually. It draws more than 100 visiting professionals from across the country and volunteers from a dozen of Tennessee counties. It may seem like a beautiful playhouse set against rolling hills but behind those double stage doors is a theatrical force. This same force beautifully staged their adaption of “Les Misérables.”

If you’re not familiar with the book, the movie or the play, “Les Misérables” is a story about seven main characters and their lives during revolutionary France. The musical begins with Jean Valjean imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread. He’s released and is on parole for the rest of his life. That is, until he encounters a priest who shows him kindness. He rips up his parole papers and embarks on a godly life, while also eluding the deadly grip of Javert, a police official. Valjean becomes a mayor and owns a factory.

Fantine works at Valjean’s factory. She has a child, Cosette, who she can’t take care of so she sends Cosette to live with her relatives, Thenardier, his wife and their daughter Eponine. They treat Cosette unkindly and try to swindle from Fantine every penny. Fantine gets wrongly accused of being scandalous at the factory and is forced to resign. She becomes a prostitute in an attempt to provide money for Thenardier. Valjean encounters her and she explains his foreman fired her unfairly. Seeing her sickly state, Valjean puts her in a nurse’s care and promises to take care of Cosette. He finds Thenardier, pays him off for Cosette and returns to Paris. Many years pass and Cosette meets a man named Marius while he and his friends preach to the crowds about status and revolution. Thenardier’s daughter, Eponine loves Marius but Marius falls in love with Cosette. It’s a love triangle that ends tragically in one way but beautifully in another. With beautiful music that lifts your spirit while also breaking your heart, it’s no wonder “Les Misérables” is one of the most well-known Broadway musicals.

The Cumberland County Playhouse has called upon the talents of Nathanial Hackman, part of the national tour, to play Jean Valjean and he doesn’t disappoint. Hackman’s voice bursts forth strong and sure as he takes the audience on a journey of Valjean’s life, from his imprisonment to his selfless acts as penance for his crime.

Every line in the musical is sung and the actors performed impeccably. “Les Misérables” plays in the Cumberland County Playhouse until May 3. Tickets are $29 for adults, $27 for seniors and $14 for children and students.

After you enjoy the beautiful performances of the actors, make your way to Halcyon Day’s Restaurant as you hum “I Dreamed A Dream,” “One Day More” and “On My Own.” Halcyon Day’s Restaurant is a great choice if you want succulent New York strip steaks or the highly recommended chicken marsala or even the stuffed quail where you’ll get two quail with smoked pork-mushroom stuffing, served with a bourbon sauce. The food is divine and the prices are just right.

All in all, a trip to Crossville for dinner and “Les Misérables” is a must-do this season.

Middle Tennessee’s Buffalo River, along with 12 more rivers ranging from the French Broad and the Hiwassee in East Tennessee to the Hatchie in West Tennessee, is part of Tennessee’s Scenic Rivers Program intended for enjoyment of our outdoor heritage by this and future generations.

Add a couple of fishing poles and you’ve got the makings of a great outdoors day in my book.

For non-anglers, canoe liveries along the middle section of the Buffalo start gearing up in April. They do a brisk business during peak summer season and warm weekends from April to October with the area around Flatwoods being particularly busy due to the number of outfitters – so reservations for your canoe rental is a good idea. Some have campgrounds and cabin rentals if you want to make a weekend of your Buffalo River adventure.

The Buffalo River originates in Lawrence County east of the community of Henryville. It terminates 120 miles later when it joins the Duck River just before emptying into the Tennessee River east of New Johnsonville.

I remember my last paddling trip down the scenic upper section of the Buffalo River like it was yesterday. My wife, our 11-week-old golden retriever puppy and I had joined a small group of canoeists on a float trip organized by one of our neighbors.

Taking its name from the stone bottom that allowed early travelers along the Natchez Trace to cross the Buffalo River at this location, Metal Ford is located at mile marker 382.8, about three miles south of the Meriwether Lewis site and campground on the Natchez Trace Parkway.

Signs at Metal Ford on the Buffalo River direct you to remains of a charcoal-burning furnace that was used to manufacture pig iron during the 1820s.

We put in at the Metal Ford picnic area and historic site using a wooden strip canoe I carefully designed and built for my wife’s birthday a few years earlier.

After an easy launch, soft sounds of birds flitting along the thickly wooded banks and water dripping from our paddles as we reached forward for another stroke were disturbed only by the aggrieved chattering of a belted kingfisher interrupted during his pursuit of lunch. Peace prevailed until our young pup leaned a little too far over the gunwale and discovered how much fun it was to swim.

But getting back to the piscatorial portion of this post, if I had to pick one smallmouth bass stream in Middle Tennessee it would be the Buffalo River.

Commercial canoeing waters from Topsy Bridge at river mile 80.4 all the way to New Sugar Hill Bridge at river mile 52.2 have excellent fishing on gravel bottoms, in deeper pools and up feeder creeks.

Paddlers are less likely to spook fish on this free-flowing river because the canoes can be silent. Stream smallmouth feed in very shallow water so stealth and casting accuracy are important for successful fishing. Creek minnows make the best smallmouth bait. Or use 1/8-ounce jigs with hair or plastic tails in crawfish colors on four- or six-pound-test line. You can also try retrieving a small spinnerbait through the heads of pools before you enter them in your canoe.

Canoeing lets you beach your craft on one of the many gravel bars to get out to fish riffles thoroughly. My favored stretch for catching smallies is just south of I-40 off Hwy. 13.

Fishing remains excellent as the Buffalo River broadens at its confluence with the Duck River a few miles north of the Interstate 40 bridge.

As happy as anglers are to see downed timber habitat, beware of “strainers,” trees that have fallen across the river. Scout them carefully as they can be a nuisance when you hang up or turn deadly if you get swept into one and become trapped, especially during high water conditions.

So my advice is wet a paddle and wet a line. Even if the fish aren’t biting, the scenery is pretty and the fresh air and clear water are sure to do you good.

Have you fished the Buffalo? Share your stories in the comments! 

Inside the zoo, stay left – you’ll find Stingray Bay under a giant white tent between Penguin Rock and Once Upon A Farm (in the rides area). Follow the calypso music to the queue, which winds you past placards introducing the four species you’ll soon meet: cownose rays, Southern rays, bonnethead sharks and banded (spotted) bamboo sharks.

Stingrays at the Memphis Zoo: Reach in and touch one. (The exhibit will remain open through Oct. 27, 2013.) Photo courtesy of Memphis Zoo.

Inside the exhibit, a 17,000-gallon saltwater lagoon houses the animals – 25 cownose and six Southern rays, plus eight sharks. The cownose are the smaller rays; Scarlet, a Southern ray measuring three-and-a-half feet across, evidences the size dominance of her species. Rinse your hands and forearms in the hand-washing station at the entry to the exhibit and reach right into the pool – the rays make frequent laps, and outcroppings around the edge of the lagoon help shorter visitors touch them (the lagoon is only 18 inches deep, which helps, too). The sharks are more elusive (they’re nocturnal, after all) – eye for them along the sides of the lagoon, buried in the sandy bottom.

Nervous? Don’t be. The rays’ barbs are trimmed, so there’s no threat to you. Curious about the bright blue basket in the center of the pool? Those are shark eggs. Wondering about anything else? Ask the docents – they were accessible and full of information during our visit. (And yes, the exhibit features a themed gift shop.)

Plan your visit

Stingray Bay is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry at 5:30 p.m.). Entry is $4 ($3 for Memphis Zoo members), but local Kroger stores are selling a discount ticket combining admission to the zoo and Stingray Bay ($16 for ages 12-59; $12 for ages 2-11 – regular zoo admission is $15 and $10, respectively).

Individual exhibit tickets are available at the front gate and the rides area ticket kiosk (of course, you can purchase ride tickets here, too; in fact, it may be hard to dodge, considering that Stingray Bay is ringed by amusements including a carousel, a dizzying mild-thrill ride and toddler planes and boats).

One more thing to earmark your allowance for: Three to four times daily, at random, Stingray Bay staff conducts feedings. For $2, you can buy a feeding cup and assist. (Sharks are pole-fed by staff only.)

What was the adjacent window-service restaurant, Alton’s Bar-B-Que, has been made over as Ray’s Grille (still good for burgers, sandwiches, ice cream and new items like fish tacos). Touch or feed a stingray, tear through the rides and eat lunch, and you’ve invested maybe two hours. Time to explore the east end of the zoo and stage a Camel Excursion (rides are $5 per person daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) or join a Giraffe Feeding Adventure ($5 per person Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.-noon and 2- 3 p.m.).

After touching a stingray, ride a camel at Memphis Zoo…

…or feed a giraffe. Photos courtesy of Memphis Zoo.

Have you visited Memphis Zoo lately? What’s your favorite animal or exhibit?

Officially the Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail/Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, the route, when completed, will run nearly 300 miles from Cumberland Gap on the Kentucky line to the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Battlefield in Chattanooga. It’ll wind through 11 East Tennessee counties and a half dozen state parks and wilderness areas. The plan is to make it the Tennessee stretch of the Great Eastern Trail, which is planned to run from Alabama to New York. The Great Eastern will complement the legendary Appalachian Trail which recently celebrated its 75^th birthday and is nearing hiker capacity.

Almost 200 miles of the Cumberland have been completed since the first shovel was turned in 1998.

I decided to visit a small stretch in Cumberland County by Crab Orchard. If it’s all like this, hikers are in for a treat. I followed the signs headed south off Interstate 40 at the Crab Orchard exit down a narrow, windy road to a place where the Cumberland joins the short Black Mountain Crest Loop Trail.

As with much of the Cumberland Trail, the route follows a mountain ridge and provides some incredible vistas. Just a short, easy walk took me to one of those natural overlooks called “balds” that in this case allowed an amazing view stretching forever across a magnificent valley. The hike also took me by the remains of an old homestead with a spring house still standing while a majestic, tall chimney was all that remained of a larger structure.

From there it was a short ride to just north of the interstate and Ozone Falls State Natural Area. Waterfalls are abundant on the Cumberland as it runs through places like Frozen Head State Park and Piney Falls State Natural Area where the sound and beauty of falling water are ever present.

As a waterfall-loving veteran, I was prepared to be underwhelmed by Ozone Falls. After all, it usually takes a long hike to get to the really great waterfalls and these falls are barely five minutes off I-40. Surprise! Ozone Falls are awesome. For starters, the trail passes palisades and other rock formations to take hikers right to the top of the falls. I’m talking reach-out-and-touch close, but please don’t try that. From there a rugged-but-fun, boulder-strewn path drops to the base 110 feet below. Recent rains provided plenty of water and hikers enjoyed walking behind the falls to feast on the rainbow effects of sun through falling water.

A word of warning. Keep a very tight grip on your children at this place. It is a natural area with no guard rails or fences. So, it wouldn’t take much to make a wrong step.

Much of the Cumberland Trail is completed, especially the north part, so check out the map and pick out a spot for a weekend hike.

Other Hiking Options

Of course, this new and growing trail is just the latest addition to the cobweb of trails that cloak East Tennessee. The Appalachian Trail runs through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with plenty of places to take a walk in the woods. Among other hikes, some of my favorites are the Point Trail which overlooks the Obed Wild and Scenic River gorge, Charlies Bunion in the Smokies and the Angel Falls Overlook in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

I’m sure you have your favorites. What are they?

The wait on a busy weekend (translate that to most weekends) can be long, but everyone agrees it’s worth it. Time to browse the small, quaint shops on the property, sample some blackberry or peach preserves in the Hams & Jams Country Market, or discover an old trinket or art treasure in Faithful Places. Kids can play artist in the Lil’ Biscuits Gift Store and add their colorings to the display wall.

It’s a bright Sunday afternoon, and several families enjoy a take out meal on picnic benches out front, watching tourists come and go and the occasional group of cyclists whizzing by on their Natchez Trace exercise jaunts.

The Loveless is filled with stories of travelers who return year after year, and the café entryway is adorned with signed portraits of celebrities from all over the world.

“A few weeks ago we had a couple celebrating their 51^st wedding anniversary,” relates Jesse, while taking us on a tour of the property. “They spent their wedding night here and have come back every single year on their anniversary. Each time they order the same meal of fried chicken and country ham.”

Gone are the days when the 14-room motel was in business, but its history lives on. Lon and Annie Loveless moved into the little old house around 1951, gradually turning the rooms of the house into a café, one by one. Lon built motel rooms on either side of the café to cater to travelers though these have now been converted into intriguing shops.

The Loveless has changed hands several times and was almost lost to a strip mall development in 2003, but locals are determined to keep this Nashville legend alive. Today many of the staff are third and fourth generation employees and job loyalty is so strong it’s been two years since a new waitress was hired.

We are given a sneak preview into the smokehouse and a sample of barbecue pork straight from the pit. Every morning at 2:30 a.m. the pitmaster arrives to start his day by removing the pork butts from the pit that have been cooking overnight. He quickly replaces with fresh pork butts that are coated in a dry rub, smoked for six hours, wrapped in foil and slow-cooked overnight until he comes back to start the process the next morning all over again. No wonder it’s fall-off-the-bone tender when it reaches your plate!

Our table with the red and white checkered tablecloth is ready. A plate of hot fluffy biscuits arrives with a friendly greeting and a selection of peach, blackberry and strawberry preserves – all homemade right here at the Loveless. Using a closely guarded recipe that has been preserved for decades, 7,000 biscuits are baked every day in the kitchen. Does that tell you how popular they are!

How on earth do you decide what to order when everything is made from scratch and comes with rave reviews? I solved that one. The Southern Sampler Platter. Fried chicken, meatloaf and pork barbecue, with green beans casserole and creamed corn. My friend, Lia, ordered catfish and two different sides, so we had it covered!

Every day of the week is a different Blue Plate Special that repeats weekly. Planning ahead – that’s what a lot of the regulars do. If I knew when the Blackberry Cobbler was on the dessert menu, that would be my day.  It’s impossible to go wrong at the Loveless. Breakfast is served all day, every day, and the kitchen is open until the last person walks in the door at 9 p.m. and orders. The only problem you are likely to face is eating more Southern comfort food than you need!  It’s true that the South is known for its sweet iced tea, but at the Loveless Café you can sample an even older legend – Tennessee Moonshine!

Yes, the Loveless is simple Southern hospitality at its finest. Come on down!

Share your memories of the Loveless in the comments!

EAST

Instead of paying exorbitant amounts of money on plane tickets to fly to an exotic destination for spring break, attend Dollywood’s Festival of Nations in Pigeon Forge March 23 through April 22 where cultures, food and performances from around the world congregate in one place. Learn about France, Mexico, Poland, Ecuador, Scotland and more than 25 other nations. Each day, the One World Celebration unites all Festival of Nations’ participants in a musical and colorful display along Showstreet. See fantastic and spell-binding performances like the acrobatic Cirque Shanghai, the 15-foot Swoon Sway Pole Act and the stilt dancers of Zebra Stelzentheater of Germany. It’s an annual event not to be missed.

Combine Blackberry Farm in Walland (named the No. 1 resort for service by Travel and Leisure) with Luke Bryan,  one of country music’s biggest stars, and what do you get? A spring break that’s anything but ordinary. Bryan will do a tailgate performance on the lawn in front of The Barn April 18. Blankets will be rolled out, grills will be fired up and plenty of Blackberry Farm Brewery’s finest will be on tap. Sing along to your favorite Luke Bryan songs under the stars. Accommodations may fill up quickly so call 1-800-557-8864 or e-mail reservations@blackberryfarm.com to snag your spot for an unforgettable spring break.

Enjoy the breathtaking bloom of spring at the Smoky Mountain Springfest March 13 through June 7 in Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Spring decorations, wildflowers and great events are scheduled. The three-month long event is filled with activities to get everyone outdoors and enjoying the fresh breath of the new season in Tennessee’s great outdoors.  Car shows, hikes and music from Appalachia will be ready for spring break exploration. The highly-anticipated Dolly Parade occurs May 10, featuring Tennessee’s own Dolly Parton as Grand Marshal, as festive floats, marching bands and more follow her lead.

MIDDLE

If touring downtown Nashville is your ideal way to spend spring break, be sure to check out the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum for a tour of great exhibits now on display like “Patsy Cline: Crazy for Loving You”. The exhibit features some of Patsy’s iconic ensembles, vintage photographs and audio and video spanning through her career. Hall of Fame members like Willie Nelson, Brenda Lee and Harold Bradley lend their perspectives from working with Patsy. You can also hear Patsy Cline’s beautiful vocals without musical accompaniment.  Another great exhibit is the “Dottie West: Country Sunshine” display which takes you through her life from her humble beginnings in McMinnville as the oldest of 10 children to her amazing music career as an award-winning member of the Grand Ole Opry and her untimely death from injuries she sustained in a horrible car crash in 1991.

April 1-7, mules, mules and more mules along with mule owners, mule spectators and mule novices will gather in Columbia for Mule Day. Spend your spring break seeing mules in action during the log pulling competition, mule races and the Mini Mania Show, a spectacle of miniature mules pulling wagons, jumping over poles and more. How cute is that?! They even crown a King Mule. The week dedicated to these creatures isn’t as random as you may think. Mule Day has been a Columbia tradition for over 170 years. It started as “Breeder’s Day”, a livestock show and mule market event held the first Monday in April but now it has turned into a multi-day festival which attracts over 200,000 people annually. Tradition is celebrated through music, dancing, crafts and traditional Appalachian food. College students: If you attend, I bet you’ll have the best spring break story in all your classes.

Take in a theatrical performance at the Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville. “Steel Magnolias”, the funny and poignant drama about six women that also inspired two film adaptions will play through March 29. Tickets are $24 for adults, $23 for seniors and $12 for children and students. “Les Misérables,” which tells the story of revolution, love and passion will make its premiere at the Cumberland County Playhouse March 8 and will run until May 3. “Les Misérables”, based on the French historical novel by Victor Hugo, has become one of the longest-running Broadway shows and now a contemporary, Academy Award-nominated movie. You can catch this critically-acclaimed musical, starring the national tour’s Nathaniel Hackmann, for $29, $14 if you’re a student or child.

WEST

Spring break is the perfect time to explore one of music’s iconic sites, Elvis Presley’s Graceland in Memphis. While you tour the home and see the great Elvis artifacts, be sure to check out the newest exhibit that opened March 5, “Elvis: Live from Vegas”. Part of the 30-foot marquee Col. Parker had made to stand outside the New Frontier Hotel in 1956 and the jumpsuit worn by Elvis on stage in 1970 are featured. Other suits include Elvis’ three-piece Spanish Flower suit worn in 1972, his leather and chains suit, the I Got Lucky jumpsuit worn in Las Vegas, Oakland, Tampa and Los Angeles as well as many others. Rare artifacts include hotel receipts, show memorabilia and more.

Spend your break among animals at the Memphis Zoo. The Memphis Zoo is home to more than 3,500 animals, representing more than 500 species. It was also ranked “America’s No. 1 Zoo” by TripAdvisor.com in 2008. Get a close look and hands-on experience with sting rays and sharks. Camel rides are back this spring where you can ride one of four camels for $5. Besides the two new exhibits, you can still check out all the cool creatures the Memphis Zoo offers like komodo dragons and the new baby giraffe, Maliki, who was born January 25. Each day at the Memphis Zoo is filled with events like the sea lion show, polar bear, elephant and penguin feedings and discussions about different animals.

Celebrate the 150^th birthday of Casey Jones, America’s railroad legend March 14 in Jackson. Free admission, refreshments, music, door prizes and more will be included in the festivities. Casey Jones gave his life to save all his passengers in a train accident on April 30, 1900 when a railcar was stalled on the track. Jones’ story became famous through “The Ballad of Casey Jones.” While at the Casey Jones Museum, be sure to visit his family home as well as browse the collection of three authentic railcars, history and short film on his story. You’ll want to check out the world-famous Old Country Store restaurant where you can always indulge in great Southern cooking. Get a free sample of over 20 homemade fudge flavors. Mini-golf, shopping for antiques and live bluegrass music every Thursday night are also highly-encouraged to check out.

How would you spend spring break in Tennessee? Let me know in the comments below!

South Pittsburg welcomes the world to its celebration of this staple of Southern cooking. Lest you think cornbread is only a side dish to pinto beans, then you need to stroll down Cornbread Alley. Samples go way beyond Pepper Jack cornbread and enter the realm of cranberry cornmeal bars, apple cinnamon cornbread and Popeye hushpuppies.

Kim Mantooth with the festival tells me they’ll have 35,000 in South Pittsburg if the weather is nice, which is pretty good for a town with a population of around 3,300. South Pittsburg is located 30 miles west of Chattanooga right off Interstate 24.

A cornbread cook-off dominates the festival where chefs from everywhere compete for big prizes. Kim says thousands enter the competition but only the best 10 come here for the finals. The first duty of the newly crowned Miss National Cornbread is to announce the winners. The beauty pageant takes place on Friday, April 19, at the Princess Theatre. The cook-off awards will be presented on Saturday afternoon.

For those better at eating than cooking, there are contests to test skills: dry cornbread eating, ice cream eating, and buttermilk chugging.

To learn more about making cornbread, visitors have the once-a-year opportunity to tour Lodge Manufacturing Company. Employees will show guests through the foundry and explain how Lodge cast iron cookware is made. The company sponsors the festival and tours are offered at no charge.

Festival attendees can also tour the South Pittsburg historic district, an area listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The tours via double-decker bus will require timed tickets to be purchased in advance. The final stop will be at Lodge Manufacturing Company for those who want to learn more about the cookware essential to cornbread baking.

Live entertainment will take place on three stages, though the best music may be heard at the Jam Tent, where fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and harmonica players will let loose. Carnival rides, street performers and children’s activities will create a lively festival atmosphere.

A variety of pottery, leather works, woodcarvings, glass art and jewelry will be available from 65 artisan vendors, all selected through a juried process. Craft demonstrations will include caning and wood carving. Homemade jellies, peanut brittle and many other tasty treats will be sold at the General Store area. An antique tractor will be in a class by itself among the classic cars on display.

Featured activities in addition to the pageant include a street dance and fireworks spectacle on Friday night, 5K run on Saturday morning, and pancake breakfast on Sunday. General admission tickets are $5 a day, with preschool children free.

Got a great cornbread recipe? Let us know in the comments! 

The view is breathtaking from the top of Northrup Falls.

Named for a family who settled here and operated a water-powered sawmill on Big Branch Creek above the falls during the 1800s, Northrup Falls plunges 63 feet into a lush cove lined with 200-year-old hemlocks and thickets of mountain laurel and rhododendron. The dry ridges above the falls sustain a mixed hardwood forest of predominantly oaks and hickories. Shade loving spring wildflowers including pink lady’s slippers are hidden in the dappled forest floor.

My daughter, Maria, found Northrup Falls to be the perfect antidote for a sultry day in July.

The waterfall varies seasonally from a roaring cascade after heavy spring rains to a spectacular ice show during deepest winter when mist from the falls freezes on surrounding vegetation. The spray field from the falls provides welcome respite for summer hikers as well as habitat for several species of ferns, sedges and rushes.

Listed on Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Watchable Wildlife website, Colditz Cove draws migratory birds during spring and fall and provides habitat for several relatively rare animal species including woodland jumping mice. With weights of up to an ounce and bodies about four inches long with tails as long or longer, when startled they can use their long tails and elongated hind legs to perform a surprising series of leaps with each jump covering three to four feet.

A 1.5-mile loop trail that descends about 100 feet to the base of the falls begins inauspiciously along an old jeep road that starts at the small parking lot off TN Hwy 52 a couple of miles east of Allardt.

A moderately challenging 1.5-mile loop trail leads to the base of Northrup Falls.

As the gravel ends, the adventure begins on a narrow dirt trail that leads toward the cove. At the top of the falls the trail splits and forms a loop along the rim of the cove, drops into the cove, goes behind Northrup Falls and returns to the top. I’m betting you’ll find the view from the base of the falls is well worth the walk.

The left fork follows the rim of the cove along the bluff and along a short series of switchbacks before taking a sharp turn to double back directly under the 40-foot cliff line. Near the base of the falls the trail enters a boulder-strewn cave-like overhang that resulted from weathering of the sandstone caprock over a long period of time. Locally known as “rock houses,” Woodland Indians used these stone shelters among the cliffs close to streams more than 3,000 years ago.

Colditz Cove takes its name from brothers and property owners Rudolph and Arnold Colditz who worked with the Tennessee Trails Association, the Nature Conservancy and the State of Tennessee to assure the future of this lovely site. Colditz Cove is open year round during daylight hours. There are no facilities or ranger station

For more information about visiting Colditz Cove and other Tennessee State Natural Areas or participating in activities including guided hikes planned during Tennessee State Natural Areas Week from April 6-14 visit the Tennessee State Natural Area website.

The trail leads behind Northrup Falls to a view of the small pool where water from the falls collects with mountain laurel, rhododendron and towering hemlocks lining Big Branch Creek beyond.

Few of the homes survived aging and urban renewal, and what remains demands diligent upkeep. The Mallory-Neely House is the most recent to reap some TLC: After a seven-year closure (including a three-year renovation and a desperately-needed re-roofing), the home began welcoming visitors again in November 2012.

The Mallory-Neely House in all of its Italianate Villa glory: balustrades; semicircular window “hoods;” tower; loggia. Note that the 22-inch-thick brick exterior walls are stuccoed and scored to simulate stone.

In textbook talk, Mallory-Neely is a 25-room, Italianate Villa-style mansion; its original foundation laid around 1852 (as a two-story home for the family of banker/cotton broker Isaac Kirtland). But like any good home tour, the Mallory-Neely walk-through gets personal – examining the architecture and interior design as much as the personal lives of its residents, particularly Mrs. Frances Neely Mallory, known as Daisy.

The tour opens on this portrait of “Daisy” Neely Mallory (1871-1969), who lived from age 12 to her death in the home – keeping most of her family’s furnishings and decorating choices the same.

When Daisy’s parents (James Columbus, a cotton factor, and Frances) bought the home in 1883, they made significant changes: adding a third floor; aggrandizing the existing tower; making the interiors over according to a Victorian aesthetic. This is nowhere more apparent or authentic than in the first-floor double parlor, a floor-to-ceiling study in opulence and ornamentation. A parade of busts – molded on-site by Italian artisans who had immigrated to Cincinnati – line the ceiling; ivory carpet punctuated by ruby botanicals and mustard wisps stretches wall-to-wall.

In between, a Chinese silk screen (procured by the family at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis) depicts, in forbidden stitch, the four seasons; Antonio Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss (which sits in the Louvre) is replicated in solid marble over onyx, supported by a brick pillar in the basement. A reception was held in this room following Daisy’s marriage in 1900 to local land developer Barton Lee Mallory. Also downstairs, you’ll see evidence of the Neelys’ Victorian embellishments in faux-burled wood on imposing arched doors, and in the music room/library where the ceiling is stenciled with lyres and laurel leaves – and a table tells the story of Buddha’s enlightenment in teak so skillfully that the wood, in places, feigns a lace tablecloth. The table is believed to be the oldest piece in the home, likely crafted around 1700 in Ceylon.

In the music room/library, note the carpeting and the teak table (at left).

Touring the second floor, you’re reminded that excess tended to stay downstairs, though a stained glass window hanging in the stairwell is thought to be a La Farge original, salvaged from the demolished home of Daisy’s uncle, which sat just to the west. To me, floor two is where the heart is – we see more family photographs; works by Daisy’s daughter, Frances Mallory Morgan, a painter and sculptor who ultimately adopted the Mallory-Neely carriage house as her studio; even the bedrooms of Daisy and Annie Cartwright Bess, Daisy’s long-time personal attendant whom she moved into the room next to her in the pair’s later years (Daisy’s husband died in 1938).

The third floor, where Daisy’s childhood bedroom is located, remains closed to the public – from the landing below, cracks and peeling are visible, and our docent tells me it’s “black with coal soot,” though the original stenciling is still detectable.

This rosewood bed, among other master bedroom furnishings, was procured during Daisy’s honeymoon in New Orleans.

The television set at center, circa 1948, attests to Daisy’s longevity in the Mallory-Neely House. In many ways, her commitment to remaining in the home saved it from demolition, the fate of so many other residences along Memphis’ erstwhile “Millionaire’s Row.”

Mallory-Neely’s carriage house, by the way, marks the start of your tour and includes background on all of the home’s owners and inhabitants – slaves and servants included – as well as artifacts found on site. Our docent tells me, especially after it rains, it’s common for glass bottles and dish fragments to surface. Find the carriage house at the right rear of the main house – it’s also the best vantage for Mallory-Neely’s slave/servant quarters, now adjoined to the main house by a breezeway.

While you’re in the neighborhood…

If you’re like me, you can’t get enough of old homes. Walk a few steps east on Adams from the Mallory-Neely House to tour the Woodruff-Fontaine House, an 1870 French Victorian beauty. Hour-long tours are given Wednesday through Sunday, noon-4 p.m. (last tour at 3:30 p.m.).

Late-night, cross the street to Mollie Fontaine Lounge. I can’t help but find prescience in the home’s 1886 construction in the Eclectic Revival style, for owner/restaurateur Karen Carrier has certainly revived the place eclectically. Drop in Wednesday through Saturday nights for live music, artisan cocktails and small plates in this lounge aged to funky perfection.

Touring Mallory-Neely

The Mallory-Neely House (652 Adams Ave.) is now managed by Memphis’ Pink Palace Family of Museums. Tour it Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; 45-minute guided tours begin every 30 minutes with the day’s last tour commencing at 3 p.m.

Have you toured the Mallory-Neely or another historic home in West Tennessee? What is your favorite site, architectural detail or interior element?

Nestled in the trendy Lockeland Springs neighborhood of East Nashville, I discovered Sam Simm’s unique Stained Glass Studio, a mixture of intriguing gift shop, studio and school. She opened the studio five years ago and runs several classes on stained glass art every week, from beginner to advanced.

Sam is a talented artisan whose stained glass work has been displayed in galleries throughout the United States and adorns many churches, homes and businesses. She was born in Amityville, New York, and moved to Tennessee in the early Seventies, where she studied Commercial Art at Watkin’s Institute of Art and Design. She spent 17 years doing traveling art shows before opening her own studio in Nashville nearly 10 years ago.

The Saturday morning class is filled with a creative buzz, as students work on different projects. Becky runs a bead of solder along one of the seams of her stained glass project, hand steady.

“My husband, Daryl, signed us up,” she tells me. “This is such a great thing to do together! It doesn’t involve any electronics, no TV, no movies, no food. It’s a brilliant date thing to do as a couple!”

The Saturday classes go for six weeks, the Wednesday and Thursday evening classes go for seven, the Monday night Mosaic class for five. “We begin with the Copper Foil Method,” says owner and instructor Sam Simms. “Once the students get all the cutting, grinding, fitting and soldering techniques under their belt, then they can go on to the advanced or Lead Method classes. Everyone begins with the same first class project. After that they can look in our library and choose from 25 selections for their next project. Then we cut them loose!”

Shana has progressed to a large picture of a dairy cow grazing on a hillside. “This began with a photo,” she explained. “I enlarged it and traced it on the light table. Once you draw the pattern, you freehand the shapes and determine the colors, then cut the pieces of glass and grind the edges to fit.”

I watch as someone else tapes copper foil along the inner edge of a piece of glass and fits it into place. Simms moves from one student to the next, checking on progress. An advanced student is creating a room divider for her daughter in California, made up of numerous individual panels that will be hung together on chains.

The front of the studio is a kaleidoscope of colored glass creations sparkling in the sunlight. I remember as a child being invited into my big sister’s bedroom to hold her crystal prism up to the light as a special treat. Rainbows flashed from every angle while I gazed breathlessly, entranced. Sam’s Stained Glass Studio has that same effect and you’re caught with the desire to create your own works of beauty.

Simms holds out a piece of jewelry, a delicate layering of vibrant pieces of colored glass. “This is called fusing,” she explains. “We cut out pieces of glass, lay them on top of each other and fire them in the kiln.”

Color and light.  I’m intrigued to discover that even before recorded history, man learned to make glass and color it by adding metallic salts and oxides. These minerals within the glass capture portions of color from the spectrum of white light. Gold produces stunning cranberry, cobalt makes blues; silver creates shades of yellow and gold, while copper makes greens and brick red.

I can’t resist, so sign up on the spot for a seven-week workshop beginning in May. Is this something you’ve wished for the opportunity to learn? Sam Simms’ workshops fill up fast, so call the studio to check on availability or look for a discount coupon on Living Social or Amazon, and join in the fun!

EAST

Knoxville is also home to The University of Tennessee Knoxville’s Frank H. McClung Museum, a general museum with collections of archaeology, arts, local and natural history and more. Be sure to check out “The Decorative Experience”, a permanent exhibition that displays 175 items ranging from 2400 BC to the 21^st century. You’ll see textiles, stone, metal, glass, wood and more artistic mediums represented. One to note is the Hornbill Headdress from the Democratic Republic of the Congo dating back to the early 20^th century. Check out the bas relief fragment from the Assyrian King Sennacherib’s palace, a brass menorah and a large, ornate brass tray from Turkey as well as a spice box from Israel with beautiful designs dating to the early 20^th century.

The glass paperweights at the Hunter Museum of Art in Chattanooga may not look like much until you get a closer look. Paul Stankard’s intricate designs on these glass paperweights as part of his exhibit “Paperweights, Botanicals, Cubes & Columns, Orbs and Diptychs, Triptychs & Assemblages” are nothing short of extraordinary. The details of nature that are expressed will have you gazing in wonder for hours. Walt Whitman and James Joyce are Stankard’s inspiration for his interpretations of North American wildflowers. He lampworks each piece in sections encased in clear glass once complete. The exhibit is on display until April 21.

Before ever stepping inside the Knoxville Museum of Art, the building itself inspires with  its backend parapets and two enormous, haunting blue eyes daring entry. The museum beckons you to “Open Your Eyes”, “Open Your Mind”. Your imagination is stretched beginning in the lobby where regional and local artists’ installations are permanently held as well as national and international artistic works are featured. Continue to feed your imagination with Knoxville Museum of Art’s Thorne Rooms, among America’s most well-known miniature diorama groups. Produced by Mrs. James Ward Thorne who loved dollhouses, the exhibit displays nine of the original Thorne Rooms which copy Europe’s castles, museums and historic homes. With French and English style dating from 1500 to 1920, the textiles and decorations are marvelous. The Knoxville Museum of Art is one of only five museums in the world to have a piece of the collection.

MIDDLE

Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville was once a post office building that reflected the two most distinctive architectural styles of the 1930s: classicism and Art Deco. It was even listed officially on the National Register of Historic Places but now houses some excellent exhibitions year-round. Newly opened is “Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection”. Insightful and reflective of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the collection features urns, vessels, dogs and representations of gods dating back about 4,400 years. John Bourne began collecting these archaeological finds as art after he took a trip in 1945 into the jungles of southern Mexico. There, he saw the ruins of Bonampak, a Maya city in southern Chiapas where famous murals were found a few months later. He’s one of few archaeologists to see the pre-Columbian artifacts as art. The exhibit will take about two hours since there is a lot of history behind each piece and each piece has its own intricate designs. The exhibit is on display in the upper-level galleries until June 23.

Fisk University’s The Carl Van Vechten Gallery is housed in a 19^th century Victorian establishment. It was formed in 1949 when American painter Georgia O’Keefe donated the group of works that make up “The Alfred Stieglitz Collection of Modern American and European Art” to Fisk. This exhibit, a permanent installation of works by Pablo Picasso, Georgia O’Keeffe, Marsden Hartley and many others, is housed on the main floor. General admission is $10. The Aaron Douglas Gallery is on the third floor and usually showcases works by students, faculty, contemporary artists and some of the works from the permanent collection. Admission to this gallery is free.

Take a leisurely drive to Leiper’s Fork in Franklin and be sure to visit The Copper Fox, a museum that features local and regional artists. One of the artists is Connie Ulrich who uses gold, silver, precious stones and platinum found along the side of the road to make beautiful jewelry. Her series “Road Kill” is organic and reflects the natural surroundings of her observations. Matt Tommey has also been featured with his handcrafted whimsical baskets that reflect the traditional Appalachian heritage. The Copper Fox is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day.

WEST

The University of Memphis’ Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology in Memphis maintains a collection of over 1,400 ancient Egyptian artifacts that highlight ancient Egypt’s artistic development and culture. About 200 of those objects date back to 3800 BC and 700 AD. Jewelry, sculptures, mummies and religious artifacts are featured in this exhibit. Besides art and artifacts, the museum even has an actual triangular loaf of bread approximately 4000 years old. The museum is free and open to the public Monday through Saturday.

Browse the extensive collections the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis showcases throughout the year. The current exhibit “Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey”, highlights 49 original collages, drawing and watercolors reflecting Homer’s story of Odysseus. Bearden has cast all the characters as black and explores the universal themes of overcoming obstacles, journeying home and reuniting with loved ones. The exhibit is on display until April 28. See how girls were portrayed in American painting, prints, photography and sculpture in “Angels and Tomboys: Girlhood in Nineteenth-Century American Art”. Though typical portrayals of girls were docile, passive and domestic, many images were of tomboys, adolescents and working children. You can view the exhibit until May 12.

The West Tennessee Regional Art Center in Humboldt opened in 1994 and is the permanent home for the Ewers Collection, Caldwell Collections and the Lois and Wallis Boehm Porcelain Collection. The Lois and Wallis Jones Boehm Porcelain Collection is a gorgeous exhibit of carefully created porcelain birds including owls, hawks and robins. The artisan studio, Boehm Porcelain is recognized as one of the world’s best porcelain studios. Art from the studio has been presented to Pope John II, Queen Elizabeth II and every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is a collection not to be missed. Admission to the museum is free.

What are some of your favorite Tennessee art museums to check out? Let me know in the comments below!

1. Botanic immersion

This March, you can dash through the daffodils, walk amid signs of spring and scurry for eggs at Memphis Botanic Garden. Photo courtesy of Focus for the Good.

Join the drift of activity at Memphis Botanic Garden, beginning with March 9’s Daffodil Dash. Choose the three-miler or a one-mile family fun run, ending at the garden’s Daffodil Hill and a party featuring live music by the Friendzies. If you’re of the stop-and-smell-the-flowers variety, I suggest the Signs of Spring Walk with master gardener Judith Hammond on March 17 (free with garden admission) or any of several events planned for March 24, from a cherry blossom celebration to spring bloom photography and sketch classes. You can also bookmark the garden’s bloom calendar here. March 30 brings the egg hunt – from 1 p.m. until all the eggs are found (or 4 p.m., whichever comes first), age divisions, including a family division, will scour the garden’s 96 acres for eggs and prizes. Pre- and post-hunt, look for a magic show, live music, crafts, activities and photo ops with the Easter Bunny. Call 901-636-4100 for details and registration/fees as applicable.

2. Daffodils at The Dixon

The Dixon Gallery & Gardens is one of my favorite places to welcome spring in Memphis – its show of daffodils (followed by tulips) strikes me as a rainbow fallen to earth. For families, a March 23 egg hunt sets smocked and seer-suckered seekers loose on the Dixon’s lush lawn before treating them to cupcakes and an Easter Bunny meet-and-greet. Art activities will be offered before the hunt, and reservations are required. For adults, the March 21 Art After Dark sets some 50,000 daffodils aglow beneath a sinking sun; live music, light eats and a cash bar enhance the landscape. And on March 24, Jason Delaney, Missouri Botanic Garden’s Bulb Collections Specialist, will present a lecture on daffodils – including stories of his global search for daffodils in the wild. Two tips before you go: Monitor the Dixon’s bloom calendar here, and show your Bank of America card the first Saturday of any month for free admission. Call 901-761-5250 for details or egg hunt reservations.

The Dixon in bloom

3. The buzz of the symphony

Memphis Symphony Orchestra Conductor Mei-Ann Chen will step aside during March 22’s If Bach Were a Beekeeper, when Ken Lam, winner of MSO’s 2011 International Conducting Competition, will guest-conduct. Photo by Andrea Zucker. Copyright © Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau 2011. All Rights Reserved.

March 22 at 7:30 p.m., Memphis Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and the Memphis Symphony Chorus will perform works both composed and inspired by Bach, including Arvo Part’s If Bach Were a Beekeeper. This selection, in particular, seems relevant to the season, as does MSO’s continued pursuit of what’s fresh: In addition to its unconventional Opus One series, MSO hosted an international conducting competition in 2011 – one that radically allowed competitors of all ages and experience levels. The winner, Ken Lam, will guest-conduct the March 22 concert, followed by a complimentary reception where you can meet the artists. (Pssst: Student tickets are only $5!) Concert takes place at Memphis’ Lindenwood Christian Church; tickets available here.

4. Easter Brunch at The Peabody

Sunday brunch at The Peabody is always an occasion, though Easter elevates it. Stations – for carving, waffles, omelets and even fried green tomatoes – invite you to stop, but the pastries warrant their own buffet: a 32-foot-long parade of miniature brownies, cakes, cookies, crème brûlées, pies and more – each one crafted in-house under the direction of The Peabody’s Executive Pastry Chef, Konrad Spitzbart. The spread, including a kids’ buffet, will wind around the hotel mezzanine with a view to The Peabody’s storied lobby, accentuating the grandeur (March 31, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m). Call 901-529-3668 for reservations.

Stop eating NOW: The Peabody’s Executive Pastry Chef, Konrad Spitzbart, will direct some 6,000 mini sweets to be crafted in-house for the hotel’s Easter Brunch – that’s a 32-foot-long buffet. Photo courtesy of The Peabody Memphis.

Where and how will you celebrate spring in Tennessee?

The delicate beauties quickly bloom and set seed while sunlight floods the forest floor before leaves appear on deciduous trees. Other wildflowers take the stage during late spring, summer and fall, but as trees leaf out the ephemerals wilt and go dormant until they again headline nature’s show.

Trout lilies are often found growing in dense patches in moist hardwood forests in Tennessee and are named for their blotchy spotted leaves that some believe look like brook trout.

I must admit, left to my own devices I’m more likely to pack a tackle box than a wildflower guide. But my wife, Cathy, loves wildflowers and says organized wildflower walks let her enjoy her favorite outdoor classrooms.

Here are some of the guided wildflower hikes and pilgrimages in Tennessee’s State Parks and Natural Areas as well as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) that celebrate the return of wildflowers during March and April.

Dava Lundquist, Rock Island State Park’s Naturalist, says early spring blooming is a bit variable so free guided wildflower hikes are planned for March 9-10, 16-17, and 23-24.

On March 9, Tennessee’s State Naturalist, Randy Hedgepath guides a family-friendly hike starting at 1 p.m. on the Downstream Trail. Additionally, Dava will lead a group along Eagle Trail on March 10.

On March 16, enjoy morning hikes to Great Falls and Twin Falls as well as a book signing and family-friendly hike with Mary Priestley, author and curator of the Sewanee Herbarium at the University of the South. On March 17, join an easy/moderate guided hike along Eagle Trail to Baby Falls that begins at 11 a.m.

Dennis Horn, master gardener and author, leads a hike along the Downstream Trail that begins at 10 a.m. with a book signing to follow March 23. On March 24 you can join Dava for a hike to the mouth of Bone Cave State Natural Area. Bone Cave is currently closed to the public due to occurrence of bats with white nose syndrome (WNS) in Tennessee. For details visit http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/RockIsland  or call 931-686-2471

An early spring hike at Taylor Hollow State Natural Area in Sumner County is scheduled for March 23 to see some of the earliest wildflowers at a site known for spectacular wildflower displays. For more information email leader Roger McCoy at roger.mccoy@tn.gov.

Also on March 23, Walls of Jericho State Natural Area (about 12 miles south of Winchester) hosts a challenging eight-mile early spring hike. RSVP by March 22 to Forrest Evans at 615-532-0431 or email Forrest.Evans@tn.gov.

Fall Creek Falls State Park offers rambles and guided hikes through the park ranging from easy to strenuous during the 32^nd Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage on April 6th and 7th. It’s a wildflower paradise as one proud staffer notes, “pound for pound Fall Creek Falls is as diverse as the much larger Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” Most activities are free. For schedules and details call 423-881-7267 or visit http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/FallCreekFalls.

Members of the orchid family, beautiful pink lady’s slippers are seen growing along trails at Fall Creek Falls State Park.

GSMNP’s 63^rd Annual Wildflower Pilgrimage is scheduled April 23-27, 2013. The park is world-renowned and so is the five-day Wildflower Pilgrimage with its 146 walks and hikes, indoor seminars, motorcades, photography workshops and art classes.

One of many species of trillium found in Tennessee, this yellow trillium was growing among beech trees at Trillium Gap in the GSMNP.

Hikes range from easy to challenging back country trips for those with more experience and stamina. The overall focus is on wildflowers but ferns, mosses, fungi, trees, shrubs, bats, bears, birds, bugs, elk, ecology, human and natural history are featured as well.

Where do you get wild with wildflowers?

4 Bridges Arts Festival, April 13-14

Chattanooga’s 4 Bridges Arts Festival keeps getting better and more people are finding out. It is ranked as one of the top 100 fine arts festivals in the country and attracts 15,000 attendees. Paintings, glasswork, jewelry, textiles, furniture and sculpture created by more than 130 artists are available for purchase. The festival also features local and regional entertainers, artisan foods and children’s activities. 4 Bridges Arts Festival will take place April 13-14 at the First Tennessee Pavilion.

Dogwood Arts Festival, April 3-21

When dogwood trees display their flowery finery, Knoxville shows appreciation by hosting the Dogwood Arts Festival, April 3-21. Gardens abloom with dogwoods, tulips, daffodils and azaleas remain the focus. Sixty miles of trails, open gardens and camera sites lure people to enjoy the beauty of spring. At this premier festival, music lovers celebrate the state’s musical heritage at the Rhythm N’Blooms Fest, April 5-7; and art patrons browse the booths at the Market Square Art Fair, April 12-14. The festival also coordinates quirky events, such as Bikes & Blooms, self-guided bicycle rides, April 20-21; and Dogwood Art Detour, artists’ studio trails, April 20-21.

Rossini Festival, April 27

Musicians and dancers will cross the boards of four outdoor stages during the Rossini Festival on April 27 in Knoxville. Local and regional artisans will sell their wares along downtown streets. Performances of Rossini’s “Cinderella” will be held at the Tennessee Theatre April 26 and April 28.

Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival, April 19-20

Smoky Mountain Fiber Arts Festival on April 19-20 will include classes, demonstrations and vendor booths. It will take place at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, Townsend.

Valley Fest, April 20-21

Dunlap, a small town near Chattanooga, is holding a big music festival, April 20-21. It’s a simple setup – bring your lawn chair and sit where you like. Multiple stages will have entertainment. Also, Valley Fest will have children’s activities, beauty pageant, art exhibition and fun run.

Smoky Mountain Springfest, March 13-June 7

Smoky Mountain Springfest, a wide-ranging celebration in Sevierville, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, features great entertainment March 13-June 7. Special events are the Spring Grand Rod Run, Dolly Parade featuring Dolly Parton as Grand Marshal, Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, and Bloomin’ BBQ and Bluegrass event.

The National Cornbread Festival, April 27-28

The National Cornbread Cook-Off is the center point of the National Cornbread Festival on April 27-28 in South Pittsburg. People have many opportunities to sample other foods besides cornbread, but really they come to chow down on the southern favorite. Yes, there’s more to do besides eat – live music and a juried arts and crafts show.

International Biscuit Festival, May 15-18

Foodies will want to attend the International Biscuit Festival on May 15-18 in Knoxville. It celebrates the heritage of biscuits. The Cajun Tater Biscuit was last year’s winning entry in the Biscuit Bake Off, so it’s clear biscuits keep reinventing themselves. It’s a day of fun with live entertainment, giveaways from biscuit vendors, and lots of good eatin’.

The Greeneville Annual Iris Festival, May 18-19

The Greeneville Annual Iris Festival pays tribute to another flowering favorite. Set for May 18-19, the celebration features craftsmen, international food court, and children’s activities. Gospel, bluegrass, country and blues performers will hit the stage, as well as dancers and cloggers.

Tennessee Strawberry Festival, May 4-11

Dayton is preparing to host the 66th annual Tennessee Strawberry Festival, beginning May 4 with a beauty pageant and ending with a parade on May 11. Promoted as a “celebration of small town life,” events on the schedule include a children’s day at Pendergrass Park, May 9; block party, May 10; and crafts and food booths, May 10-11.

Spring Break Ideas

What spring festival are you most looking forward to in 2013? 

But Withers’ daughter, Rosalind, says her father realized the significance of his work much earlier in his career – specifically, in 1955, when his images of Emmett Till – from the boy’s brutally beaten corpse to his murder trial and funeral – were released worldwide and credited with bringing so much attention to the U.S. civil rights movement.

In a self-published “photo story” following the acquittal of Till’s alleged murderers, Withers wrote: “…we are presenting this…not in an attempt to stir up racial animosities or to question the verdict…but in the hope that [it] might serve to help our nation dedicate itself to seeing that such incidents need not occur again.”

And so his career goes, with Withers assuming the charge of telling pivotal chapters of our country’s 20th-century civil rights story in pictures. Today, you can view the most iconic images in The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery, located on the east end of the Beale Street entertainment district in a building that formerly housed Withers’ studio (and that was named for him in 1995).

The intimate space distills Withers’ vast collection into 10 major “projects.” The school desegregation section shows members of the Little Rock Nine exiting their car (in the background, white students crowd the entrance to their school in protest). A section devoted to Medgar Evers grips you in the faces of Evers’ family attending his funeral. In another section, titled “Memphis and The South,” signs say everything – in a poster held by a young, white man (“Segregation or war!”); in a placard worn by a father strolling his infant daughter (“Daddy, I want to be free too!!!!”). There are moments of triumph, too – when the Montgomery Bus Boycott set that city’s first desegregated bus rolling in 1956, Withers and his camera were there.

Even if you’ve seen these images in other contexts, you’ll immediately recall them – once seen, they never leave your consciousness. Viewed in aggregate, they seem to me even more powerful – as does Withers’ ability to capture the most critical moments at such close range. As for Withers’ near-omnipresence along the civil rights timeline, Rosalind explains simply that her father was a “journalist by nature.” She offers more on the intimacy her father achieved with his subjects, referencing several of his images of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. – particularly one of Dr. King lounging on his bed at the Lorraine Motel (King was in Memphis to join James Meredith’s 1966 March Against Fear). “It speaks to his character that he was able to get so close,” Rosalind believes.

It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that the gallery opens and closes on Dr. King – presenting first the images from 1966 of the man in repose; ordering lunch; looking cool marching in sunglasses and a hat. By the end of the exhibit, it’s two years later, and Withers’ lens is trained on Memphis’ sanitation worker strike (source of Withers’ most recognizable image, shown below) and Dr. King’s last march; King’s blood spilled on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel; masses gathered in Memphis and Atlanta following the assassination – and the riots. It’s hard to imagine, under its present-day neon glow, a Beale Street strewn with tanks and evenly-spaced soldiers, propped with their rifles against shattered-and-boarded windows. But Withers’ images show it like it was.

Many of the images displayed at Memphis’ Withers Collection Museum & Gallery are the same ones you’ll see archived by the Library of Congress and incorporated into the permanent collection of Washington, D.C.’s in-progress National Museum of African American History and Culture, a Smithsonian institution. Major purchases by both organizations helped to fund the creation of the Memphis museum and gallery, which opened in May 2011. Image courtesy of and copyrighted by the Withers Family Trust. All rights reserved. No images can be reproduced without permission.

The gallery takes two lighthearted turns, driven by Withers’ chronicling of baseball and music – and ultimately giving what I saw as the clearest insight into the photographer’s personal life: His series on the Negro Baseball League grew from the portraits players and fans would pay him to take at the ballpark. Withers had no studio at the time, so he would develop prints in the bathtub of his home and dry them in the family’s oven. “I still remember that smell in our house,” Rosalind laughs, but those prints helped Withers and wife Dorothy raise eight children. They were also what drew Dorothy into business with her husband. “He would print and my mom would count [the prints] and tell him how much money he would have to bring home,” Rosalind recalls.

The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery is located at 333 Beale Street in a building that housed Withers’ studio (and that was named for him in 1995). The now-vacant studio space still bears this window marking.

As for the music, Withers served as Stax Records’ official photographer for two decades. “He loved the blues and B.B. King was one of his best friends,” Rosalind tells me, noting that he also liked listening to Al Green and Isaac Hayes, whose relationship with Withers was so close, the performer called him “Pops.” To caption Withers’ images of Memphis music history through the 1950s and ’60s is to name-drop star after star: Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Tina Turner – though I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition of two of Withers’ images of B.B. King: one of a newbie playing in a club on Beale Street circa-1950; the other of a veteran playing in his own club on Beale Street in 1994.

“’I am a man,’ and Elvis and B.B. – that’s Memphis,” Rosalind immediately offered when we began discussing which of her father’s images should accompany this piece. Image courtesy of and copyrighted by the Withers Family Trust. All rights reserved. No images can be reproduced without permission.

What’s next for Withers?
Among individual photographers covering the civil rights movement, Withers is commonly credited with producing the largest body of work. Though her father once told her his portfolio was five million images strong, Rosalind has stopped counting (for now, at least) at one million. Of those, only a few thousand have been digitized.

The images sit – some as negatives; others as prints – in a pandemonium of file cabinets, cardboard boxes and card catalog-style units in a space near the gallery. There is some clarity in the chaos courtesy of the Withers’ original subject-matter categorization, but the takeaway is this: The images need to be legitimately archived. Rosalind has a plan for that, but not the money. During our interview, she was preparing for a black tie fundraiser to that end. She also previewed memberships the museum will soon be offering to help offset the costs of archival, and expansion. (An ambitious project will be announced this spring to expand the gallery’s current 7,000 square feet to 28,000 – including an amphitheater for musicians and theater groups and a restaurant.)

Until then, Withers’ images will receive their largest showing since his death (in 2007) during the April gathering of the Association of International Photography Art Dealers at New York City’s Park Avenue Armory.

You only have to go as far as Beale Street.

While Rosalind and her team work to raise the funds necessary to properly archive her father’s body of work, the images remain in Withers’ original filing system (offsite). “All of this handwriting is my mother’s and father’s,” Rosalind reflected.

Before you go:
The Withers Collection Museum & Gallery (333 Beale Street) is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4-10 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 4-11 p.m. and Sundays, 4-9 p.m. (Daytime tours are available for groups of 10 or more by reservation.)

With a short video on the photographer’s life and more than 90 images on display, plan to spend around an hour.

Currently, admission is a suggested donation of $5-10. Beginning March 1, 2013, admission will be $10 for adults and $7 for children with membership packages at various levels.

Note that some of the gallery images are sensitive in nature (read: prepare your children in advance – and be prepared to answer their questions during and after viewing the exhibit).

Black History Month bonus:
Don’t forget the free tour of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art exhibit, Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey, scheduled for Feb. 28, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Did you take any of my previous Black History Month event suggestions? If so, tell me about it in the comments section below. If you’ve been moved by any of Ernest Withers’ images, I’d love to hear about that, too.

Some, like the 90-foot Bald River Falls in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains, can easily be seen from your car. The more remote 80-foot Red Fork Falls in the Unicoi portion of the Cherokee National Forest is one of my wife, Cathy’s, favorites.
With more than 2,000 miles of streams the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a great place to see waterfalls, large and small. Among the most popular, 80-foot Laurel Falls has a paved trail to the top that is traveled by thousands of visitors each year.

Bald River Falls is inside East Tennessee’s 650,000-acre Cherokee National Forest, the largest tract of public land in Tennessee.

Burgess Falls, south of Cookeville, involves a .75-mile hike past three smaller waterfalls on the Falling Water River before reaching the dramatic overlook of the 136-foot plunge at Burgess Falls.

Burgess Falls is one of Tennessee’s most spectacular waterfalls.

Virgin Falls rewards seasoned hikers who make the rugged eight-mile round trip past caves and sinks with the sight of a thunderous cascade that emerges from the mouth of a cave before falling 110 feet and disappearing underground into another cave at the bottom of a deep sink. My neighbor recently made the trek and loved it.

The 1,157-acre Virgin Falls State Natural Area is one of Tennessee’s 82 natural areas.

Guided hikes and tours will showcase several of Tennessee State Parks’ most spectacular and popular cascades during the annual Waterfalls Weekend scheduled for the weekend of March 16 and 17 this year. Most are free. Some require advance reservations.

Fall Creek Falls State Park hosts guided hikes on March 16. In addition to the 256-foot Fall Creek Falls there are more than 60 waterfalls of significant size within a 40-mile radius of the park. Naturalist-led hikes are first-come, first-served and are planned to include the 85-foot Cane Creek Falls and 95-foot Piney Creek Falls. For more info call the nature center at 423-881-5708.

Fall Creek Falls is one of the tallest single vertical drop falls found east of the Rocky Mountains.

Edgar Evins State Park staff and the Friends of Edgar Evins once again host their popular waterfalls tour. Make your reservations now for the day-long adult oriented van tours that begin at the Edgar Evins Visitor Center at 8 a.m. on March 16 for visits to Roaring River Falls, Waterloo Falls and the impressive 75-foot drop at Cummins Falls on Blackburn Fork State Scenic River nine miles north of Cookeville. Reservations cost $10 per seat and do not include the cost of lunch. Seating is limited. Call 931-858-2114 or 800-250-8619 to reserve your spot.

The Caney Fork Gorge and its waterfalls are big attractions at Rock Island State Park. The park plans guided waterfall hikes on March 16.

Twin Falls, at 80 feet, is the most striking and can be easily seen from Twin Falls parking lot. Short hikes lead to Baby Falls along the Eagle Trail, Little Falls off the Downstream Trail and Waterfall seeps along the Blue Hole Trail. Call 931-686-2471 for details.

The Twins Falls cascade was created when the Great Falls Dam backed up water on the Collins River that found its way through the steep, narrow ridge of rock separating it from the Caney Fork River.

Tall or small, wide or narrow, waterfall lovers categorize them, measure them, photograph and describe them while being mesmerized by the sight and sound of them. From free-falling vertical plunges to deep rumbling torrents as wide as they are tall, my eyes and ears are equally enthralled.

Care to share your favorite Tennessee waterfall?

The grounds, home to an impressive carriage house, a darling doll house, dairy and smokehouse and the 1806 cabin John Harding and his young wife Susannah Shute lived in before Belle Meade Plantation was built, have a hushed reverence to them even on a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon. John Harding acquired lots of land and decided to turn Belle Meade Plantation into a thoroughbred farm, breeding some of the best horses in the world. The lineage of War Admiral, Secretariat and Seabiscuit can still be traced back to Belle Meade Plantation. Iroquois, one of Belle Meade’s trophy thoroughbreds, was the first American-bred horse to win the Epsom Derby at Epsom Downs Racecourse.

The tour of the home is quite impressive, given by a period-dressed guide, as you go through pocket doors, hallways, climb winding staircases and peek into bedrooms adorned with 19^th century artifacts, paintings and canopied beds.

John Harding and Susannah had three surviving children, Elizabeth, William and Amanda. In 1829 William married Mary Selena McNairy and she gave him five children, with only one surviving to adulthood, John Harding II. Mary Selena’s health failed after bearing five children and she died in 1837. William remarried, this time to Elizabeth McGavock, daughter of Randall McGavock who owned Carnton Plantation. Elizabeth and William had two daughters, Selene and Elizabeth. Selene was boisterous and independent. She loved interior design so she covered up the “drab” wooden floors with wall-to-wall carpeting and had indoor plumbing installed. The gorgeous and grand chandeliers were lit with methane gas made with manure.

The parlor was one of my favorite rooms because it housed porcelain vases from Paris dating to 1853. The vases represented love and death, death having a vicious snake carved on the outside. Original furniture like plush couches and tables along with heavy, embroidered drapery are on display. The wallpapers, with their intricate and elegant designs, enhance the accents of the home rather than stand out in stark contrast. All the wood throughout the home is made of the poplar tree, Tennessee’s state tree.

We then moved on to the library where the family would do water colors, read and write letters on the comfortable, ruby red silk furniture. There are two things that are worth noting in the room: the first is the portrait of William Harding with a beard. He decided to grow a protest beard until the Confederates won the Civil War. He even donated $500,000 to the army’s efforts. The second are the ensconced hooves of Iroquois which were used as inkwells upon the horse’s death.

Moving into the dining room, you can see the second best china which was used for family dinners. From the beautiful floral arrangements to the shining plates, silver and cut-glass goblets, I smiled in spite of myself at the opulence the family found themselves indulging in every night, which they simply deemed as “normal”. There’s a portrait of Selene in the dining room and an interesting story behind her eyes. When General William Hicks Jackson proposed to Selene, he presented her a huge engagement ring. She wondered if it was real so she wrote her name in her father’s office window pane. The carving is still in the windowpane, breathing even more life into the wonderful story.

Exiting the dining room, come into the foyer and climb up the winding staircase to the bedrooms where William Howard Taft, Theodore Roosevelt and Grover Cleveland stayed. Be sure to spend substantial amount of time seeing the nursery with the antiquated toys and portraits and the bathroom which was refurbished to include a deep soaking tub and a shower, imported from Chicago and believed to help circulation and those suffering from arthritis.

Make your way downstairs to the kitchen where it was remodeled in 1883 and has stayed the same since then. In the 1880s a battery-run fan was installed. The house also has a basement which wasn’t common back then and housed the Belle Meade Plantation wine.

If you want to spend an afternoon engrossed in history, colorful stories and loveable characters, go to the Belle Meade Plantation. Tours are every day Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 to tour the mansion, the surrounding property and participate in a free wine tasting. If you just want to tour the property, tickets are $10. The gift shop is filled with cute items and don’t forget to stop in at Harding House, the cozy on-site restaurant.

Have you ever visited Belle Meade Plantation? Let me know about your experience in the comments below!

Middle Tennessee offers a little bit of something to suit every taste in the spring. As the weather grows more enticing for outdoor pursuits, you may like to plan a weekend road trip to discover the hidden treasures in small towns on Tennessee’s Trails & Byways, hike in one of our many state parks, rent a canoe to paddle the Harpeth River near Kingston Springs, or visit the Nashville Zoo where outdoor ‘Zoovie’ nights begin in April.

Let’s run through some upcoming events and activities to satisfy your spring fever – and we’ll throw in some great local ideas for spring break!

Spring Shows & Festivals

*Nashville Lawn & Garden Show, February 28-March 3 at the Tennessee State Fairgrounds, is one of the largest gardening shows in the South, attracting more than 22,000 people.

*Linden Blooming Arts Festival, March 22-24. Discover the quaint town of Linden, 88 miles southwest of Nashville, at their annual festival filled with arts, crafts, music, food and live demonstrations.

*Columbia Mule Days, April 4-7 – Four days of celebrations of everything related to mules – competitions, shows, music and dance, culminating in the Mule Day Parade which travels the rural country roads from Leiper’s Fork to Columbia.

*Wineries in the Middle Tennessee area add weekend music concerts to the wine tasting experience April – November. Pack a picnic for an affordable evening of wine and jazz on the lawn at spots such as Arrington Vineyards (Arrington), Sumner Crest Winery (Portland) or Beachaven Winery (Clarksville).

*Clarksville Rivers & Spires Festival, April 18-20, is a celebration of history, art, food and entertainment for this historic town on the confluence of the Cumberland and Red Rivers.

*Iroquois Steeplechase, May 11, in Percy Warner Park, is the southern racing circuit’s prestigious horse racing event the week after the Kentucky Derby. This year visit a brand new family area open to the public for a full day of FREE entertainment to supervised kids 12 and under. There’ll be pony rides, face painting, games, inflatables and lots more. Snap up one of the limited number of tailgating spaces in the family area that have just gone on sale on their website, or call 1-800-619-4802.

 Follow the History Trail

*Patsy Cline Memorial Weekend, March 2-3, Camden, 94 miles west of Nashville. Visit the site of the March 5, 1963 fatal plane crash in Benton County that took the lives of Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Cowboy Copas, and Randy Hughes. A small collection of news articles about the crash are on display.

*Red Boiling Springs Thomas House Ghost Hunting Weekends. If you’re brave enough, experience a weekend of ghost hunting at the notoriously haunted Thomas House built in 1890 as a resort spa to the elite. Weekend packages include lodging, meals, fully guided tours of the property, ghost hunting training and a full night of ghost hunting.

Spring Break

Fun activities for spring break can include a day of hands-on scientific discovery at the Adventure Science Museum, an entertaining look at Nashville on one of Tommy’s Tours, a night at the Grand Ole Opry, a wild paintball adventure with a group of friends, or line dancing lessons at the Wildhorse Saloon.

What is your favorite spring event or activity in Middle Tennessee? We’d love to hear from you!

Finally it arrived on the city’s revitalized Market Square, and it has been a resounding success. There’s comfort food: meatloaf (beef blended with bacon) and shrimp’n’grits. Cuisine with an innovative twist: southern fried chicken Saltimbocca with country ham and mushroom marsala. People often stay for dessert because they socialize as well as eat. Even if a line goes out the door, wait staff don’t push you from your perch prematurely. At peak hours, there are lengthy wait times, though sometimes you can waltz right in and take a seat at the bar.

At night, the crowd en route to movies and concerts makes a meal stop here or at three dining hotspots on Gay Street. At Nama Sushi Bar, a dimly lit, sassy, glamorous eatery, talented chefs prepare food in the Japanese tradition. Dinner entrees at The Bistro at the Bijou include pork medallions, grilled salmon and New York Strip steak. The historic building was once a hotel and hosted a series of presidents dating back to Andrew Jackson. After a massive renovation at the turn of the century, the building turned into a theater with room to spare for a convivial restaurant. Shuck, a casual restaurant at the opposite end of Gay Street, features seafood specialties. It is a meeting place for urban dwellers and the city’s political and business leaders.

Choices abound for dining in Knoxville’s Bearden area. Chef Deron Little at Seasons Café emphasizes farm-to-table freshness. For an appetizer, thin-sliced duck breast topped on a potato cake with roasted red peppers. New York Strip steak is crowned with Boursin encrusted shrimp. Easy to overlook, Echo Bistro is tucked into a tiny shopping center but it draws big attention. Chefs prepare a wide selection of seafood and steaks.

Bistro by the Tracks offers some of the smartest, most inventive food in the area. It has its own chicken entrée flavored with wild mushrooms, hazelnuts, plums, goat cheese, onions, and spinach. Executive chef Chester Miller aims to create a “wow” experience time after time. He douses herbed pork tenderloin with apple cider sauce and complements it with pecan spaetzel, apples and cranberries. This popular bistro adjoins drink., a “place to be seen” wine bar.

Dining at Aubrey’s is totally of-the-moment, yet so wonderfully timeless. Meals are part home-cooking, part fun, part anything-goes vibe. The restaurant under the direction of restaurateur Randy Burleson serves burgers, steaks, seafood and ribs. It offers a comfortable dining experience.

If I had to guess, I would say the soon-to-reopen Old College Inn will be jam-packed. The UT area felt the loss of this perennial favorite last year, but the landmark gathering spot is coming back better than ever. Part of its menu will be familiar, dating back to the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. About 40 craft beers will be on tap. The building will house the Sunspot, a popular Southwestern/Caribbean/vegetarian-friendly establishment currently located just a block away. The second floor will have a bar featuring 10 craft beers. It will open onto a huge patio that overlooks Cumberland Avenue.

Let us know your favorite Knoxville restaurants in the comments!

Mural on Collierville’s town square

Approaching Collierville from Memphis (a half-hour’s drive east), roads narrow and hush; trees (and homes) grow genteel with age; preserved churches and Civil War markers proliferate. It’s like visiting a country cousin who has a story to tell.

It’s a good story, too, which dooms it to compel in ups and downs. Whispers of Collierville date to 1835, though it’s not until 1852 – when the Memphis-Charleston Railroad lays tracks here – that the village makes a name for itself. Ironically, the railroad quickly delivers as much development as destruction: As the “vertebrae of the Confederacy” (Jefferson Davis’ words), the Memphis-Charleston line – and Collierville, in particular – were coveted by both sides during the Civil War. The Union wrangled control of the railroad in 1862, and in 1863, it seized Collierville, too. During the October 11 Battle of Collierville, 3,000 Confederates attacked 600 Union soldiers along the rail line. During battle, a train pulled in – carrying General Sherman himself (turns out he was en route from Memphis, already marching to the sea). The Confederates inflicted damage, killing some 100 Union soldiers and stealing Sherman’s favorite horse, Dolly. Yet, the railroad remained under Union control, and Sherman ordered much of Collierville burned.

Present-day monuments and markers are numerous and thorough with field reports, illustrations and letter transcripts. Running through them all is the reality of war here – the reality that Tennessee provided more Confederate soldiers than any other state with the exception of Virginia (and more Union soldiers than all other Confederate states combined). That Collierville homes and churches doubled as hospitals post-Shiloh. That the Wigfall Grays, Collierville’s volunteer infantry, fought hard for the Confederacy and returned home to work harder rebuilding their war-sacked town.

The epilogue to Collierville’s story is that the town cares for its story. It’s evident in those monuments and markers (some of them featured along Tennessee’s statewide Civil War Trails), and in the new Morton Museum of Collierville History. Though the main exhibit room is modern with crisp displays, digital maps and a storytelling kiosk, the museum inhabits the circa-1873 Collierville Christian Church, a Gothic Revival stunner that will host works by local artists alongside its historic collection (my favorites: an unearthed Civil War cannonball, an 1893 quilt and period clothing inviting young visitors to play dress-up). Museum admission is always free.

After the exhibits, explore the Morton Museum to view the old sanctuary of the Collierville Christian Church, magnificently colored by sunlight through stained glass windows.

It’s also evident in and around Collierville’s town square, where the past co-exists with the present. Surrounding a central gazebo and greenspace (site of a summer concert series) and edged along its south side by vintage railcars (walk through them daily between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for free), the square is small-town charm with a spoil of amenities – benches, bike racks, public restrooms and ample free parking.

Standing under the gazebo, you can see straight through to the shops (to the west, north and east) and to the railroad tracks both active and inactive (to the south).

The 1940s-era “executive” railcar I walked through featured hat racks and a kitchen.

You could spend the better part of a morning or afternoon ducking in and out of the square’s shops – boutiques bearing gifts, apparel, accessories and home décor, their irresistible window displays peeking from the square’s historic architecture.

I did a little damage in C.J. Lilly & Co., part-florist, part-gift emporium offering anything from eye-catching jewelry to home decor.

Restaurants mix in, though I recommend something made with exceptional care to wrap your tour of Collierville: Find Square Beans Coffee (on the square’s west side). Gaze at the Sweet Magnolia case. Request anything inside – the day I visited, Sweet Tea Sorbetto and Whiskey and Pecan Gelato sounded incredible. (A Mississippi family hand-crafts all of the varieties in small batches using largely local and organic ingredients.)

Have you taken a walking tour of Collierville? What’s your favorite historic site or shop?

But Nashville Old-Time String Band Association’s (NOTSBA) Breakin’ Up Winter Festival at Cedars of Lebanon State Park six miles south of Lebanon might be the ticket to get sap rising and set toes to tapping. And it’s on my way to Center Hill Lake.

This gathering of NOTSBA members, musicians and others who love the sounds of traditional mountain music begins Feb. 28 with a jam session and winds up with an old-time gospel and hymn sing on March 3.

Join knee-to-knee jams at the annual gathering of Nashville’s Old-Time String Band Association Feb 28-March 3 at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. Photo credit John Kelley

I was originally drawn to Nashville for its country music (another would-be songwriter),  but through the years I gained an appreciation for old-time music from my wife, Cathy, who grew up in East Tennessee listening to fiddlers and pickers play traditional reels and hearing her mom sing “old-timey” mountain tunes.

Get yourself tuned up for a weekend of old-time music at Breakin’ Up Winter where the featured presenters from across the country perform, teach and lead guided jams. Musicians, singers and those who love this traditional style of music come together to share, jam, jam some more and maybe shake a leg at the Saturday night dance.
You can purchase a day pass for Friday or Saturday even if you are not a NOTSBA member.

Many of the activities during the Breakin’ Up Winter Festival at Cedars of Lebanon State Park will take place in historic Cedar Forest Lodge.

Get information about NOTSBA activities, see all the particulars for Breakin’ Up Winter 2013 and listen before you go at http://www.nashvilleoldtime.org.

If you can’t make it to Breakin’ Up Winter, stretch your legs and keep an eye out for signs of an early spring on one of the hiking trails at Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

Eight miles of hiking trails meander through the forests and glades at Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

The “red cedars” that give the park its name are members of the juniper family. These hardy evergreens were in demand by early settlers for cabins, fences and shingles and later heavily harvested for use in the pencil industry. Cedars of Lebanon State Park and Forest contains the largest remaining stand of eastern red cedars in the United States.

The cedars thrive in light, loamy soil resulting from the breakdown of limestone rock that was originally formed by calcium secretions and skeletal remains of coral, snails, small clams and other inhabitants of a shallow inland sea that existed here about 500 million years ago.

A cedar glade is an open rocky or gravelly habitat surrounded by woods dominated by eastern red cedars.

As slightly acidic surface water flowed through cracks and crevices of limestone it dissolved the calcium carbonate that formed the limestone and eventually resulted in sinkholes, underground water drainage systems and caves like those seen along Hidden Springs Trail, a five-mile loop.

Several species of rare plants particularly suited to the poor soil, wet winters and hot dry summers are found only in the rocky cedar glades of Middle Tennessee.

On May 3 and 4, the 36th annual Dr. Elsie Quarterman Festival of the Cedar Glade Wildflowers at Cedars of Lebanon State Park brings botanists, ecologists and naturalists together to share their knowledge of the Cedar Glades through free lectures, workshops, hikes, field trips and exhibits.

This gray-green reindeer moss is one of many lichens, plants that are composed of two organisms; an alga that manufactures food for the plant and a fungus that provides structure and absorbs water and minerals that slowly break down limestone and form the soil found in the hard-scrabble cedar glades.

For more information on reserving cabins or campsites, events and activities at Cedars of Lebanon State Park call 615-443-2769 or visit http://www.tennessee.gov/environment/parks/Cedars.