Fun things to do between Nashville and Chattanooga -- historic mansion tour

Explore McMinnville, TN

Falcon Rest Mansion & Gardens

Where history is fun

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In 1896, entrepreneur Clay Faulkner told his wife Mary he'd build her "the grandest mansion in Tennessee" if she would move next to their woolen mill, 2-1/2 miles from downtown McMinnville.

Mary agreed, and Faulkner supervised construction as enthusiastically as he promoted the mill's "Gorilla Pants" (so strong even a gorilla couldn't tear them apart) and mineral water at the Faulkner Springs Hotel, the "ideal health and pleasure resort" he would eventually open on the lake across the road.

Faulkner's solid-brick, 10,000-square-foot mansion had all the "modern conveniences" when it was built -- electric lights, indoor plumbing, central heat, and more. That's one reason PBS dubbed it "Tennessee's Biltmore."

Today, the mansion is filled with museum quality Victorian antiques, and some say it's presided over by a friendly ghost -- perhaps the proud builder himself.

It's open Wednesdays thru Sundays year round for guided historic home tours, delicious meals and 1890s shopping in the Victorian Gift Shop and Tea Room, interactive entertainment shows with meals and tours for motorcoach groups, weddings and other special events -- all of which live up to Falcon Rest's well-earned reputation as "the Victorian mansion where history is fun."

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Falcon Rest Mansion, McMinnville, TN
Falcon Rest Mansion
Clay Faulkner Family, original owners of Falcon Rest Mansion
Clay Faulkner Family, original owners of Falcon Rest Mansion
Falcon Rest Mansion, 1898
Falcon Rest Mansion, 1898
Gorilla Pants logo from Clay Faulkner's Mountain City Woolen Mill
Gorilla Pants logo from Clay Faulkner's Mountain City Woolen Mill
Parlor at Falcon Rest Mansion
Parlor at Falcon Rest Mansion
Rose bedroom at Falcon Rest Mansion
Rose bedroom at Falcon Rest Mansion
Courtyard at Falcon Rest Mansion
Courtyard at Falcon Rest Mansion
Courtyard at Falcon Rest Mansion
Courtyard at Falcon Rest Mansion
Victorian Gift Shop at Falcon Rest Mansion
Victorian Gift Shop at Falcon Rest Mansion
Victorian Tea Room at Falcon Rest Mansion
Victorian Tea Room at Falcon Rest Mansion
Motorcoach group tours in Middle Tennessee
Motorcoach tour groups love Falcon Rest!
History-based shows for tour groups
History-based entertainment shows for tour groups
Wedding venue in Middle Tennessee -- Falcon Rest Mansion & Gardens
Wedding venue in Middle Tennessee
Falcon Rest Mansion & Gardens
Hours
Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Central time
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For the most up-to-date hours and information, please contact Falcon Rest Mansion & Gardens directly.

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