2024 Saturday, July 27, Day trip to Granville, TN "Tennessee's Mayberry"

We began our journey in Pulaski, stopping at Walmart to pick up a few items and at Murphy to fill up with fuel. 

We continued on Hwy 64 to Fayetteville, then took 50 through Lynchburg and Tullahoma, and finally took 55 to Manchester and McMinnville. 

Hwy 56 to Smithville to I-40 to Hwy 70 is a very curved road to 53 

We drove from I-40 to US-840, then to I-65, to Saturn Parkway, to US-412, and finally to US-31 South, before heading home on US-43 South.

Welcome to Granville, Tennessee 

My husband and I rode to Granville, TN, a historic town on the Cumberland River. 

Tennessee Mayberry Town. We bought tickets at $7 each to visit the Museum of Granville. 

We first stopped at the Farm to Your Table Agriculture Museum. We saw farm equipment, milk trucks, tractors, a mural, and signs throughout the building telling the history of farming and Funeral Services in Granville. 

T.B. Sutton Store 

Next, we stopped at the Sutton General Store, a two-story building with fixtures from the early 20th century. 

They had ordered grilled hamburgers left over from the day before.

Whistle Stop Saloon

Next, we stopped at the Whistle Stop Saloon, where we learned that this building and area were used as offices by Dr. Wm B. Holmes, John B. Ragland used it as a Saloon during the Steamboat days, and Davis Huff used it as a General Store. CW and Martha Ramsey arrived at their home, and SW and Dorothy Powell placed a trailer on the property. Randall and Peggy Clemons purchased the property and constructed a building that was similar to the original one. 

We visited a three-part museum that highlighted the Andy Griffith Show, featuring characters such as Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee, Opie, Otis, Floyd, Gomer, Goober, and others. 

I love Lucy 

Andy is getting his hair cut by Floyd. 

A part of the museum was dedicated to The I Love Lucy Show, featuring Lucy, Desi Arnaz, Ethel, and Fred Mertz, along with Little Ricky. 

A third section was dedicated to Whiskey Decanter, a collection donated by several people. 

The Barretts of Watertown collection of over 2,000 Jim Beam decanters.

I Love Lucy, the Andy Griffith Show, and the Jim Beam Whiskey Museums

Gussie and Joe Miller of Cookville donated 3,000 decanters, including the Elvis Presley collection, which depicts the "King." 

We also visited the Sutton Homestead, Granville Museum, the Daniel Barber Shop and Post Office, Clemons Car Museum, and the Tennessee Quilt and Textile Museum. 

Lastly, we visited the Historic Granville Pioneer Village, which is full of museums and crafts. 

Pioneer Village

Sutton Service Station, Quilt benches at Pruett Stages, and Webster's barn that showcased farm equipment.

We learned how they grind corn into cornmeal at Ellen Grist Mill. 

We saw a chicken house, an outhouse, and a smokehouse. 

We saw the 1820-built Williamson Pioneer Cabin and walked through Pauline Carter Johnson Cottage Garden, where Tobacco, broom corn, and other vegetables were growing. 

It was beautiful, but it got increasingly hot by the afternoon. We ran into rain on the way home. 

🚙2017 March 27-29, Adventures in the Smoky Mts

Before we could get on the road, we had to take our Chrysler Van in for body repairs.
We stopped in Elgin to have the front end checked on the Honda Van and had to leave it for repairs, so we ended up driving the LS Saturn, an older car that got good gas mileage.
We stopped for our weekly B-12 shots and began our journey.
We took I-65 North to 840 West to 40 West, stopping at the Pilot in Knoxville to refuel.

We stopped at the Tennessee Rest Stop in Lancaster, where we saw a display about Tennessee during the Civil War, highlighting the tough men and the even more brutal war. 

We reached the Inn on the River around 5 P.M., checked in, and rested for a few minutes before riding to the Islands, where we saw the Ferris wheel, Dudley's Daiquiris, Mellow Mushroom Pizza, Margaritaville, and a carousel.
We were getting hungry, so we decided to eat at Paula Deen's, but it was way too much food, and since we were both watching our weight, we ended up eating at Long John Silver's instead.
I ordered a piece of Cod Fish (my favorite) and a Hubby seafood platter, which we shared.
We rode past the Old Mill and stopped at Patriots Park, which was nearby.

Liberty Bell
Home to a beautiful landscape and several significant events, Patriot Park is an ideal destination for relaxation and fun.

The park is located behind The Old Mill, off Middle Creek Road. A large expanse of lush green covers the park, but the highlight is undoubtedly the inspiring Veterans Memorial.

A large, cracked Liberty Bell was erected within the park to pay homage to all of the Sevier County war veterans. This act of Patriotism is part of the Patriotism Annual Celebrate Freedom event. This two-week celebration pays tribute to the millions of men and women who have courageously fought for America's freedoms. When visiting Sevier County, be sure to take some time to visit Pigeon Forge's Patriot Park.

Patriot Missile
Patriot utilizes advanced aerial interceptor missiles and high-performance radar systems. Patriot was developed at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, which had previously designed the Safeguard ABM system, along with its component Spartan and hypersonic speed Sprint missiles. The symbol for Patriot is a drawing of a Revolutionary War-era Minuteman.

Patriot Park City of Pigeon Forge
A patriot is someone who feels strong support for their country. (See also Patriotism.) It comes from the Hellenic (Greek) word Πατρίς (patris), meaning homeland. It is the female form of Πατέρας, which means Father.

Liberty Bell

We rode back to the hotel, watched some television, and fell asleep.

The next morning, we took the elevator from the fourth floor to the ground level and walked to the dining room to eat breakfast.
We then rode through Gatlinburg, taking in the sights where the fire had occurred earlier in the year.

We crossed the Tennessee State line into North Carolina.

It was a bit chilly, and I had left my jacket back at the hotel.

The Smoky Mountains

Our next stop is the Mountain Farm Museum & Visitor Center in Oconaluftee, NC. 
At the Mountain Farm Museum, we saw Corn Cribs, Broomcorn, a Sorghum Mill and Furnace, a Blacksmith Shop, Sorghum Cane, a fenced-in garden, an Apple House, hog pens, the meat house, and a springhouse.

Cabin

Mountain Farm Museum 

Most of the buildings on a mountain farm are related to the most basic of all needs: preserving food. The historic buildings at the Mountain Farm Museum were moved here from various locations within the national park in the early 1950s. These buildings reflect the challenges faced daily by every mountain farm family. John Davis spent two years building this house near Deep Creek, North Carolina. It was completed in about 1900. The log walls are "matched"; Davis split chestnut logs in half along their length and placed the halves in matching positions on opposite walls. 

Oconaluftee River Trail  

Hand-stitched quilts at Oconaluftee Visitor Center 

Inside the Oconaluftee Visitor Center 
We saw cultural-themed exhibits about the people who once lived in the area. 

Our next stop was Cherokee Veterans Park, where we saw markers honoring Native Americans who had served in the US Army, US Navy, U.S. Marines, and US Air Force.

A bear at the Cherokee Veterans Park represents our US Flag and the American Eagle. 

We enjoyed a Whopper, a Whopper Jr, onion rings, and a slice of chocolate cheesecake at Burger King in Clyde, NC.

Slice of  Oreo Cookie Cheesecake 

Whopper Jr, Onion Rings, and a drink
We took a different route (I-40s)back to the Inn on the River and stopped to tour the Bush Museum and Store. 

Come on down to the BUSH'S® Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee, where you can trace the values and events that have made BUSH'S BEST® what it is today. And it's all housed in the original A.J. Bush & Company general store, founded in 1897.

Bush's Truck 

Bush's Visitor Center

3901 US-411, Dandridge, TN 37725

A replica of a can of Bush's Baked Beans showing the beans' journey. 

Jay Bush and his dog Duke 

Bush's Factory 

We arrived in Pigeon Forge just in time for dinner at the Apple Farm Restaurant.
We enjoyed Applewood's Apple Fritters, juice, chicken, and vegetables.

Applewood Apple Fritters

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 egg (beaten)
4 Tbsp margarine
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 orange, rind, and juice
1 cup apples (chopped but not too fine)
3 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Beat the egg. In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, and melted margarine. Add the orange juice, rind, chopped apples (with the skin left on), and vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir the mixture into the milk with a spoon until well blended. DO NOT OVERMIX. Preheat the oil in a skillet to 350 degrees. Drop the tablespoons into the hot oil. Fry to a golden brown. Turn so they brown evenly. Allow cooling. Makes about 30 fritters. 

Applewood Farm 

We had enough left over for the next day.
After enjoying a nice meal, we rode back to the hotel, took a shower, climbed into bed to watch some television, and fell asleep.

The next morning, we dressed and rode the elevator down to the first floor, where we walked into the dining room for breakfast.
We checked out and headed for home. 
We stopped to fill up with gas and visited the I-75 rest stop, where we saw a historic marker.

The Road to Chattanooga: The Tide Turns for the Union.
This interstate highway parallels the historic line of the East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad. Late in 1863, Union and Confederate armies followed the tracks during a series of battles in the fight for control of Chattanooga, a strategically vital rail center.
     Multiple Civil War-related sites are located in Charleston (Exit 33), near the location of a raid by Confederate Gen. Joseph Wheeler's cavalry. The Henegar House was the headquarters for Union Gen. William T. Sherman. Cumberland Presbyterian Church served as a Confederate hospital. The Hiwassee River Heritage Center interprets the story of the Union occupation of the area.
     In downtown Cleveland (Exit 25), late in 1863, Union forces built Fort Hill to protect the railroad. A cemetery was established nearby, with the dead of both sides interred there. In 1914, the Grand Army of the Republic erected a monument for the Union soldiers there, one of three such memorials in the state. Fighting occurred around the Masonic Female Institute in Cleveland.
     The site of a major Confederate hospital is located near Exit 7. Silverdale Confederate Cemetery contains the graves of about 155 of Gen. Braxton Bragg's soldiers. Most of them are unknowns who died in hospitals in 1862.
  Several units of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park can be accessed from Exit 3, including Orchard Knob, 
Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's victory there late in November 1863 turned the tide against the Confederates. It resulted in the Federal occupation of most of East Tennessee for the rest of the war.

We ate lunch at Taco Bell in Athens and were home by 5:30 P.M.
My granddaughter brought over her daughter, and she stayed with us until 8:30 P.M.
We had a great time in the mountains, but were also glad to be home. 

🏛Visiting Mystic Seaport Village Museum Mystic, Connecticut

Mystic Seaport is the nation's leading maritime Museum. Founded in 1929 to gather and preserve the rapidly disappearing artifacts of America's seafaring past, the Museum has grown to become a national center for research and education with the mission to "inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.

The Museum's grounds cover 19 acres on the Mystic River in Mystic, CT, and include a recreated 19th-century coastal village, a working shipyard, formal exhibit halls, and state-of-the-art artifact storage facilities. The Museum is home to more than 500 historic watercraft, including four National Historic Landmark vessels, most notably the 1841 whaleship Charles W. Morgan, America's oldest commercial ship still in existence.

L.A. Dunton Ship
Built in 1921, she is the last ship afloat of her type, which was once the most common sail-powered fishing vessel sailing from New England ports. In service in New England waters until the 1930s and Newfoundland into the 1950s. 

Joseph Conrad Rigged Ship
Joseph Conrad is an iron-hulled sailing ship, originally launched as Georg Stage in 1882 and used to train sailors in Denmark. 

Brant Point Lighthouse
Brant Point Light is a lighthouse located on Nantucket Island. The station was established in 1746, automated in 1965, and is still in operation.

Restoring the Charles P. Morgan Ship
Charles W. Morgan is an American whaling ship built in 1841, which was active during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Ships of this type were usually used to harvest the blubber of whales for whale oil, which was commonly used in lamps.

Figure Heads
A figurehead is a carved wooden decoration found at the prow of ships, made mainly between the 16th and 20th centuries.

Thomas Oyster House
Thomas Oyster House is one of the few remaining buildings that could be classified as a typical small northern oyster house. The building was constructed about 1874 at City Point, New Haven, Connecticut, by Thomas Thomas. New Haven was once the largest oyster distribution center in New England; now, there is only one oyster-opening shop left in the state, the Bloom Brothers in South Norwalk.

Mystic Bank
The office of a shipping merchant is represented on the second floor of the Mystic Bank. In the larger seaports, some merchants specialized in operating ships.

Thames Keel &Ship Building Exhibit
The 92-foot keel assembly from the whaleship Thames is set up on blocks in a shed within the Preservation Shipyard. The keel is the "backbone" and the starting point for the construction of a ship. Displayed along the entire length of the keel is an exhibit on the process of shipbuilding, taking visitors from the laying of the keel to her launching.

Mystic River Scale Motel 

Visiting Mystic Seaport

Stonington Crew
John Flaherty, president of Friends of Stonington Crew, the nonprofit fundraising support for the team, which receives minimal funding from the school department, thanked everyone in attendance and Mystic Seaport for again hosting the team on its docks. He said the team would not be able to compete at the level it does without the support of its donors.

Roann Florence Western Rig Dragger
Roann is one of the last surviving examples of the fishing vessels that replaced sailing schooners like the Museum's L.A. Dunton. The eastern rig draggers originated in the 1920s; indeed, Thomas McManus, who designed the Dunton, was influential in their development.