2023 Oct 28, Pumpkinfest Franklin, TN, and Trick Treat Killen Park with Ava & River

 It's been a hectic day. 

This morning we stopped at Jack's for breakfast they were short-handed so we had to wait longer than usual. 

Then we rode to  Franklin, TN to their Pumpkinfest no parking we had to pay $10 to park.

Very Large Pumpkin 

It was super hot and very crowded so we only stayed a couple of hours.  We walked down Main Street and a couple of side streets. There were several bands playing music. Mums and Pumpkins decorated the street. Food filled the air. Rides and fun for the Children. 

Hubby collected a bag of treats which we gave some to the grandkids.

Williamson County's First Taxi

Our big treat was finding the Williamson County Archives Museum. It had several rows of quilts made by locals. Military Room, History of Williamson County, Civil War Artifacts, Displays of an Old School Room, Doctor's Office, Dress Shop, Barber Shop, Country Store, etc. We saw a horse-drawn carriage by Harry March in Franklin’s First Taxi.

We saw where the body of a headless Col Shy once lay in a busted open casket. An article The Curious Case of Col Shy’s Casket. The headless body was unidentified. 

Outside was a Civil War Canon. 

The Curious Case of  Col. Shy's Casket 

Canon 

We stopped at Publix in Spring Hill to get some chicken wings from their deli and also pick up a few other items.  

We stopped in Lawrenceburg at Long Silvers for a plate of fish and chicken. 

Came home and ate a late lunch. 

Fun Began in Halloween Manor 

Criminals 

Ava, the killer Jason Voorhees, and the Evil Clown Pennywise

Picked up Ava and River around 4:30 and took them to Killen Park for their Trunk n Treat. 

Ava dressed up like Wednesday from the Adams Family, and River was a Ninja Turtle. 

We got there a little early, so we let them play in the playground area. People started lining up, so we got in line. 

It was a long line behind us. We walked through the gate of Halloween Manor, and that is when the fun began. 

The kids got lots of candy, a fireman’s hat, coloring books, and safety books. They got their pictures taken with Inflatable pumpkins, at the Shriners Hillbilly Jeep, With Hocus Pocus, with Dept of Eye Care,  Jason Voorhees, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

Making Slime 

Their Treats end with making Slime. Put in a bag and taken home. 

They did a great job by only letting a few kids at a time go into the park. 

The kids had a great time.

2023 July 8, Day Trip Franklin, Brentwood, TN. and Huntsville, AL.

We started the day by eating Gravy and Biscuits at Jack, then Birding in McFarland Park. We could see the rain coming down the river, so we loaded into the car.

Then, we rode to Best Buy in Huntsville to buy a Canon EOS R6 Camera and stopped at Sam's Club for fuel. 

We had no luck at Best Buy, so we decided to ride to Best Buy Brentwood, Tennessee. 

Hubby was going to take a shortcut but ended up taking a long way. We rode to Maradinville and stopped at Ardmore Welcome Center on I-65. 

Ardmore Welcome Center 

We stopped at Best Buy, where we purchased the Canon EOS R6 camera. 

It was way after lunch, so we stopped at Mellow Mushroom in Franklin. We ordered a small Pacific Rim Pizza. (Mellow red sauce with Mozzarella, ham, bacon, caramelized onions, pineapple, and Jalapeños.)

Pacific Rim Pizza 

Mellow Mushroom Franklin, TN

We headed back home I reached into my purse to play video games on the way home, but my phone was not in my purse. 

I took hubby's phone and called mine. The manager at Mellow Mushroom answered. I told him who I was, and we were on our way back to get my phone. 

When we arrived, hubby could not find a parking place, so he let me out and circled around. I went inside and told the hostess who I was and was there to pick up my cell phone. 

I thanked them for finding it and putting it in a safe place. 

It had begun to rain when hubby picked me up, and it stormed all the way home. 

I am so glad I noticed my phone missing before we got home. It is about 2 hours to Franklin. 

2017 Nov 14, Charlie Brown's ICE Opryland Hotel Nashville, Tennessee

Yesterday, we stopped at Olive Garden in Spring Hill for lunch. 

I ordered soup and salad.

After lunch, we stopped at Dollar Tree looking for iPad pens, they were out.

We left Spring Hill, traveling to Nashville.

We parked in front of Bass Pro Shops. We walked inside, stopping to look at the Christmas Displays. (Santa was not there).

You can be frightened by a Big Brown Bear at Bass Pro Shop. 

Some stores we saw inside Opry Mills Mall were the Rainforest Cafe, Aquarium Restaurant, build-a-bear, Lego Store, Game stop, Regal Theater, Zoofari Animal Rides, Kids Play Area, a Loco-Motive, and Santa waving as we walked by. 

You can enjoy a Zoofari animal ride.

You can ride the Kiddie Train. 

You can enjoy Whiskey Samples.

 Virtual Reality  

We stopped at the Disney Outlet Store.

I bought myself a pair of Mickey Mouse PJs (25 percent off) and a Mickey sweatshirt. 

A recently opened Madame Tussauds is located near the theater. 

You can enjoy music by George Strait

Had my picture taken standing next to the Elvis Presley billboard?

You can tour Madame Tussauds

  The Mall was not crowded like it would be next week and the days following until Christmas. 

We saw teens riding the Zoofari Animals (that you can rent)hubby commented I need one of those. 

You can ride the Carousel. 

We stopped at the Grand Ole Opry to take pictures of the guitars displayed.

We stopped to purchase tickets for Charlie Brown's Christmas ICE!! 

While waiting to go to see the ICE, I meet a teenage girl from Miami. She said, I am with my parents, and we are staying at Opryland Hotel, and we are leaving tomorrow. She had never been through the ICE. I told her it was very cold and she would love it very much. We said goodbye and Merry Christmas before we stopped to get our pictures made before entering the ICE. 

Once inside, we saw people taking pictures near the sculptures and sliding down the Ice Slides. 

You can enjoy sliding down the ICE!!

YOU can get Psychiatric help for five cents from Lucy!!!LOL

Find the True Meaning of Christmas (with Snoopy)
win money,
money, money!
Spectacular Supercolossal,
Neighborhood Christmas Lights
and Display Contest

Write a Letter to Santa
Dear Santa Claus,
How've you been?
Did you have a nice summer?
How is your wife?
I have been extra good this year
so I have a long list
of presents that I
want.
Please note the
size and color of each
item and send as many as possible.
If it seems too complicated
make it easy for yourself,
just send money.
How about tens and
twenties...

Sing Christmas Carols with Charlie Brown and Friends 

It was after 4PM when we started for home, and we ran into the evening work traffic. The sun was setting, and before we exited onto the Saturn Parkway, it was almost dark. We stopped at Burger King in Columbia to eat dinner. 

It had been a long day, and both were ready for a long winter's nap when we arrived home. 

🎄🎄🎄🎄2016 December 10, Saturday Christmas Adventures🎄🎅🏻

I grabbed my purse, camera bag, a blanket, a box of Kleenex, and gloves before I walked outside into the brisk cold. 
Our windshield was covered with star-shaped ice and the leather seats were freezing cold. 
I spread a fuzzy warm blank over my seat while I waited for it to warm up which did not take too long because of the heated seats. 
I had dressed in layers with thermals, jeans, two thermal shirts, a coat, and boots. I was one big bundle of warmth.
I coughed and hacked all the way to Walgreens in Lawrenceburg, where we purchased a bottle of Mucinex Fast-Max Clear and Cool for cold, flu, and sore throat. 
I felt like that Mucinex man had been following me for the last two days. 
I took my first dose which burned my raw throat. We also bought two bags of Ricola Cough suppressants a bag of Swiss Cherry and a bag of Cherry Honey from Switzerland.
We stopped in Spring Hill to fill up at Murphy Gas and Burger King for three French sticks, a piece of sausage, and a cinnamon roll. 

We saw a group of young fiddlers playing Christmas Carols, they were dressed in full-length, white, blue, brown, pink, & red dresses.
Bonnets, caps, or hats covered their heads, and scarves were wrapped around their necks. 
We walked back in time to a Victorian Christmas and as we strolled the streets we met many different characters. We meet Santa Claus, A Victorian Father and Mother Christmas, Ebenezer Scrooge, The Grim Reaper, the Nut Cracker, Bob Emily & Tiny Tim Cratchit, and Jacob Marley.

Victorian Father and Mother Christmas

Santa Clause

Old Hum Bum himself "Ebenezer Scrooge"
He said I don't like people and I don't like pictures as he posed for his picture. 

Dickens of Christmas Characters

The Nut Cracker and the Frisky Little Mouse 

Group of Dickens Characters

Bob Emily & Tiny Tim Cratchit

Father Christmas

About seventy-five vendors in white tents filled Main Street.

Their booths were filled with heritage crafts, holiday items, and specialty gifts. 

Vendors were encouraged to dress in period dresses to bring out the ambiance.

We saw a horse-drawn carriage, carolers, Charles Dickens characters strolling the streets, and the smell of Victorian food.

One booth was giving free cups of hot apple cider which felt good to my sore throat. 

We saw Booties, Whimsy Wonderland, Country Wood, Boudrcaux Bro Kitchen & Catering, Heritage Foundation Booth, bell ringers for Salvation Army, a sign that said "Franklin Rotary Breakfast will match your donation", Mix 97, Ace's Kettle Corn, Cinnamon Roasted Nuts, Almonds, Cashews, Pecans, locally owned and made Walker Creek Confections, Tennessee Glass Stains, Mix 92.9, Gracy's Farm Fresh Honey, Kaleidoscope Frames, Chocolate Moonshine of Tennessee, Franklin Fudge Factory, Unique Funnel Cake House, Artist drawing a reindeer, Stoney Creek Farm, a blacksmith, a bookbinder, a sock netter, Imagine-box Emporium  Peach-skin Sheets, Colorado Wassail Company, a man playing glasses full of water, Puckett's Trolley, White Mercantile,  The statue guy, & large black furry poodle.

The Thirty-second Annual Dickens of a Christmas Heritage Foundation was a bandstand where groups performed.

The last character we saw was the tormented ghost, damned to wander the earth forevermore as a punishment for his greed, Jacob Marley.

Jacob Marley

As we exited downtown Franklin we felt like we were leaving behind a Victorian Christmas.
Even the Old Hum Bum himself "Ebenezer Scrooge" could not ruin our Christmas. 

🎄🎄🎄🎄2010 December 28,Tuesday, Christmas decorations at Opryland Hotel in Nashville

Trip to Opryland Hotel Nashville, Tn

Tuesday, December 28, 2010 

Hubby Sierra and I rode to Nashville, Tennessee.

We stopped at store number 134 Cracker Barrel in Franklin Tennessee for lunch. Hubby ordered a  Rib Eye Steak, a baked potato, a salad, cost @12.99 Ice tea $1.89.

Sierra ordered a kid's fried chicken tender meal with Mac and cheese, and a doctor pepper to drink it cost $4.49.

I ordered a Kids grilled chicken tender meal, with green beans, onion, chow, chow, cornbread and ice tea with lemon to drink cost was $4.49.

For dessert we all shared, and the Apple Dumpling cost was $3.79.

I bought two 22 oz Wood Wick Candles, one was Candied Berry and the other was Pumpkin Butter.

To park for one day at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel is Eighteen dollars. 

Hubbyparked as close as he could get to the walkway.

We went inside the hotel where we saw many Christmas lights and displays that was in the gardens. Some of the displays had already been removed. The trees of Christmas and the Nativity Scene were no longer there.

There was a cheerleading competition going on. There were girls there with their parents signing in at the Tennessee Ballroom.

Sierra and I rode the Delta Queen River Boats it cost nine dollars plus tax. Our Ticket numbers were 5228935, 5228936.

Hubby did not want to ride so he waited for us. 

Fruit Tree

 Christmas tree made with poinsettias

Jack Daniels

Standing on the grand staircase

Sitting in the gardens

Along the waterway were several plaques telling about the blending of the waters. On July 28, 1996, water from more than 1,700 sites around the world was blended into the Delta River, commemorating the opening of Phase IV, the Delta at Opryland Hotel Convention Center. 

There were also several plaques describing the fish that were in the Delta River. 

They were a Blue Catfish, Blue Gill, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Common Carp, and American EEL.

There was another sign that said,” Delta River Fish” You cannot get any nearer the country music than inside the walls of the nearby Ole Opry, and if you traveled all fifty US states you couldn’t step inside one that had a greater diversity of freshwater fish, over 300 species than Tennessee

We walked around I took pictures of everything. 

We saw poinsettia everywhere displayed in several different sizes, shapes, and colors. There was a musical fountain and several waterfalls. 

We saw decorations hanging from the ceiling, hot air balloons, characters, and lights. We saw a sign that read,” Jack Daniels Tapping the Barrel in February 2011.” 

There were several fruit trees in the gardens.  

We saw a Coconut Tree, a Bosnia Tree, and others. 

There were several restaurants throughout the hotel, along with many different stores and display windows.

One window display was the Tennessee Titans and the North Carolina Football teams.

Some of the stores we saw were Opry Shop, Sunny G a Children’s Boutique, Stax, Delta Island Mezzanine, Solario, Ravello, The Falls, Conservatory Bar, Cocoa Bean, and Findley’s Irish Pub.

There was a  forty foot Christmas tree, (Delta Atrium) and two Christmas trees made with poinsettias. (One in the Magnolia Lobby) 

Outside was a very large Christmas tree that was made of stringed lights with Poinsettia all around it? 

Outside were a Nativity Scene and the reading of the birth of Christ.

The Manger Scene

Reading of the Birth of Christ

Christmas Tree outside

We enjoyed several hours at the Opryland Hotel.

We went to the  Bass Pros Shop it was not as big as the one in Kodak TN. 

We stopped in Columbia Tennessee and we ate supper at Taco Bell. 

ï Magnolia – The original lobby and retail area of the hotel. Currently features “The District” and Grand Staircase, modeled after the Tara from Gone With the Wind.

ï Garden Conservatory – The first atrium constructed, considered by many to be the heart of the hotel. Several weddings take place in the Garden Conservatory’s romantic setting each year, near the Lion head Fountain and Crystal Gazebo.

ï Cascades – The second atrium constructed. Features the rotating Cascades Terrace Lounge as well as Wasabi (a Japanese sushi restaurant) and the hotel’s largest waterfalls. Connects to the main lobby, which is where the main, and only, the registration desk is located.

ï Delta – The third and largest atrium constructed. Currently the center of activity at Gaylord Opryland Home to the Delta River, several retail stores, a few eateries, and Gaylord Opryland’s finest restaurant, the Old Hickory Steakhouse. This area of the hotel also features a connection to Opry Mills Shopping Mall. The Delta Project was the main inspiration for the company’s expansion into other markets.

ï Convention Center – The largest convention area in Tennessee with three main exhibit areas and five ballrooms

🎄🎄🎄🎄2012 December 8, Saturday, A Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin Tennessee

2012 Saturday, December 8, Franklin, TN

It was A Dickens of a Christmas in Franklin Tennessee?

My husband and I ate  breakfast of eggs, sausage, and toast. 

We arrive in Franklin Tennessee about 10:00 a.m. 

My husband and I walked around taking pictures of costumed characters from Dickens story “A Christmas Carol.

I rode the horse drawn carriage around the Public Square cost $2.00. 

The carriage had four  patted bench seats that would seat up to twelve people of normal size.

It was pulled by a couple of  horses, one was brown and white and the other pitch black.

We saw holiday bazaar arts and crafts throughout the public square. 

There were musicians along the streets; we saw violinists, hand bell choirs, harpists, and carolers. 

I grabbed a picture of Scrooge, the  Old “Humbug” himself. 

My husband took a picture of me next to the Grim Reaper.

I took several pictures of the Cratchit family along with Tiny Tim, The Ghost of Christmas Past, Future, and Bobbies (who are actually Franklin police officers on duty) Father and Mother Christmas.

We sampled peppermint pretzels, and we watched the Morris Dancers perform a Cornish dance with swords and sticks from the mining communities of Cornwall.

It rained the first part of the morning, we saw many people carrying umbrellas, the rain did not detain the festival.

We ate lunch at Papa Boudreaux Cajun Café & Catering Co., we spent $33.15.

The building was painted purple and trimmed in a bright yellow with iron-metal Iron tables and chairs sitting outside. 

Inside there were long wooden bench tables that could set up to eight people, and total occupancy max is 49.

On the outside of the restaurant on the purple door was a sign that read,” Restrooms are for paying customers ONLY! Sorry, we are a small establishment…….Signed Pap’s Management.

Scrooge walking the streets of Franklin

Wet Streets of Franklin

I took pictures of many historic markers: Courthouse, behind the marker was a sign that read “Franklin on foot” .

What once was the local courthouse is now the Visitors Center in Franklin.

Another sign Union Headquarters Planning for battle, John H. Eaton was located near a manger scene.

St Philip Chaotic Church Marker in was in front of the Church.

The Old Factory Store is now a bookstore where, there was several authors were singing book.

We also saw the Masonic Temple, Hiram Lodge No 7 & building and marker which was in the Civil War tour number 17.

We saw the Ewen Cameron marker, The Presbyterian church marker.

We stopped inside the Starbucks Coffee store to use the restroom before we left Franklin.

We passed many war markers as we walked back to the van. We saw the Chickasaw Treaty Council, Field Hospital caring for the wounded, Franklin Special School District, Franklin Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Hincheyville Markers.

Christmas Tree in Center of Town

Lady in Pink

Carriage Rides

Cratchit Family

We rode to Leipers Fork about 1:30 P.m. to watch the Christmas parade, but the parade was canceled because of the weather. The town was hit by lighting earlier that day. 

The participants of the Christmas Parade had gathered and dis-pursed after the storm.

So many of them had to travel down main street and we saw many.

We saw a sign that read “Possum Holler Garage Like US on Facebook.”

Radio Flayer Wagon 

Possum Holler Garage 

We saw Radio Flayer Wagon atop a Jeep full of riders full of Christmas Cheer.

We saw Possum Holler Garage Sawdust tow-truck pulling and old Plymouth car behind it.

We saw F 150 Truck pulling boat on-top of wagon with riders wearing Santa hats.

We saw Old Chevrolet Truck with the inscription Posser Holler Garage pulling an outhouse inscribed on the side was “Old NO. 7.”

There was a round hole cut in the outhouse and it  had a reindeer hanging out of the hole with 4-closed underneath. On the backside of the outhouse was a satellite dish, sign that read, “Merry Christmas.

A sign that read “Possum Holler est. 2006, “The other White Meat”, “24 Wreck Her Service”, “You Bend We Mend ’em”.

Beneith the signs was Frosty the Snowman, with a couple of reindeer and a sign that read,”STAY BACK 100 FEET EXPLOSIVE GAS.”

Riding in the  1921 Clampetts truck

STAY BACK 100 FEET EXPLOSIVE GAS.”

We saw Hillsboro United Methodist/Bank of Leiper’s Fork historic markers located at Old Hwy 96 W.

We walked through the Winters Arts located at Locke Building.

We went inside the Serenity Madison antiques, &  mercantile store.

We stopped inside the Laurel Leaf Fashion Store.

We saw the Puckett’s grocery restaurant with men sitting outside.

My husband made my picture sitting in the Clampet’s Old Ford Truck. It had a homemade wooden bench to set upon.

Inside and hanging along the old truck I saw,  a jug of moonshine, a washtub, a trunk, a five gallon bucket, a frying pan and a dead opossum lying in a wash pan, hanging under the backside of the truck, just waiting for Granny Clampet to fry.

We saw an outdoor theater that was located inside was a live Christmas tree that had  hundreds of colorful bulbs strung around it. On either side standing straight and tall were nutcrackers. 

As we were leaving we saw the Church of Christ at Leiper’s Fork Meets Here EST 1831.

We walked around the many stores and did not buy anything.

We left around 2:30 p.m. traveling down the Natchez Trace to Lawrenceburg, Tn

We stopped at Kroger’s in Lawrenceburg at Kroger’s where we bought a  baked chicken, two slices of red velvet cake, chocolate covered almonds and rolls. 

We took all that food home to have a  feast.