2025 Nov 19-21, Biltmore House Trip with Backroads Tours LLC

 Day 1: Wednesday, November  19:

We were up by 3:30 A.M., took a shower, fed the cats, loaded the car with our luggage, and were on our way to Scottsboro by 4:30 A.M.

We stopped at McDonald's in Scottsboro for breakfast, where I ordered a sausage, Cheese, and biscuit. Hubby ordered a sausage, egg, cheese bagel, and a large Diet Coke. Spent $8.19.

We arrived at our pickup location and boarded bus 1045, operated by Christian Tours LLC out of Rome, GA, driven by Barbara Dudley, around 7:15.

Sweetwater Farms Seed to Sandwich Cafe, Home & Gift Shop Est 2019

We had one lady who was running late. We were on the road by 7:30 A.M.

Our first stop was Sweetwater Farms in Philadelphia, TN. 

This was a restroom break and a place to shop. 

This was a working farm where they sold a variety of cheeses and let you sample them. 

We bought a block of sharp cheddar cheese and a box of Elk, Savory Spring Onion Crackers. Spent $10.36.

We stopped for lunch at Bush Bean Restaurant around 12:57. Hubby and I both ordered the roast beef with creamed potatoes, carrots, baked beans, and cherry pie. 

Pot Roast, creamed potatoes, carrots, roll, baked Beans 

Bush's Best Origin Baked Beans 

After the meal, everyone toured the Bush Bean Museum. We were there until 2:50 P.M.

We loaded onto the bus and were on our way to Asheville, NC, arriving at 4:40 P.M.

We are staying at the Villa Hotel on the Biltmore property. We were greeted by the hotel manager, who gave a speech about the hotel and the surrounding area. 

Our luggage was taken off the bus and delivered to our room 8378. 

Bus 1045  Christian Tours LLC, Rome, GA 

Room 8378

View of the Sunset from our room. 

We dropped off our backpacks and went downstairs to enjoy a complimentary glass of red wine.

Next, we walked to Antler Hill Village. It was getting dark by this time. We stopped at the Cremery for a banana pudding waffle cone and spent $8.56.

We walked to the Antler Hill Barn, and we walked through the Wine tunnel. 

The Wine Tunnel 

The Fire Pit 

We sat near the fire pit, then returned to our room. We ate some cheddar cheese and Savory Spring onion Crackers we bought at Sweetwater Farms. 

We watched Wheel of Fortune, and then I took a shower and went to bed. 

Iphone Photos 

1640 Sweetwater Valley farms, Philadelphia, TN at 10:45 A.M.

1668 Knoxville @12:08 P.M.

1669-1673 Town of Dandridge @12:51 P.M. 

1674-1740 Bush Bean Restaurant and Museum 12:51-2:56 P.M.

1741-1744 Asheville, NC @4:36 P.M.

1745-1871 Biltmore House, Village Hotel, and Antler Hill Village 4:37-6:38 P.M.

Receipts

Bush Bean Dandridge, TN bought Lip Balm 1.37

McDonald's Scottsboro, AL $8.19

Sweetwater Farms, Philadelphia, TN, bought a Block of Cheddar Cheese and a box of Savory Crackers.

Creamery @Antler Hill Village, Asheville, NC, bought a banana pudding waffle cone. 

Day 2: Thursday, November 20:

Today we are eating breakfast on level two in the kitchen Cafe.

I ordered gravy, biscuit, sausage, and water. 

After breakfast, we walked around in the Antler Hill Village, but nothing opened until 11 A.M. 

We returned to the hotel and waited for our bus tour and guide, David, at 8:30 A.M.

We rode around the Biltmore grounds for about 1 hour, with our guide informing us about the property. 

Our group leader, Angie, took a group photo in front of the Biltmore House 

We returned to the hotel and once again toured Antler Hill Village. We walked down the hill to the barn to visit the animals there: chickens, goats, and pigs. 

We toured the Biltmore Legacy museum and ate lunch at Cedric's Tavern. 

Hubby and I split a lobster roll with chips, a jar of dill pickles, and a Diet Coke. Our server, Chris, asked if we were celebrating a birthday or an Anniversary, and I laughed and said we both just celebrated one in October. 

Happy Anniversary, written in Chocolate with two chocolate truffles 

Happy Birthday, written in Chocolate with two chocolate truffles.s 

Half Lobster roll and chips 

Our birthdays are just a day apart, and our Anniversary was the last day of August. We enjoyed the lobster roll, which was loaded with large pieces of delicious lobster. It was more than enough to feed two people. As we were finishing our meal, our server, Chris, brought out two platters, each with two chocolate truffles. On one platter, in Chocolate, was "Happy Birthday." On the other platter, in Chocolate, was 'Happy Anniversary'.

At 1:20 P.M., we boarded the bus to tour a replica of Tutankhamun's tomb and his treasures at Amherst at Deer Park. 

King Tutankhamun's treasures 

King Tutankhamun's treasures 

King Tutankhamun's treasures 

Tombs

We were given an audio to listen to as we toured the replica of the Tutankhamun display. 

British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the Boy King's tomb fully intact in 1922. 

Inside the tomb was a golden mask, jewelry, furniture, statues, weapons, and King Tutankhamun's mummy. 

The Egyptians believed that the souls continued to exist after death. Extensive rituals and offerings were performed to aid the king in his journey and ensure a favorable afterlife.

After the Tutankhmun exhibit, we continued to the Biltmore House, Gardens, and gift shops.

The Conservatory closed at 5 P.M., so several of our group headed there. There were many stairs leading down to the Conservatory. Most of the outside gardens were dead and were being dug up, but the Conservatory was filled with beautiful flowers and plants. 

Plants in the  Conservatory 

Plants in the  Conservatory 

After touring the Conservatory, we returned to the Biltmore House gift shops, where we shopped until it was time to eat at the Barn Cafe. 

Chocolate Moose

Pot Roast 

Squash Soup 

At 4:30, we entered the Barn Cafe and were served roast beef, creamed potatoes, carrots, a savory cream squash soup, and cherry pie. 

At 6:15, we lined up to enter the Biltmore house, which was decorated for Christmas. 

Inside, we saw several bedrooms, dining rooms, a library, and a group of children singing in a choir in the foyer. 

Each room was roped off, and each rope guided you in the direction they wanted you to go. 

Hubby took the elevator back down to the first floor, and there we met one of our members, who said, "Have you seen the basement?" We said, "No." 

 We walked down a long hall that led to the Basement. 

We saw a swimming pool, a gym, the pantry, the freezer/refrigerator, the servants' quarters, and a storage area. We also saw the Halloween Room.

Swimming Pool

The long hallway leading to the Basement

The Halloween Room

We walked back upstairs and out the exit door. We walked to the area where the shuttle was to pick us up.

There were too many of us to fit on the shuttle, so the guard called a van to pick up the last 15 of us and take us back to the Village Hotel.

I picked up three chocolate chip cookies in the lobby to take to our room. I ate two cookies and drank a Diet Coke, then took a shower and went to bed. 

Iphone Photos

1872-1875 Breakfast @7:42 A.M. 

1876-1883 Biltmore House Bus Tour @9:29-9:42 A.M.

1884-1891 Village Hotel @10:23 A.M.

1892-1899 Farm animals 10:54-10:57 A.M. 

1900-1924 Museum @11:06-11:10 A.M. 

1925-1929 Cedric's Tavern 11:41-12:01 P.M.

1930-1933 Village Hotel @12:37 P.M.

1934-1966 Tutankhamun His Tomb and His Treasures at Amherst @Deerpark 1:19-1:48 P.M. 

1967-1979 Gift shop & Biltmore House 2:15-2:55 P.M.

1971-1973 Stable Cafe @4;14-5:01 P.M.

1974-1975 tickets 

1976-1979 Biltmore House 6:36–6:57 P.M.

1980-1981 Tickets @8:56 P.M.

Receipts

Coke Machines 3:60 and 3:60 

Cedric's Tavern $63.67 served by Chris 

Postcards $6:36 Amherst Ashville, NC 

Tickets Tutankhamun tomb & his treasures 397262484 at 1:45 P.M. @ Amherst @ Deer Park 

Tickets candlelight House & Grounds Tour @ 6:30 P.M. 

Canon EOS R6 Photos 

6236-6264 Biltmore House & Grounds Bus Tour 9:30-10:09 A.M.

6265-6283 Antler Hill & Village 10:35-10:56 A.M.

6284-6381 Tutankhaamun His Toms and his Treasures at Deer Park @1:44-2:44 P.M.

6382-6417 Gardens & Conservatory @2:59-3:39 P.M. 

6418-6424 Biltmore House outside @3:33 -3:40 P.M.

6425-6589 Biltmore House Inside 6:18-7:52 P.M.

Day 3: November 21, Friday:

I was up at 5 A.M, worked on my journal and photos.

We packed our bags and set them outside our room at 7:00 A.M.

Took a shower, got ready, and went to the kitchen Cafe for breakfast.

I ordered one scrambled egg, cheese grits, bacon, apple butter, biscuit, and cranberry juice.

Breakfast 

Loaded onto the bus at 8:15 and was on the road at 8:30 A.M. We traveled to Knoxville. 

We stopped at Love's for a restroom break. Our next stop was to ride the Star River Paddle Boat in Knoxville, Tennessee.

It was pouring rain when we arrived. We were a little early, so we sat on the bus until the rain stopped. 

We unloaded the bus and headed to the pier, but as we were getting off, one of the ladies slipped and fell onto her face. She had a large, swollen bruise on her face. 

They had prepared a buffet-style meal for us to enjoy while we cruised along the river.

We ate pot roast, corn, carrots, creamed potatoes, baked chicken, biscuits, and baked apples. 

When we finished, several of us walked to the bow of the boat for a better view. 

The windows on the lower level were covered in rainwater. 

It had stopped raining, but it was still a little cool and breezy.

I discovered that the pipes on the boat were warm, so I backed up to one to keep warm. 

Lunch 

Paddle Boat 

Downtown Knoxville 

Along the way I saw a bald eagle, several Great Blue Herons, an old railroad track, the Tennessee Football stadium, the downtown area, and a bridge. 

After our ride, we loaded back onto the bus and began our journey to Scottsboro. We stopped one more time at Love's in Jasper, TN, where Hubby bought two Diet Cokes and a large order of fries at the adjoining McDonald's. 

We played Bingo on the way to Scottsboro, and everyone won something. 

When we arrived in Scottsboro, our group leader said to let the party with the woman who fell out first. 

They were from Wetumpka, Alabama, and they were going to take the woman to the doctor.

We put our luggage into our car and begin our two-hour journey home. 

Hubby dropped me off and he went to his sisters for Thanksgiving. I was too tired. 

I uploaded some of my photos, took a shower, and went to bed.

Iphone photo 

1993-1994 Breakfast at Kitchen Cafe` Ashville, NC @ 7:47 A.M.

1995-2015 Travel I-40 Cherokee, NF Hartford and Pisgah NF Clyde, TN at 9:37-9:51 A.M.

2017-2049 Meal & Riding the Star Paddle Boat @12:03-1:16 P.M.

2052-2961 Travel through Chattanooga, TN at 3:52-3:56 P.M.

Receipts 

McDonald's, Jasper, TN, bought French Fries $4.18

Bought two Diet Cokes $5.07

Vending Machine Mountain Dew $3:60 

2024 April 20, Courtland Walking Hayride Tour

While waiting for the rain to stop, everyone gathered at the Courtland Heritage Museum, which was established in 2009.

Courtland Heritage Museum 

We learned about the History of one of the South's first railroads. This railroad ran southward through Courland, linking the Tennessee Valley to Tuscaloosa and lower Alabama. 

The court records of early marriages in Lawrence County were on display.

We learned about how the Red Rovers were organized at Courtland in 1835 to aid Texas in its struggle for independence. 

We learned that several cotton gins once operated in and around Courtland. 

Once the rain stopped, we loaded onto a hay bale wagon pulled by a truck. 

Our guide stood at the back of the wagon, informing us about Courtland's historic homes and sites. 

We stopped in front of several historic homes. 

Tweedy-Northon-Morris-Thompson House

One of our stops was the Tweedy-Northon-Morris-Thompson House.

Richard Thompson, the owner of the home, stood on his porch and shared the history of his fully restored home with us.

Richard joined our group throughout the tour. 

One of our stops was the Courtland Presbyterian Church, built in 1821. Our guide and Mr. Thompson worship there. 

The first church was burned in the 1850s. 

Construction of the new church began in 1859 but was not completed until the end of the Civil War in 1868.

The church represents the mingling of classical and Italian influences.

The town square contains many empty buildings of Federal-style architecture. It is also a park with several historical markers, a fountain, and a gazebo. 

Another home we stopped at was the Harris Simpson House, a good example of the early American "I" house because of its tall, narrow side profile. The occupants of this house can be traced back to the famous James Jackson of the Forks of Cypress, Florence, Alabama. 

Harris-Simpson House 

There is a wealth of history for such a small town. They had a tiny theater that is now a residence. I said it sure was small. Everyone laughed, and our tour guide said it was big enough for their small town. I grew up in the Shoals area, with several theaters in Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and Florence. I recall attending most of them, including the drive-in.

On our way home, we stopped at Lash's Seafood for lunch, where Hubby and I split a shrimp boil meal that consisted of Shrimp, corn, potatoes, and sausages.

It was delicious.

Lash's Seafood shrimp  boil 

🏛2017 Aug 1, James K. Polk 's Ancestral Home Columbia, Tennessee

Hubby and I enjoyed the free Chick-fil-A minis for breakfast, then had our swimming pool water checked and stopped in for our weekly B-12 Shots.

We rode to Columbia, Tennessee, to tour James K. Polk's Home & Museum. As many times as we had visited Colombia, we had never stopped to go inside the home, so we made a memorable trip just to tour the home.

The Living Room 

The dining room

Master Bedroom

The Stairs 

The Kitchen 

The Gardens

The Presidency 1845-1849 

James Knox Polk, our 11th president 

James K Polk for the Union
This house, constructed in 1816, is the only surviving Tennessee residence associated with the nation's eleventh president. James Knox Polk (1795-1849) lived here from 1818 to 1824. When Polk's mother died in 1852, the house passed to his younger brother, William H. Polk.

As Tennesseans considered secession during the 1860 presidential election, William Polk supported Stephen H. Douglas, the Northern Democrat, over John Breckinridge, the Southern Democratic candidate. In 1861, Polk became a staunch Unionist. He chaired the Tennessee Unionist Convention, which selected him as its gubernatorial nominee to oppose secessionist Isham G. Harris for Tennessee governor. The Confederate press lambasted Polk's candidacy, and a Nashville paper proclaimed that he could "no more fill the place of Governor than Falstaff could play Hamlet." Harris handily defeated Polk, 74,973 to 43,342 votes.

After Federal troops occupied Columbia in March 1862, they established the Provost Marshal headquarters at St. Peter's Episcopal Church next door to the Polk house. In September, Polk joined Union Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden's staff in Nashville. The Nashville Daily Union proclaimed on September 9, "Blessed with all the comforts and luxuries of a delightful home, he has voluntarily left them all to fight for that flag which he loved, 

2. James K. Polk House, which James K. Polk delighted to honor."

Polk became ill in Nashville and died there on December 16, 1862. His older brother's widow, Sarah K. Polk, arranged with Union General William S. Rosecrans to have his body transported to Columbia to be buried in Greenwood Cemetery.

It was a small group, a couple from up north with two children, a couple headed to Atlanta for a wedding, and us.
Our guide was very well-informed about the Polk family as he guided us through the home, including the climb of the stairs to the three bedrooms.
The kitchen was outside in another building, and the gardens were self-guided.
We walked back inside the museum and gift shop before they left.
We continued talking to the couple that was headed to Atlanta.

It was getting close to lunchtime, so we stopped at Long John Silver's (Hubby's favorite). I love their cod.
We stopped at Tractor Supply in Lawrenceburg, then headed for home.