2026 May 21, Day Trip to McMinnville, Rock Island and Monteagle, TN (with Backroads Tours LLC)

 Day Trip to Falcon Rest, McMinnville, Rock Island State Park, and Mountain Goat Restaurant, Monteagle, TN 

6841-6842 Stop at Loves Hillsboro, TN @9AM

6844-6859 Travel Viola, McMinnville, Rock Island 9:41 A.M.

6860-6923 Rock Island State Park Rock Island, TN @ 10:15–11:40 A.M.

6924-6937 Falcon Rest Mansion Museum & Murder Mystery McMinnville, TN @12:03-2:06 PM

6938-6945 Travel Viola, McMinnville @3:01-3:20 P.M.

6946-6960 Stop at Mountain Goat Restaurant, Monteagel, TN 4:01–4:30 P.M.

We were up at 3:30 A.M. and left the house at 4:30 A.M.

We stopped at Jack’s in Athens for single gravy and biscuits and a Diet Coke. 

My biscuit wasn’t done, so I returned, and they gave me one that was cooked.

But it still gives me gas, and I burped all the way to Tennessee.

Our first stop was the welcome center at Rock Island State Park. The park ranger told us about the park and offered to give us a guided tour. So we loaded back onto the bus and followed the park ranger. 

We stopped at the Beach Area, and everyone got out and walked around. 

Our next stop was the short waterfall and the old abandoned cotton mill. 

The ranger turned on his flashing lights and removed the roped-off area so we could park on the grass. 

Everyone got out to take pictures of the waterfalls and the surrounding area. We thanked the park ranger and began our journey to Falcon Rest, about an hour away, for lunch and a murder mystery show.

We arrived at the visitor center and were greeted by our guide and owner.

We were all led into the mansion and listened to the guide, then each was given a role in the murder mystery while we enjoyed our lunch.

Hubby played George Beech (the town drunk), and I played his wife, Marie Beech.

For lunch, we were served Strawberry Pretzel salad, Baked Chicken, Potatoes, green beans, a roll, and Chocolate cake topped with a cherry and a dab of whipped cream.

After lunch and a show, we were given a guided tour of the mansion. No photos were allowed inside the mansion.

We took a group photo on the mansion’s front porch.

We shopped at the gift shop, thanked our guide, and headed to our next stop.

History of Rock Island 

Rock Island State Park is a state park in Warren and White Counties, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The park is named after the community of Rock Island, Tennessee, which in turn was named for an island on the Caney Fork, upstream from the Collins River confluence and the Great Falls Dam. Rock Island State Park is centered on a peninsula created by the confluence of these two rivers and extends downstream to the headwaters of Center Hill Lake.

We stopped at Mountain Goat Restaurant and gift shop, located in Monteagle, TN., where Hubby and I enjoyed a slice of Chocolate Cheesecake topped with pecans and drizzled with chocolate and caramel, a Diet Coke, and a coconut chocolate bar. 

Took a few photos, then loaded onto the bus and headed to Scottsboro.

We arrived a little before 6 P.M., with a two-hour ride home. 

No stopping until we reached home a little after 8 P.M.

Another wonderful day trip with Backroads Tours LLC

Bus number 3004 on Eagle Christian Tours, Rome, GA, with Barbara Dudley as our driver. 

Angie, our guide. 

🚙2017 Jan 31, Tuesday, Day Trip to Guntersville

We left home around 9:00 A.M., stopping at Helping Hands Clinic for a B-12 shot.

We stopped at Foodland to get a Diet Coke and a Diet Mt Dew from the vending machine.

Next, we stopped at Dollar General for a package of Fig Newtons made with real fruit, free of high-fructose corn syrup, and only 110 calories.

Being later in the morning, traffic was not too bad as we rode north-west on I-565 to 231 NW into Guntersville.

Our first stop was at the small Guntersville Airport to visit the Homer B. Wilson Vintage Museum, but no one was there.

Glover Hotel
Built in 1933 by Campbell Wallace Glover, it was sold in the 1950s and used as the Department of Pensions and Securities for 15 years. In 1987, it was sold to George Kappler, who opened a restaurant that is now for sale.

As we rode through Guntersville, we noticed that many of the old store buildings had been remodeled and were occupied. The Glover Hotel (built around 1950) was up for sale.

Abraham Lincoln Display Timeline

We rode to 1215 Rayburn Ave to the Guntersville Museum & Cultural Center (once the Rock Armory)

The museum is a unique historical setting featuring both permanent collections and current exhibits. The museum is free to visit and is open to the public Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 A.M.–4:00 P.M., and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 P.M.–4:00 P.M.

The door is locked from the inside, and you have to ring a bell for service.

You are greeted by a museum curator, who provides a brief history of the museum, the location of each exhibit, and informs you that you are welcome to visit all day if you wish.

Once inside, the walls were covered with plaques about the history of Guntersville.

 A boat was on display, representing all the activities one can do on Lake Guntersville. We saw Crusader, the Mechanical wonder Horse on which many a child had ridden. We saw a sign advertising "Bargain Days every Tues and Wednesday. Adm "10 & 15 cents" including tax, along with adjoining theater seats.

We saw an old spinning wheel, a piano, a trophy from the Boat Race, wooden benches, a character reading machine, a fire hose cart, and a cardboard cutout of Will Rogers (he is the grandson of John Gunter, a namesake of Guntersville's).

The next rooms were TVA and the making of the land. This one is for the birds, offering a glimpse into the past with Native American artifacts, local art, and notable sons and daughters of Guntersville. 

The grand room was a display about the life of Abraham Lincoln, featuring a cardboard, life-size statue of Abraham and a sculpted head inside a glass case.

We stopped to visit the Culbert Cabin, located next door to the Guntersville Museum, and then crossed the street to the Guntersville Theater.

Guntersville Theater

Chicken Plate (3 chicken fingers, coleslaw, biscuits, a Chocolate chip cookie, and a drink) 

I shared a chicken dinner with Colonel Sanders at KFC

We traveled along 227 into Guntersville State Park, passing through Short Creek, Hurricane Creek, Town Creek, and Minky Creek. We stopped at the lagoon in the state park to visit the donkeys, emus, goats, and ducks.

We stopped along the waterways to take pictures of Mabrey's Rock of Ages, Guntersville Lake, and the waterfowl. (saw no Eagles)

Mabrey's Rock of Ages

There were hundreds of ducks bobbing in the water.

We stopped to take a picture of a deer. He looked right at us, turned around, and began grazing. He knew we would not shoot him.

We continued climbing the mountain to the top, stopping at the State Park Lodge and chalets overlooking Lake Guntersville.

I walked down to a rest area to take pictures of the view below. There, I met a woman eating her lunch. She said her husband had gone fishing and she was going to enjoy the day at the park.

She said that before the tornado came through this area, you couldn't see the RV Park or the camping Area below. I also saw a couple of zip-liners. 

View of Campground from the Guntersville Lodge atop the mountain

Our last stop before heading home was Bucks Pocket State Park, located on Sand Mountain in the community of Oak Grove. 

The road and picnic area had seen better days. The fencing around the cliffs was good, and the view was fantastic. Currently, the thousands of trees below are bare, but in the fall, they will be vibrant with color.

Sunset over the Rocket at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville 

The sun was setting as we drove into Huntsville, and by the time we reached Athens, it was pitch-black.

We could see the stars above and a crescent moon.

We ordered a to-go meal from Taco Bell.

It had been a beautiful day, not too hot or too cold, a perfect day for traveling and hiking in the State Parks.