1988 ~Dec 3-4, Weekend trip to Lynchburg, Tennessee

My daughter-in-law worked for Lowe's of Florence and was offered a position in Tullahoma, TN, for their grand opening, the weekend of December 3-4, 1988.

This was an excellent opportunity for a getaway trip for all of us.

All expenses for that weekend were paid by Lowe's for my daughter-in-law, including the cost of staying at the Jameson Inn, 2213 N. Jackson St. 

The inn was just a few blocks from Lowe's.

Old Fire Truck at Jack Daniels 

On top of the hill, looking down 

Cave Spring Water, where Jack Daniel's gets its iron-free spring water

Jack Daniel's makes Whiskey.

Jack Daniel's makes Whiskey.

Going to the fermenting room 

Copper Stills, where the mash is cooked and fermented

Jack Daniel's makes Whiskey.

Jack Daniel's Whisky

Jack Daniel's Whisky

Jack Daniel's making Whisky.

Jack Daniel's makes Whiskey.

Taking the tour 

Taking the tour 

Barrel Room where the Whiskey is aged

Barrel Room where the Whiskey is aged

Barrel Room where the Whiskey is aged

While my daughter-in-law was working, my son, my daughter, and I rode over to Lynchburg to the Jack Daniel Distillery.

It was a bitterly cold winter day, and we were the only people taking the tour.

We checked in at the visitor center, and then we were taken on a guided tour.

We were shown the barrelhouse, Jack's Office, & Rick's yard (where the Charcoal is mellowed). 

We were shown the Copper Stills, where the mash is cooked and fermented. (This is the distilling process.)

We were shown the Cave Spring Water, where Jack Daniel's gets its iron-free spring water. The water flows year-round at 800 gallons per minute with a constant temperature of 59 degrees. 

We were shown the Sour Mash Whiskey in a large Fermenter, each was numbered according to the type of Whiskey.

We were shown the Charcoal Mellowing process, where the Whiskey slowly seeped through 10 feet of special Charcoal until it was good and mellow. 

We were shown the barrel room where the Whiskey is aged.

We went back to the visitor center, but could not taste the Whiskey because Lynchburg is a dry county.

Jack Daniel Distillery is located at 182 Lynchburg Hwy, Lynchburg, TN. 37352. Telephone number 931-759-6357.

We had lunch in Lynchburg and returned to the Jameson Inn in Tullahoma. 

We went out to supper when my daughter-in-law finished work that night.

We had a great weekend, we ate out several times, stayed in a nice hotel, and visited the Jack Daniel's Distillery. 

1982 Summer ~Family trip to Memphis, Tennessee

My husband drove our 1980 Camel Brown Chevrolet Malibu to Memphis, Tennessee, where we visited the Memphis Zoo, Graceland, and the Memphis Airport.

Description of what our children were wearing that day.

My oldest son was wearing a white pullover shirt, Levi jeans, and a Braves cap. My daughter was wearing brown jeans, a white T-shirt, and brown sandals. My middle son was wearing Levi's jeans, a yellow T-shirt, and blue tennis shoes. My youngest son was wearing a Dallas Cowboys jersey, Levi jeans, and white tennis shoes.

We visited the 76-acre Memphis Zoo, home to more than 3,500 animals and over 500 species. 

In the Northwest Passage, we saw polar bears and sea lions.

In the Central Zone, we saw giant pandas, otters, blue magpies, hogs, deer, and cranes.

At Primate Canyon, we saw gorillas, orangutans, and siamang gibbons.

In the Cat country, we saw lions, cheetahs, leopards, meerkats, lynx, cougars, and tigers.

In the West Zone, we saw Komodo dragons, toucans, and fresh and saltwater fish.

In the farm area, we saw ducks, a donkey, a mini pig, a Jersey cow, goats, a prairie dog, a rabbit, and a Caspian horse. 

In the herpetarium, we saw alligators, lizards, and frogs.

Memphis Zoo 

We visited Graceland, Elvis Presley's home.

Graceland is a large white-columned mansion that opened to the public in 1982.

In 1982, you could walk around the grounds without paying a fee.

We walked through the front music gates that were open to the public. The gates were designed by Abe Saucer for Elvis and custom-built by John Dillars, Jr. 

We walked around the Meditation Garden, constructed in 1964-1965 and built for Elvis as a place for contemplation. 

The garden's centerpiece is a circular twelve-foot fountain pool with five single jets of water and a larger one in the middle, all lit by colored floodlights. 

Graceland

Graceland Pond  

The  Memphis Airport 

The kids standing outside at the Memphis Airport

Memphis Airport Postcard 

Our next stop was the Memphis Airport located at 2491 Winchester Road, Suite 113, Memphis, Tennessee 38116. 

We walked through the airport terminal to watch the different jets take off and land. 

We saw jets from Delta, Northwest, United, Continental, and American Airlines. We even got to walk inside and tour one of the planes.

On our trip home, my head started to ache. I told my husband it would be nice to get a hotel room for the night, but he said he'd drive home and sleep in his own bed.

I climbed into the backseat to lie down to relax my head, and the boys moved up front.

The next thing I knew I heard sirens and a State Trooper pulled us over.

He said my husband was speeding, and he gave him a ticket.

How ironic that he did not save a penny by speeding to get home. We could have spent the night in a lovely hotel for the cost of the speeding ticket. 

It would have been a great trip, and staying the night in a hotel room would have been relaxing. 

We had fun at the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Airport, and Graceland.

Getting a headache and my husband getting a speeding ticket was not the way I would have liked this adventure to end. 

Some adventures are fun, some are not, but what is life without some sort of adventure? 

What will my next adventure be?

🚗2015 ~Tuesday, June 30, Day Trip to Loretta Lynn's Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee

We traveled up Highway 43 to St. Joe, Tennessee. We turned left onto Iron City Road 227/326, turned right onto Old Railroad Bed Road to Highway 13, and traveled a couple of miles North on Natchez Traces. We got off the Trace in Collingwood and took Highway 13 to Waynesboro.
In Waynesboro, we stayed on Highway 13/Waynesboro. We traveled through Smith Hill, Linen (Squirrels Hollow Drive), Lobelville, Lobelville Highway, crossing into Perry County, Buffalo. We stopped to use the restrooms and fill up with gas at Pilot. The price was $2.49 per gallon. We had just crossed I-40, the interstate between Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee.

Pilot in Buffalo TN 

Arby's, Cinnabon at Pilot in Buffalo

We saw a sign for Loretta Lynn's Kitchen and a massive statue of a Buffalo outside the restaurant, along with some old farm equipment, so we stopped to take pictures.

Buffalo at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo 

Antique farm equipment at Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo 

Loretta Lynn's Kitchen in Buffalo 

From Buffalo, we were just six miles from Loretta Lynn's Ranch.
We arrived at the ranch, we toured the free doll museum, the Old Grist Mill store, some gift shops, and we purchased tickets to tour the home, Butcher Holler House, The #5 Coal Mine, and Loretta's Museum.

Old farm truck at Loretta Ranch Park 

Bank at Loretta Ranch Park 

Land Office at Loretta Ranch Park 

Wanted Dead or Alive 

The tickets for the whole tour was $25.00 each.

Loretta Lynn Park Information 

Tickets and Colton's coaster 

Loretta Lynn Park Information 

Our tour guide, Brooke, took the group up the hill, up several stairs to the replica of Butcher Holler, Loretta Lynn's childhood home in Van Lear, Ky.
The house had two bedrooms, with two small beds for the eight kids, a kitchen with a wooden table with four wooden chairs and a bench, a coal stove for cooking, an outhouse, and on the back porch was a small washtub where the children took baths.
When Loretta's mother washed cloth she hung them inside to dry to keep them from getting coal dust on them.

Replica Butcher Holler Home

Replica Butcher Holler Home

Walking down long wooden stairs, Indian on the hill

We walked down a long line of wooden steps onto the street, we crossed the street, and we walked up to the simulated # 5 Coal Mine where Loretta's father (Ted Webb) worked until his death. As we walked through the simulated coal mine tunnel, we saw the tools used by the coal miners, the coal & the rail carts they filled with tons of coal that had to be pulled to the top by a donkey; he never saw daylight.

Coal Mine # 5

 Coal Car at Coal Mine # 5

Coal at Coal Mine # 5

Coal Mine # 5

We boarded the tour bus and were taken to the former home of Loretta Lynn (The Anderson Plantation Home).
As we were getting off the bus, we saw several carriages, a massive barn with two beautiful horses. In the background, we could hear a peacock. We all walked inside to the kitchen, which had a large fireplace, chandeliers in every room downstairs. We saw the green bathroom, Loretta's collections inside a cabinet built by her husband, her many albums that were hanging in the hallway and all along the stairway.
We saw her bedroom, and the room with her family pictures, we were not taken upstairs.
The house is said to be haunted by the former owners the Anderson Family.
They were plantation owners with slaves, the mother lost a child at birth and she walks the rooms looking for her baby. Many ghosts have been spotted thought out the house.
We exited out the front door, we all walked back to the paved drive.

Standing on Loretta Lynn's Ranch Porch 

Loretta Lynn's Ranch 

I walked over to the horses, I took many pictures of the horses with my cell phone.
I did not bring my big camera because we could not take pictures inside the house or any of the museums.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch Horses

We loaded back onto the bus, and we were taken to the Museum where Loretta has all kinds of memorabilia.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch Museum

After touring the museum, we stopped to take pictures of the tour bus outside.
We stopped at the gift shop to purchase a couple of postcards, and we left.

Loretta Lynn's Ranch Postcards I purchased

It was very hot and humid so we had enough of walking outside.
We stopped in front of Loretta's Ranch Home to take pictures and pictures of  Hurricane Creek.
We rode behind Loretta's Ranch house where we saw a couple of donkeys, Loretta's present home, and The Anderson Family Cemetery.

Standing on steps of Loretta & Mooney Lynn Hurricane Mills Home 

Hurricane Mill Falls 

Loretta's Home 

Anderson Family Cemetery 

Mules

We left the park, taking I-40, stopping at Colton's Steak House & Grill in Dickson, Tennessee, where we ordered a whole order of Ribs, one baked potato, two Caesar Salads, Tea, Water, Rolls, and butter.

Colton's Steak House & Grill 

Colton's Steak House & Grill 

Colton's Steak House & Grill 

We got off I-40 traveled through Spring Hill, Columbia, we stopped at CVS in Lawrenceburg, then home.