2023 Sep 15, Trip to The Movie town of Canton, MS

We rode through Russellville, AL, stopping at Jack's Restaurant for breakfast gravy and biscuits and Diet Coke. 

We stopped at McDonald's in Louisville, MS, for a restroom break and a couple of cookies and cream pies. 

After a four-and-a-half-hour drive through several small towns, we arrived in Canton, MS. 

We were greeted by our guide, Billy Joe Wells, at the Visitors Center in Canton, also known as the Trolio Hotel. 

A Time to Kill stars Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, and many others were in this film.

Most of the filming took place around the Madison County Courthouse, the old jail, and a Sound stage was built in the city's park. Much of the stage props were in Canton's Museum.

My Dog Skip was principally photography in Canton props, also located in Canton's Museums.

O'Brother, Where Art Thou? It was shot in the Spring in Canton, MS props, and New Paper Articles in the Museums. 

The Hotel Trolio had Memorabilia from the movies. O' Brother and A Time to Kill.

Cast from A Time to Kill 

Lawyers Office from A Time To Kill 

By George Mississippians Think he's got it.
Fans flock to see Clooney filming a movie, the latest effort in his move from TV to Big Screen. 
O'Brother, Where Art Thou? George Clooney 

Restaurant/Cafe where the scene of A Time to Kill was filmed. 

A scene from "A Time to Kill" was shot at the table in this restaurant. 

Also located up a flight of stairs in the Trolio Hotel was more Memorabilia from both movies. 

Willie Morris & My Dog Skip Movie Museum

Willie Morris & My Dog Skip Movie Museum.

Every community needs a Willie. 

This museum is lovingly dedicated to the ineffable spirit of Willie Morris. 

Because he turned south toward home, My Dog Skip became a reality. 

Our many thanks to Alcon Entrainment and Warner Bros 

February 12, 2000 

A Glimpse of Willie Morris 

The Canton Convention & Visitor Bureau and Film Office 

5 & 10 cent Store Est. 1935

The General Store was where scenes from My Dog Skip were shot. 

Bone tired and Weary in a country Cemetery.
John Wayne Blough Sr. steers a team of horses through the streets of Canton during the filming of the "Ponder Heart" based on an Eudora Welty novella for PBS.  

Billy took us to several locked museums loaded with memorabilia and did a very good job of explaining about the props and the movies. 

We had not seen the movies for some time, so nothing was familiar. 

We thanked Billy for the tour and walked around the historic Courthouse Square, taking pictures of several of the historic stores, courthouses, and markers. 

We stopped at the thrift shop, where I purchased several Halloween figurines.

Canton Madison County Courthouse is also used in several movies. 

2023 Aug 18, Day Trip to Jackson, Tennessee

Today, we rode Jackson, Tennessee, by way of Highway 72 through Iuka, Burnsville, to Corinth, Mississippi. In Corinth, we took Highway 45 through several small towns to Jacksonville, Tennessee. 

We stopped at Murphy's in Jackson, Tennessee, to fill up with gas, which cost $42.75 at 10:47 AM.

Our first stop was at the Carnegie Legends, "The Legends of Tennessee Music Museum."

This museum is located in the old Carnegie  Library, where Carl Perkins played his first guitar when he was just a boy. 

This museum houses such artists as Carl Perkins, Tina Turner, Eddy Arnold, Sonny Boy Williamson, Maybelle, Isaac Tigrett, and Jonathan Singleton. 

Many items that were once in the Rock-A-Billy Museum are now housed in this museum. 

The gold statue of Elvis Presley and the large poster pictures of Brenda Lee, Johnny Cash, Elvis, and many others are also located in this museum.

GOLD ELVIS

The Rock A Billy Tribute Sculpture of a Guitar by Don Worth on November 29, 2006, was also placed on the lawn of this museum.

Next, we visited Rusty's TV and Movie Car Museum, located at 323 Hollywood Dr in Jackson.

Owner Rusty Robinson has over 35 cars in his museum.

The Blues Brothers 

Some of the cars that you will see are:

Rust-E-Ze # 95 Race Car 

Jurassic Park Jeep #29

The A'Team GMC Van 

Pee-Wee's Big Adventure bicycle 

Barbie's pink Corvette

Tow Mater Towing and Salvage in the movie Cars 

Knight Riders Tran-am 

The Blues Brothers Pq1 Police Car 

The RV was used during the Christmas Vacation. 

Starkey and Hutch Red and White Ford 

The van used by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 

Ghost Busters Station wagon 

the car used in the movie Christine 

The Bat Mobile 

The Mystery Machine Van used by Scooby Doo and Friends 

And many more.

We stopped at the Madison County Courthouse to take pictures of markers. 

We ate lunch at Catfish Cabin around 2 PM, where we ate hushpuppies, shrimp, catfish, white beans, and coleslaw.

On the wall were pictures of WC Handy, Carl Perkins, BB King, and Furry Lewis. 

Golden fried shrimp with White Beans and cole Slaw! Yum!

Some of the towns we came through going home were Finger, Adamsville, Crump, and Savannah, Tennessee.

 

2023 August 27-31, Trip to Hollister, Point Lookout, Ridgedale, Branson, MO., Searcy, Arkansas, Dyersburg, TN (5 Days)

Top of the Rock Lost Canyon Cave Ridgedale Mo

 Sunday, August 27, Day 1: 

Today, we left the house around 6:30, arrived at the Robertsons, loaded their luggage into our car, and began our journey to Branson.

Our first stop was for breakfast at Jack in Tuscumbia, Al.

I ordered gravy with sausage biscuits and a soda. 

After we finished breakfast, we began our journey west on Highway 72 toward Iuka, MS.

We traveled through several small towns, entering the interstate in Memphis. 

We crossed the Mississippi River into West Memphis, Arkansas, stopping at the Welcome Center.

Our next stop was to meet friends at Western Sizzlin Searcy, Arkansas.

There, we enjoyed a lovely lunch while enjoying the company of old friends and making new friends.

After lunch, we headed north toward Missouri, stopping at South Mountain Scenic Overlook, where you can see Bryan Mountain Elevation 1760, McCutcheon Gap Snowball, Bear Creek, Searcy County Airport, Point Peter Elevation 2040, Round Mts., Buffalo National River, Boat Mountain Elevation 2221 Marshall, St Joe and Harrison, Arkansas. 

It's a great place to stop and take pictures. 

We arrived at Paradise Point Resort in Hollister, MO, checked into room 9404, and took the elevator up to our room. We had three bedrooms, a kitchen, three bathrooms, a living room, and a pool room with a view of the White River. 

We unpacked and headed outside, where we walked alongside the swimming pool, hot tub, and floating pool. 

We were all too full to eat dinner, so we just snacked.

Arkansas Welcome Center 

Standing near the Swimming Pool 

Monday, August 28, Day 2: 

We ate breakfast at the Hungry Hunter Restaurant, where they serve you very large portions of food. 

The pancakes would cover a very large plate. The bread from which they made French toast was homemade and served with two very large slices of bread. 

Eggs, Ham, and hash rounds were also served. Great place for a hungry man. I could not eat all of my French toast. 

In Ridgeland, Missouri, we took a golf cart that holds four down into the canyon, which is a 2 1/2 miles-long tour of caves and waterfalls. There were several places where we would park the golf cart and look around. 

Inside the cave was a snack bar where you could get snacks and a drink. 

After we finished the tour, we took the shuttle to the Top of the Rock, where we toured the  Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, which was filled with artifacts back to the Woolly Mammoth. 

After the museum tour, we were told to come back around 7:30-8PM for the sunset, playing of bagpipes and cannon firing. 

We rode to the historic part of Branson, stopping at B’s Ice Cream Parlor for a strawberry cheesecake waffle Cone. We rode to Bass Pro Shop and then took a short trolley ride around the historic part of Branson.  

We walked along the River Landing, where we saw several new restaurants, fountains, and pipes that shot out fire. 

We ate lunch at World Famous White River Fish House, where I ordered 3 shrimp tacos. I could not eat all of them, so I just ate the shrimp.
We shopped at Elks but didn’t buy anything. 

We rode back to Top of the Rock to see the sunset, tour the old church, and watch the canon being fired.

We came back to the condo, showered, and went to bed. 

Sunset at the top of the Rock Ridgedale, MO 

French Toast 

Tuesday, August 29, Day 3: 

We ate a cinnamon roll for breakfast. 

We rode to College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, MO.,  where we toured the War Memorial at the Keeter Center. 

We ate lunch at Dobyn’s Dining Room at the Keeter Center. I ordered steak soup with rolled and butter. 

We toured the East End Mill, where I bought a handcrafted basket. 

Next, we toured the Ralph Foster Museum, which housed three levels of artifacts. 

Which included musical talents from Missouri, musical instruments, Quilts, dishes, dolls, circus, cars, and animals (taxidermy) such as Polar bears, Grizzly Bears, Lions, tigers, buffalo, elk, deer, etc. 

It included butterflies and birds of every kind and just so much information in this one building. 

At 7:30, we boarded the Branson Belle for a dinner cruise and show.

The show was great it started a little slow but finished with a bang.

It was another long day, so off to bed we go.

Keefer Center at College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, Mo  

This little fellow will greet you with a loud growl!

Wednesday, August 30, Day 4

I ate a bowl of instant oatmeal for breakfast, and off we went.

Today, we are going to Silver Dollar City Branson, MO., for a fun-filled day of shows.

We will also enjoy a train ride into the woods only to be stopped by train robbers.

Then we will enjoy a hamburger and onion rings at the Lumber Camp Restaurant.

Today was the hottest day yet, and after all that walking, we were ready to leave the park. 

Train Robbers 

On our way back to the condo, we stopped at Little Hacienda in Branson, MO, where I enjoyed a Margarita on the rocks. I also ordered Churro with Ice Cream. 

Hubby ordered a burrito supreme. 

We were all very full when we left the restaurant.

I took a shower and went straight to bed, and did not wake up until 2AM. Everyone was asleep, so I took out my journal and wrote for about an hour and a half, then went back to bed.

Thursday, August 31, Day 5

The last day of the month and our last day in Branson, MO.

Packed our bags, loaded the car, and were on our way around 6:30-7AM.

We stopped to fill up with gas in Black Rock, Arkansas. 

We didn’t stop for lunch until we reached Dyersburg, Tennessee

We stopped at The Bus Stop Restaurant, where I enjoyed a half turkey sandwich with pasta, which was very good. We sat outside, for it was a very nice, excellent day.

We dropped our friends off and stopped at the car wash to wash off all the bugs that we had accumulated on the highway.

We were home by 5PM.

We had a great trip, but glad to be home in my own bed.

Our next trip is a cruise unless we decide to take a day trip or maybe an overnight trip to the beach. 

2023 July 21-23, Trip to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN (3 Days)

Day 1: Friday, July 21: 

Today, we left Helen, Georgia, early morning, about 6AM. We took the back roads, and by 6:51, we were in Clayton, North Carolina. 

By 8:12AM, we were in Cherokee, North Carolina.

 We stopped here to take pictures of the bear statues before heading across the mountain. We stopped along with several others to see a herd of elk gracing. 

Herd Elk 

Bears of Cherokee, NC 

We crossed the mountain and stopped several times to take pictures of the smokey clouds lying on them. We stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Pigeon Forge. 

We went shopping at the Tanger Outlet Mall. Bought two bras and two panties at Victoria's Secret and one bra at Pink. We stopped at several other stores: Disney, Nike, Under Armer, just to name a few. 

The Christmas Place 

We feed the Ducks, Geese, and Pigeons at the Old Mill along the Little Pigeon River. 

We rode to the Old Mill Farm-House, where I bought my son several different herbs packages, a bag of stone ground yellow cornmeal, and olive oil.

Along the Little Pigeon River near the Old Mill, we saw several geese, ducks, and pigeons. 

We ate Taco Bell for lunch.

We checked into Apple Valley Inn a little after 4 PM, unloaded the car, and filled the fridge with our snacks. 

Spent the rest of the day watching TV and resting. 

Day 2:  Saturday, July 22: 

We ate breakfast at McDonald's I ordered Muffins and sausage. 

We rode to Pigeon Forge's Visitor Center and bought all-day tickets to ride the trolley. 

We bought fuel at Murphy's and bought a few groceries at Walmart (bagels, cream cheese, drinks, fruit)

Took our food back to the hotel. 

We rode to Parrot Mountain and were there when they opened at 10AM. 

Parrot Mountain 

Had my picture taken with five birds, two on my arms, two on my shoulders, and one on my head.

We visited the parrot nursery where we could actually pick up the birds. 

We also went into the feeding area with Nectar several small birds flew down and drank every drop of the nectar from my hand.

Around 11:30 AM, we rode to the Trolley from  Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg. 

We took the trolley from the Visitor Center in Gatlinburg to the downtown area. 

We were the last two to board the fully loaded trolley, which was standing room only.

A nice young man gave me his seat, and hubby had to ride standing up.

It took over an hour to go a short distance because of the traffic. When we were almost there, everyone got off except a couple and us. 

Everyone had to get off the trolley when we arrived at the Center near the Aquarium and wait for another trolley to take us into the downtown area. 

The traffic was terrible, and we had already waited over 30 minutes for the next trolley.

Where we were going was several blocks away, so we decided to walk. 

 We took the scenic route along the Pigeon River, which was not crowded, and there was a nice cool breeze. 

Seafood Platter at Bubba Gumps 

We were headed to Bubba Gumps for a late lunch. 

We ordered a seafood platter of shrimp, fish, hush puppies, and fries. 

When we finished, we walked down the crowded sidewalks, and it began to rain, so we looked for shelter. 

It did not rain long, so we walked further down the sidewalks. 

We walked back to the Trolley Stop and waited for the trolley to take us to Gatlinburg Visitor Center. 

The crowd had thinned out, so the trolley was not crowded going back. 

At the cross, there was an accident involving four vehicles. Our turn was blocked by police vehicles.

We had to take a detour, which took us a couple of miles out of the way. 

We took the next trolley going to Pigeon Forge, which also had to take a detour. 

This ended up being an all-day event. 

It was late when we arrived back at our hotel. 

Day 3: Sunday, July 23, 

We ate bagels with cream cheese for breakfast. 

Packed our bags, loaded the car, and headed for home. 

We stopped at a couple of rest areas. 

We had snacks with us, so we did not stop to eat until we got home. 

2023 July 12, Popes Tavern, Indian Mound Museums Florence, AL.

 Today, we took  Ava to see UNA's mascot, LEO, but he was sleeping. 

Leo is getting old, and since his mate died, he has not been as active. 

I took her around the campus, showing her the Smith Bell Tower, the president's home. "Wesleyan Hall, constructed in 1856, is one of the oldest structures on the University of North Alabama campus." The building looks like a castle. 

Wesleyan Hall (Castle Building)

Smith Bell Tower 

Lion Cubs 

The campus fountain was turned off because of a leak. 

We next stopped at Pope's Tavern, where Ava learned about how the tavern was used as a hospital during the Civil War. Early cooking tools, furniture from the Forks of Cypress, and Civil War artifacts. 

Ava asks the curator several questions about the articles in the museum. 

We also visited the building that held information about the processing of cotton. 

Cotton Balls 

Our next stop was the Indian Mound. 

She and I both walked to the top of the mound. Lots of steps!

43 feet Earthen Mound was built about 500 BCE. 

Inside the museum, Ava learned about the timeline of the Native Americans during the Paleo-Indian Period, the Archaic Period, the Woodland Period, and the Mississippian and Historic Periods. 

We saw arrowheads and many American Indian artifacts. 

On the way home, we stopped at McDonalds to get Ava a kid's chicken nugget meal. 

We stopped at Smokin Jalapeño for tacos. 

We took our food home to eat.