The town square is quaint and filled with shops and cafes...all with the mark of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey. Well...except the first stop we made..."The Tennessee Walking Horse Museum".
I have lived in Murfreesboro, TN two times in my life and one of the most anticipated events for residents there is the "Celebration"...a Tennessee Walking Horse National Competition. It is held in Shelbyville...close to Murfreesboro...and many, many people go to see these high-stepping thoroughbreds. How fun to meander through a museum dedicated to those beautiful animals!
The signage outside. I didn't want to forget we'd been there!
There were all sorts of ribbons, photos and trophies in the museum. Wow..those are beautiful animals!!
We struck up a conversation with the lady who was working in the museum and found out that she and her husband had started the museum nine years previously. It was a very special place to each of them. We were very sad to hear that her husband had passed away just six weeks prior to our visit. She said the only reason she was there was because he had made her promise to keep the museum open. So, in honor of him, she did. She had his wedding band on a necklace around her neck. The Bible verse from Ruth was engraved around it in Hebrew..."For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people will be my people and your God my God." Ruth 1:16 It was a nice departure from Jack Daniel's for a moment, no matter how brief...
Upon entering the museum we were greeted by a frisky, friendly little shitzu. She was gray and very small...but, she was ready to take on whomever or whatever entered the museum door. The owner explained to us that her veterinarian had given the little dog to her. Someone had dropped the little thing off at the vet's office and they determined that the puppy would help to sooth the loss of the museum owner's husband. So...she had little yippy Lulu to keep her company.
Here's Lulu. She really was so cute.
We bade the owner farewell and gave Lulu a pat on the head and we were off to explore the rest of lovely Lynchburg. Here's what we discovered:
Every store had the mark of Jack Daniel's...some more obvious than others.
The "presence" of the distillery was everywhere. There are warehouses that house the barrels of whiskey that overlook the town square. It's as if the god of whiskey is "watching". ...kinda spooky...
Lynchburg is a favorite stop for Harley Davidson riders. This being the first pretty Saturday in months...I didn't blame them one bit for getting out en-mass!! Nothing says, "Jack Daniel's" quite like a guy on a Harley with his lucious lovely riding behind him.
Everywhere we looked there was leather and chrome. I thought these "chaps" were especially eye-catching. I was thinking my sweet husband would look oh so enticing in a pair of these!! Hmmmm...Father's Day will be here before you know it!
As we contemplated lunch, we discussed our choices. We could visit the "Red Caboose Barbecue" place...supposedly "smack yo' mamma good" barbecue. Or we could venture into another little diner that I don't remember the name of (see?...I should've taken a pic of the signage!) and enjoy what the locals said was "the best hamburger in town". However, I'm very glad we both agreed that this was where we would dine...
The front of "Southern Perks". It was so cute...and no Jack Daniel's mark...we thought.
We walked in to peruse the menu and see if it was really where we wanted to eat lunch.
Isn't this a cute place? ...no leather...no chrome...no whiskey...
Upon seeing these, it was unanimous...this was our place!
Mmmmm...did these caramel cinnamon rolls ever look bee-ewe-tee-full!!! We didn't have one, but anyone who could make something this delectable could handle a couple of sandwiches!!
So...we sat down to look over the menu. There were salads...sandwiches...calzones...soups...paninis...
coffees...desserts (that looked just as yummy as the caramel cinnamon rolls!) My sweet husband chose "The Rebel" (oh, yeah...livin' life on the edge in Lynchburg!) which was a sandwich with cajun roast beef, smoked turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and homemade horseradish sauce served on a 6" sub roll. I settled on a "Sicilian Calzone" (what can I say...I love anything reminiscent of Italy...) which was wonderful homemade pastry filled with chicken, fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, black olives, feta, garlic butter and Italian seasonings. (Go ahead and take a break to wipe the drool off your chin...I'll wait for you...)
Here's the menu...nothing fancy...but the food?...mmmm...mmm...mmmm!
"The Rebel"...love, love, love the homemade bread!!
Oh...be still my heart! Is that not just gorgeous? I was only able to eat half of my "Sicilian Calzone"...and was happy to box up the other half to save for lunch this week. Did I enjoy it? You betcha!!
As we were waiting for our food to be prepared (my calzone took longer because they rolled out the bread FRESH!!!) we enjoyed talking about our day...discussing what we'd seen thus far...and looking at art on the walls painted by local artists. I was thoroughly enjoying the whole "Southern Perks" experience when my eyes passed over this...
A clock advertising "Old No. 7"... the mark...but, it was kinda subtle...so, I didn't judge "the Perk" too harshly...
We had one more side of the town square to explore...so we made our way outside. It seemed as though the motorcycle convention had doubled in size, and I'm sure the store owners were none to sad about that!
The official souvenir store was on our final street to visit. It was located in what had originally been a hardware store that Jack Daniel's nephew, Lem Mottlow, had built when prohibition shut down the distillery for 30 years. Well...there wasn't a hammer nor nail to be found in this store...it was strictly Jack Daniel's merchandise...from refrigerator magnets to shot glasses...from t-shirts to pool tables with the whiskey label engraved in the felt. You could even buy a barrel for your very own...for a cool $850. OUCH!
The official souvenir store was on our final street to visit. It was located in what had originally been a hardware store that Jack Daniel's nephew, Lem Mottlow, had built when prohibition shut down the distillery for 30 years. Well...there wasn't a hammer nor nail to be found in this store...it was strictly Jack Daniel's merchandise...from refrigerator magnets to shot glasses...from t-shirts to pool tables with the whiskey label engraved in the felt. You could even buy a barrel for your very own...for a cool $850. OUCH!
This iron-man had been contemplating his move so long his opponent had given up and gone home. You can see a smattering of the memorabilia in the souvenir shop behind him.
With no more streets to explore, we consoled ourselves that although our day in Lynchburg was coming to a close we had "seized the day" and totally enjoyed every minute of it...together, thank You, Jesus!! ...and I still had half a calzone to enjoy when I got back home! (priorities people...priorities!)
It was a pleasure, Mr. Daniel, to visit your distillery and, Lynchburg citizens, your town. I think it's safe to say that our paths will cross again...
So...we closed the door on Excursion #1. I can't wait to see what's behind "Excursion #2"!! I'll take plenty of pics so y'all come back now...ya hear!?!
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