We'll make
the step-on tour work with YOUR
schedule!
(*see
options below)
Every once in a while, I run into someone who stops me and
says: "I know where you're from -- "Mc-Minnn-ville,
Tennessee."
Immediately, I know they've been on a
motorcoach with me on an area tour before or after a show at Falcon
Rest.
Years ago, I was at one of my first GLAMER shows,
and someone asked me if I did a "step-on." My response:
"What's that?"
Many years and step-on tours later, I know: it's
"the icing on the cake" to the great fun they have at Falcon Rest for
those who want to spend more time in our beautiful area of Middle
Tennessee.
The yarns I tell as we drive through the countryside
are all true ...
from Civil War stories about General John Hunt Morgan
spending his honeymoon in McMinnville to the eccentric millionaire
during the depression who financed the local (still private)
library.
After each story, I ask the passengers, "Where did
it happen?"
They chuckle and answer, "Mc-Minnn-ville, Tennessee!"
 The beautiful waterfalls at Rock Island
State Park, a dozen miles northeast of Falcon Rest, highlight the
tour. The easily accessed scenic overlook is near the old Great
Falls Cotton Mill building, opened in 1892 by the builder of Falcon
Rest, manufacturer Clay Faulkner.
 The building hasn't been used for
anything but storage since its mill wheel was washed away in the great
1902 flood, but at six-bricks thick, it will stand for centuries -- a
testimony to Faulkner's vision.
Step-on guide service is $2.00 per person additional.
-- The Victorian Gentleman, George McGlothin
Options: Round-trip step-on tour from
Falcon Rest to Rock Island Park and back, Allow 1-1/2
hours.
The park is on the
way to/from I-40 east (Knoxville, Crossville).
For those traveling from that direction, you can meet the guide at the
park on the way from I-40
for an early step-on before the "main event" at Falcon
Rest.
For those going toward I-40 East when they leave Falcon Rest, the guide can ride the coach as
far as the park and be dropped off there. In those cases, the
only additional time required is the 20-30 minutes spent at the park
itself.
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This newsletter is
published monthly as our method of staying in contact with busy tour
operators and group leaders. We hope you find it helpful and
amusing. For details, visit our web site at www.falconrest.com,
call 931-668-4444 or e-mail us at
falconrest@falconrest.com. |
Add a stop at a landscaping nursery while in McMinnville:
"The Nursery Capital
of the World"
Visitors to McMinnville always comment on the many landscaping
nurseries that line every highway coming into the county. For
years, this area has been known as "the nursery capital of the world."
Ironically, dead cows led to the proliferation of
plant nurseries that started in the late 1800's. Some of J.H.H.
Boyd's stock died from mysterious causes, and an autopsy revealed that
they had been eating seeds of a native plant called "sweet
shrub." It turned out that the seeds were valuable for medicinal
purposes.
Wondering what else was growing wild in the region,
Mr. Boyd eventually learned that there were more species of plants
native to this area than most anywhere in the U.S. or Europe.
Today, there are hundreds of certified nurseries in
the county. Tour groups often add a stop at one to their step-on
tour. We've seen visitors on day trips load the luggage
compartment of their coach with bedding plants from a local
greenhouse. In June and July, another nursery specializing in day
lilies -- with many acres of beautiful blooms -- is a favorite addition
to the tour.
Amount of extra time
required for a stop at a nursery depends on the direction the group is
traveling to or from, and which nursery is visited.
On your way to
anywhere
in
Middle Tennessee!
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