Would your bus tour group like to spend extra time in the area and see more of its beautiful countryside?

Then invite our Victorian Gentleman aboard your coach as a step-on guide for a rib-tickling trip through McMinnville history. His tall tales are all true!

Step-on tour before or after group show: $2 additional per person, plus tax.

($1 per person for school groups)

Step-on tours must be scheduled in advance. They may be added to any group show, subject to availability of the Gentleman.
Offered only for groups traveling on a motorcoach or bus; Falcon Rest does not provide transportation.

Gems from the Gent

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!"

Natural Beauty, Local History, and Even More Fun

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.

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."

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 fill 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.

Route and Time Options for Step-on

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).

Those traveling from that direction 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.