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Honeymoon Ball of Gen. John Hunt Morgan
Attend an 1863 Civil War banquet and ball in McMinnville, Tenn., given in honor of dashing Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his 21-year-old bride Mattie.
Falcon Rest actors portray Morgan and local hostess Lucy Virginia French. However, the real stars of this original Civil War show will be our group members, who’ll assume the characters of real people who were actually in McMinnville in 1863. One of us will even get to play the blushing bride herself!. There are no lines to remember or pressure to participate, so you’ll be free to ad lib as much or as little as you like – which makes for some pretty hilarious dialogue.
Audience members with two left feet don’t have to worry, either. The setting is a ball, but this is a show — not a dance — and no one will be called on to waltz. Even in the midst of a war, the Morgans’ days in McMinnville were happy ones, so the show weaves humor in with history.
As the action progresses, we’ll enjoy a delicious meal based on menus from Virginia French’s Civil War diary. Once the performance is over, guests are free to tour the Falcon Rest Mansion at their own pace. Called “Tennessee’s Biltmore” by PBS, the 10,000 square foot mansion is filled with museum quality antiques, and some say it’s presided over by Mr. Faulkner’s friendly ghost. After the tour, you can explore the landscaped gardens and shop for souvenirs of your visit to the 1890s in Falcon Rest’s Victorian Gift Shop.