Chihuly exhibits are always fun to visit. The experience is always enhanced by the beautiful venues selected for each installation.
This year’s Chihuly exhibit at The Biltmore in Asheville, NC is no exception.
We had a fun girlfriend’s trip down to Asheville for the day to see the new exhibit and enjoy lunch on the estate. This year’s installation is indoors and is a safe bet even during hot, cold, or rainy days. BTW, the venue also features a really excellent gift shop.
Visitors should plan about an hour. The onsite video was interesting and gave the six of us some new perspectives on Chihuly’s work. I had not previously seen his glasswork influenced by Native American weavers – fascinating.
Food always seems to be a prominent part of any of our adventures. We beat the crowd at Cedric’s Tavern in the Antler Hill Village for a tasty lunch (thanks for the rec, Judy!). In case you are wondering about Cedric, he was the Vanderbilt’s much-loved St. Bernard. The restaurant is conveniently located by some lovely shops . . . . although a few gals (I was too full this time) got sidetracked having ice cream cones at The Creamery.
Combo tickets are available if you’d like to visit the mansion, but each of us has been many times, so we skipped that option. You will need reservations for the timed entry and there is plenty of adjacent parking by the exhibit venue. It’s running through the holidays until January 5, 2025.
Kentucky bourbon may get more press these days, but Tennessee whisky will always be close to my heart. The Jack Daniel Distillery is the oldest registered distillery in the U.S. – dating from 1866. Of course, it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Jack Daniel Distillery is located in Lynchburg, Moore County, which still keeps up an interesting premise of being a dry county. Local lore is they “sell you the bottle, what’s in it is free.” I decided to embrace the legend and take the “Dry County Distillery Tour.” Just over an hour in length, we were guided by Chion, a local young man who was simultaneously charming, funny, and interesting. I can’t imagine having a better host to show us around.
An Amazing Friendship for its Time
Significantly, as a child, Jack Daniel was taken in by Lutheran Minister Dan Call and grew up on his family farm. While working on the Reverend’s farm, Jack learned how to make whiskey at the feet of a master, the enslaved Nathan “Nearest” Green. After the Civil War, the Reverend’s congregation and his wife gave him an ultimatum – the church or the still. He chose the church and sold his whiskey-making business to Jack, who hired the now-emancipated Mr. Green as his Master Distiller. Green family members have worked at the Distillery ever since.
Learn more interesting history on a Distillery tour!
They say the key to the distilling process is the water and they still pull the iron-free water from the original source – a limestone cave spring that is always, naturally 56 degrees. Oh yeah, then there’s the charcoal filtration and single-use toasted white oak barrels, but I won’t turn this into a chemistry lesson. Let’s just say that Mr. Green was a genius.
Tasting Tours Too
For those interested, there are several types of tasting tours. Figuring I already knew what most Jack Daniel products taste like, I opted to try one of the two types of slushies available for purchase, the Jack & Coke. I make a pretty good whiskey slushie and I have to say, my pineapple/limeade concoction goes down much easier.
Maybe it was all those Tennessee football games where we smuggled in the Jack to mix with our Coke (at 18, we were legal back then) . . . . . but I still can’t watch a college game without that familiar cocktail.
Miss Mary Bobo’s
These days, the Jack Daniel Distillery is THE business in Lynchburg. Distillery properties are evident in the town’s small square, Visitor’s Center, Trailhead for the Tennessee Whiskey Trail, and the quaint Miss Mary Bobos Boarding House. Miss Mary rented out her unused rooms to boarders and opened her dining room to paying guests, running the house from 1908 until she died in 1983 at 101. The 1867 home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is now part of the Jack Daniel Distillery empire. Guests may still partake of a tasty Southern feast at one of the three daily seatings Monday – Saturday (11 AM – 1 PM or 3 PM) where they will be served two meats, good sides, and yummy pie.
I’m Still Talking About the Food
We dined in the Crutcher Room – a former bedroom upstairs and shared the table with 10 other guests and our chatty hostess who kept conversation and refills moving along. On this day we feasted on savory shredded pork, fried chicken, corn salad, baked mac & cheese, fried okra, green beans, potatoes, candied apples (with Jack Daniels), biscuits, and fudge pie topped with Jack-infused whipped cream. The drinks here were unaltered sweet or unsweetened tea.
Price: $29.95 + tax, kids under 10 $10.95 + tax. BTW, the well-stocked gift shop has some quality home goods, souvenirs, and gift items.
I promise – there are history lessons throughout the home. So, this meal qualifies as an educational expense.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also like: A Trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Lower Broadway in Nashville is four blocks of fun known as the Honk Tonk Highway. Country music, food, lots of adult beverages, and thousands of music fans. There are also an incredible number of bachelorette parties, in matching glitzy outfits, cruising the strip in party buses. The buses compete with theme-related transports vying for attention and sharing the road with “pedal pubs”, and regular traffic. As daylight fades, police block off the streets and create a more pedestrian-friendly area for the throngs of music fans pouring in. Nashville is called Music City for a reason.
Meet Us at The Oasis
Reportedly, there are more than 32 Honky Tonk bars in this part of Music City. We decided to be selective and after surveying the area, entered Garth Brooks’ new venue – “Friends in Low Places” or #FILP as they like to call it.
It was about 6 PM and a good group was performing on the first floor. After the set was over, we headed up to the third level – known as the “Oasis” (something all Garth Brooks fans will recognize). A terrific DJ was spinning all sorts of music. The rain of earlier had cleared and the temps were perfect at this rooftop location. It was enjoyable to simply be a voyeur and watch the antics on the street below as well as other rooftop bars.
Stars of the Future – the Huffer Brothers
On our way to another venue, we were stopped in our tracks by an incredible band on the first level of #filp. The Huffer Brothers were so entertaining, we were glued to our seats for the next two hours. Yes, they played without a break. And they covered country, rock, and even rap, along with lots of humorous segues and banter. As a Tennessee grad, I am qualified to say it was the best rendition of “Rocky Top” I have ever heard. The fiddling was over the top. The guitar solo during the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic “Free Bird” was also beyond belief. Incredible talent, wonderful performers, and so much fun!
An Ice Cream Nightcap
By the time we left, crowds were surging. We left the night to the youngsters and, walked around to take in the late-night sights. A successful ice cream hunt found Jeni’s Ice Cream, providing a nice nightcap.
Walking back to our hotel, the historic Union Station, we passed a number of significant early Nashville sites. We saw the old Customs House, first school, Ryman Auditorium, churches, and (for my hockey fans) the Predators’ Arena.
I’ll let the pics try and convey a bit of the Honky Tonk Highway atmosphere.
Of note: on the Honky Tonk Highway there are NO cover charges and they are open 10 AM – 3 AM, 365 days a year.
During our recent visit to Nashville, we stayed at the renovated Union Train Station in Nashville Yards. It is very conveniently located a few blocks up Broadway from all the popular honky-tonk country music bars and clubs.
Union Station is beautifully restored and repurposed. The ornate ceiling features 128 panels of original curved glass manufactured by The Luminous Prism Company (a competitor of Tiffany Glass). Bas relief sculptures surround the Grand Lobby illustrating the history of transportation from the beginning of time until 1900 when the building opened to the public.
The seven-story hotel is now a Marriott Autograph Collection property. If you go, be aware they have first-floor rooms with an enclosed patio that would not be my choice. Ask for a larger room with a view. Rooms are varied in size and some are small. Suites are located along the fifth-floor balcony level and have ceiling heights of 18-22’.
My husband is a train fanatic, and he enjoyed having a view of the tracks and watching freight trains come and go. Sadly, Nashville is no longer a stop for passenger trains.
Another Historic Property Saved
A nice bar and restaurant are on-site and a chamber quartet was playing in the expansive lobby. Slated for destruction, a “Save Our Station” effort was successful. Nashville’s train station reopened as a boutique hotel in 1986 and is now listed as one of the Historic Hotels of America. I suggest visitors stop by the front desk and pick up a brochure for a self-guided tour. It’s a good overview of this beautiful National Register of Historic Places site.
My favorite trivia fact: To entertain travelers, baby alligators were imported from Florida and placed in two pools located on track level. The baby gators spent the winter inside the warm train station in a temporary lobby pool. I just wonder what they did when those baby gators reached adolescence?
