On Your Way to Bonnaroo

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Things to do on your way to Bonnaroo!

Bonnaroo is an annual music and arts festival that sweeps through Middle Tennessee the second week of June.  Many travelers come together to share common ground and celebrate good times, great music, and the best of friends.  NowPlayingNashville.com has created a small list of attractions to help festival-goers discover what can be seen while traveling into or out of the festivities.

So go on... add a lil' more adventure to your adventure and check out these Middle Tennessee sites.

Wine & Spirits

Jack Daniel Distillery - 182 Lynchburg Hwy. Lynchburg, TN 37352
The oldest registered distillery in the U.S. -  is where it all happens. It’s where Mr. Jack first crafted the recipe for Old No. 7. It’s where the pure, iron-free cave spring water flows. And it’s where every drop of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Sippin’ Whiskey is still made today. Located in Lynchberg Tennessee, just over an hour's drive from Nashville, drop by for a firsthand look at the Distillery. One of Mr. Jack's guides will accompany you on a tour and tell you the complete story of their whiskey. And you’ll probably hear an interesting story or two about Mr. Jack as well! 

George Dickel Distillery - 1950 Cascade Hollow Rd. Normandy, TN 37360
Tour the distillery and discover George Dickel's award winning whisky and its time honored traditions. The Visitor's Center is filled with antiques, photos and special memories, and the George Dickel General Store is a wonderful place to visit and drop a line to family or friends at our very own U.S. Post Office - the only working post office at any distillery in the United States. If you prefer, you can rock on our porch and enjoy the abundant nature that picturesque Cascade Hollow has to offer.

Arrington Vineyards - 6211 Patton Rd. Arrington, TN 37014
Arrington Vineyards is Tennessee’s premier winery, located 30 minutes south of Nashville on 75 acres in the beautiful hillsides of Arrington, TN. Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, Kip Summers (winemaker) and Fred Mindermann (local businessman) partnered together to bring to the Southeast a breathtaking and award-winning winery. Arrington Vineyards currently offers 12 wines available for tastings every day except major holidays. Experience the award-winning wines, spectacular vineyard views from the covered deck, and breathtaking sunsets.

Yazoo Brewery - 910 Division St. Nashville, TN 37203
Yazoo Brewery is known for it's award-winning brews and stands as one of the very best brewhouses in the Southeast area.  Owner Linus Hall is equipped with a craft-brewing education through a course at the American Brewer's Guild, a business degree from Vanderbilt University, and an internship at the Brooklyn Brewery.  Hall and his team have created nine delicious beers ranging from porter, stout, pale ale, as well as seasonal brews. The Brewery is located in Nashville's ever-expanding neighborhood, The Gulch, and tours can be taken on Saturdays.
 

Historic Sites

Carter House - 1140 Columbia Ave. Franklin, TN 37064
Built in 1830 by Fountain Branch Carter, the Carter House was caught in the middle of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War on November 30, 1864. The historic landmark serves as a memorial to the Carter Family as well as the countless heroes in the Battle of Franklin. The modest brick home was used as the Federal Command Post while the Carter family took refuge in the cellar. You can see the evidence of over 1,000 bullet holes remaining on site, including the most battle-damaged building from the Civil War.

Fort Negley - 1100 Fort Negley Blvd. Nashville, TN 37203
Fort Negley was a fortification built for the American Civil War, located approximately two miles south of downtown Nashville, Tennessee. Fort Negley was a complex fort, many of its features based on the type of forts European's were known to build. The structure was built in 1862, taking three months to construct. A lot of  man-power was necessary in the construction, including 13,000 Union soldiers. Enjoy a self-guided historic tour while interpretive signage along walkways tell the story of the fort and the people who built and manned it.

Stones River National Battlefield
3501 Old Nashville Hwy. Murfreesboro, TN 37129
The Battle of Stones River began on the last day of 1862 and was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. The battle produced important military and political gains for the Union, and it changed forever the people who lived and fought here. The landscapes of Stones River National Battlefield have shaped and been shaped by the men and women who lived and died there. Most battlefield tours are caravan tours as visitors follow the tour leader in their own vehicles.

Carnton Plantation - 1345 Carnton Ln. Franklin, TN 37064
Randal McGavock, builder of Carnton, emigrated from Virginia in 1796 and settled in Nashville. He was involved in local and state politics and eventually served as mayor of Nashville. The sprawling farm and its buildings played an important role during and immediately after the Battle of Franklin during the American Civil War. During the war hundreds of Confederate wounded and dying were tended by Carrie McGavock and the family after the battle. Some estimates say that as many as 300 Confederate soldiers were cared for inside Carnton alone. Scores, if not hundreds more, were spread out through the rest of the property. Some wounded had to simply sleep outside during the frigid nights, when the temperature reached below zero.

Middle Tennessee Parks

Rock Island State Park - 82 Beach Rd. Rock Island, TN 38581
The scenic beauty of this wooded park is dominated by the Great Falls of the Caney Fork River - an imposing limestone gorge (called a gulf in southern culture). It provides scenic overlooks, waterfalls and deep pools for fishing, rock-hopping and exploring. Located at the confluence of the Collins and Caney Fork Rivers, this 883-acre park has a natural sand beach on Center Hill Resevoir. Historic features of the park include a 19th century textile mill and one of Tennessee's early hydroelectric plants.

Montgomery Bell State Park - 1020 Jackson Hill Rd. Burns, TN 37029
The rolling hills of Dickson County contain a treasure that was considered more precious than gold to the builders of young America. Near the remains of the Old Laurel Furnace, ore pits, where men once scratched iron ore from the earth, lie quiet and abandoned; the hardwood forest, once heavily cut to clear farmland and to produce charcoal for the iron furnaces, has slowly healed its wounds. Fox, squirrel, raccoon, opossum, deer and a wide variety of birds and wildflowers have returned to the forest, making Montgomery Bell a place of quiet natural beauty.

Fall Creek Falls State Park - 2009 Village Camp Rd. Pikeville, TN 37367
A paradise of more than 20,000 acres sprawled across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau, Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of the most scenic and spectacular outdoor recreation areas in America. Laced with cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams, and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber, the park beckons those who enjoy nature at her finest. While Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is the highest waterfall in the eastern United States, other waterfalls in the park are Piney and Cane Creek Falls and Cane Creek Cascades.

South Cumberland State Park - 11745 US 41 Monteagle, TN 37356
South Cumberland is one of the newer Tennessee State Parks. Almost all of the park lies atop the Cumberland Plateau and, unlike most state parks, South Cumberland State Park is made up of ten different areas located in four different counties. Hiking may be the most appealing aspect of South Cumberland State Park. The park includes some of the most noted hiking trails in the country including: Savage Gulf, Stone Door, Grundy Forest, Hawkins Cove, Carter State Nat'l Area, Sewanee Bridge, Foster Falls, and Grundy Lake.

Art & Museums in Middle Tennessee

Nothing Like I Planned: The Art of John Mellencamp
Tennessee State Museum
505 Deaderick Street Nashville, TN 37243
The paintings of John Mellencamp will be featured in his first museum exhibition, Nothing Like I Planned: The Art of John Mellencamp, through June 1oth at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. The exhibition contains 49 paintings, spanning four decades of output. When asked about his work, Mellencamp responded, “I learned a long time ago that you can’t control what people think. Do I have a mission of what I want to accomplish with this? I’ve already accomplished it. There it is. There’s the song. There’s the painting.”

Imagination & Collaboration, A Boys and Girls Club
Metro Arts Gallery
800 Second Avenue South 4th Floor Nashville, TN 37219
Imagination & Collaboration, a Boys and Girls Club, is an exhibition featuring a mixed media 3D installation created by second-graders from the Lockeland Design Center Elementary School. The installation is the result of a collaboration led by local community artist Lindsey Bailey during which students explored themes of safe place and shelter with the process of art making.

The Bakersfield Sound: Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and California Country
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
222 Fifth Avenue South Nashville, TN 37203
The Bakersfield Sound story begins during the Great Depression, when Bakersfield's cotton farms and oil fields attracted a mass migration of Dust Bowl refugees from Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. One of Bakersfield Sound's recurring themes is the connections between all of the artists making music during this fertile period. This is epitomized by the careers of Bakersfield's greatest stars, Owens and Haggard. As they came to prominence in the 1960s, their careers and personal lives were interwined not only with each other but with virtually all of the other major figures of the Bakersfield scene.
 

Discover more FABULOUS ART GALLARIES AND EVENTS in Middle Tennessee!