(bright music) - [Announcer] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(bright music) - [Narrator] "Wish You Were Here," produced under an agreement with the Upper Cumberland Development District and made possible in part through support from the Tennessee Tech University Center for Rural Innovation and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

(bright music) - In the heart of Tennessee, there's a little slice of heaven you've just got to see.

(adventurous music) Oh man, wish you were here.

Welcome to "Wish You Were Here:" Adventures in Tennessee's Upper Cumberland.

I'm Katelyn Steakley, your guide as we explore the scenic beauty and unique culture of this stunning region.

Together we'll uncover hidden gems, take in picturesque landscapes and encounter the remarkable personalities that define the charm of the Upper Cumberland.

Before we meet up with our "wish You Were Here" field correspondents, let's check out a unique farm in the Upper Cumberland that entertains the senses.

Guests to K&S Farm in Byrdstown will experience picturesque views, relaxing scents, plus encounter some furry and fun farm friends.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Lavender and lavender products can be found near Dale Hollow Lake at K&S Lavender Farms in Byrdstown, just a few miles from Sunset Marina.

Karl and Sue welcome guests to their family farm, sharing their harvest and the opportunity for visitors to explore their gardens.

- Hello, everyone.

I'm here today at K&S Farm in beautiful Byrdstown, Tennessee, with owners, Karl and Sue Lado.

Thank you, guys, so much for having us.

- Absolutely.

- Absolutely.

- So tell me a little bit about where we're standing and how the farm got started.

- Well, we bought the property back in 2015, and our vision in retirement was to have a farm.

We already had the horses and animals, but Sue loves to grow lavender and she's an avid gardener, so she wanted half of the farm to grow lavender and things like that.

So we found this property, and we've turned it into our vision.

And that's how we got started.

As a retired nurse, she used lavender products to help the Marines and wounded warriors that she served and it worked well.

So she wanted to keep doing that.

- Tell me a little bit more about that vision.

What does that look like for you guys when you have visitors on site here at the farm?

- [Sue] Well, we basically give 'em a tour, and do a lot of education, telling them why lavender's important, why pollinators are important.

- [Katelyn] Yeah, tell us a little bit more about that.

Why is lavender important?

- Well, lavender has a lot of medicinal purposes, and so I was just so fascinated with the outcomes that you get from it for insomnia, anxiety.

Just wanted to kind of spread that.

- [Katelyn] In addition to that, you have classes?

- [Sue] We do.

As a matter of fact, we have a painting class going on now.

We work in conjunction with one of our local artists in town.

She has a business, Artsy Farsi.

She comes up quite frequently.

We've done barn quilts and she's done senior painting up here.

Now she has a group of young kids down there and they're painting sunflowers.

And it's kind of neat 'cause they do it in back of the barn so they get to actually do some interaction with the animals.

So that's always really fun.

- [Katelyn] Yes, I've really enjoyed seeing the animals thus far.

Tell me a little bit more about your animals.

- [Karl] Well, we have three full Clydesdales on the property.

Also on the farm, we have two Nigerian dwarf goats.

We have two potbelly pigs.

We have a variety of chickens.

We have a miniature horse, our oldest animal on the farm.

He's 41 years old, and that's Colby.

And he roams the property.

So one thing I'd like to say is whenever you come up to the farm, the gates are always closed.

That doesn't indicate if we're open or not, that we're trying to keep everything we love in from getting out.

So there's a sign on the gate with our phone numbers.

So when people come we want them to give us a call and we go meet 'em at the gate and bring them in.

- [Katelyn] Sue, tell us a little bit about the products in your store.

- [Sue] The store pretty much is everything that's grown, harvested and produced by something on this farm.

So we grow our own loofah.

It's infused into our soaps.

Of course we have the lavender.

We do lavender soap.

We have a lotion.

- [Karl] She makes wreaths.

She makes wands from the fragrance side.

She makes a ton of things.

- It sounds like a lovely place to visit.

I really appreciate you guys having us today.

And I'm really excited to explore the property.

- We're glad you're here.

- [Narrator] Welcoming groups, large and small, K&S Lavender Farm provides an experience and an education on their working farm.

Let thoughts of the relaxing sites and sense of K&S Lavender Farm lure you to Byrdstown to see for yourself.

(bright music) - Panoramic, mountaintop views, foundational Dale Hollow Lake history, vintage decor, cold beverages, burgers and more.

Field correspondent, Tiffany McDonald, takes us to the Quarry at Weir Mountain in Celina for scenic dining experience that will have your head in the clouds.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Just minutes from Dale Hollow Lake, the Quarry Restaurant at Weir Mountain has a history tied to the foundation of the famous lake and a view like no other in the region.

- Hi everyone.

We are here today on this glorious day at the Quarry Restaurant on Weir Mountain in Celina, Tennessee.

I'm here with the owners, Vonda and Tom.

Hello guys.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- [Tiffany] Thank you so much for having us today.

Let me tell you, this is the best day in the office I could ever ask for.

This is perfect.

So how long has this been open?

I didn't even know you were here.

- Well, we opened a year ago.

So we had a one year anniversary the last week in April.

The reason we started this project is we bought a spring, one mile south of here and we were buying up places that had water that influenced the spring.

And one of them was this piece of property right here because right below us is the rock quarry that built Dale Hollow Dam.

They opened it in 1938, and I think they closed it in like '45.

Once we started developing the property, all these rocks you see were just set out here like a mine field.

You couldn't even get a four wheeler up here.

So my friend, Butch, who who laid all the rocks, it took him five years to lay all the rock.

I looked at Butch and I were talking, he said, "What are you gonna do with those rocks?"

He says, "Those rocks are an eyesore."

I said, "Boy, I know it.

I said, I hate to bury 'em."

So we talked about a little bit.

He said, "Well, let's build rock walls."

So that's how all the rock walls have kind of come about.

Once we did that, we realized that we had this beautiful view on top of the hill.

After some discussions, we decided that we would put a restaurant and up on this hill that people could come up here and build memories for themselves.

- So what does your menu look like for the summer?

Do you have any like crowd favorites or specials that people should look into when they're planning their trip here?

- Well, catfish is our number one seller.

- [Katelyn] Okay.

Yum.

- [Vonda] Just, you know, cheeseburgers, french fries.

- [Katelyn] Fried baloney sandwiches.

- [Vonda] Fried baloney sandwich, hot ham and cheese, BLT.

We have amazing breakfast.

- [Tom] When I look among the group when they're eating dinner and that, if they're happy, it makes me feel good.

But in running a restaurant, you know, that's a difficult task to keep your customers satisfied.

We have live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

And they're all local musicians that are playing, like this is James Tisdale, he's from Gainesboro, Tennessee, that plays.

- [Katelyn] You have one of the coolest bars I've probably ever seen at any venue, anywhere that I've ever traveled to.

What is the story with the state bar stools at the bar?

- [Tom] When we were building a bar, we came up with the concept that we wanted to build a bar like the TV show, "Cheers," where everybody knows your name.

Well, here, it's everybody knows your state.

When you go around this bar and you see all 50 states represented with the five territories, and you think about the sacrifice that people had to endure to build this country.

And it's still the the greatest country in the world.

- Vonda, Tom, thank you so much for inviting us out today and sharing your beautiful venue and your beautiful mountain view.

And we invite everybody else to come out.

You need to be here to, like, understand how beautiful this is.

It's gorgeous.

So come on down to the Quarry Restaurant 'cause we wish you were here.

- [Narrator] The Quarry Restaurant at Weir Mountain is so much more than a restaurant.

Plan a visit to this welcoming mountaintop escape for dinner, drinks, an event or even for your next meeting.

(bright music) - Camping, glamping, cabins, waterfalls, scenic overlooks, hiking trails, a swim pond, fishing pond, pet friendly, and did someone say s'mores?

Sounds like field correspondent, Rafferty Cleary, is taking us on an the adventure to Spacious Skies Campground at Belle Ridge in Monterey.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Less than a mile from Interstate 40 in Monterey, Spacious Skies Campground in Belle Ridge is a pet friendly outdoor oasis, welcoming guests to enjoy camping, glamping, private waterfalls, scenic overlooks and more.

- Welcome to Monterey, Tennessee, where Hilltops kiss the sky.

I am at a lovely campground and glamping destination like no other in the region, Spacious Skies at Belle Ridge.

Michelle Fleming is with us today.

She runs this operation, if you will.

Michelle, thank you for spending some time with us today.

- Oh, thank you for coming and visiting us.

- [Rafferty] Coming into Spacious Skies at Belle Ridge, RVs left to the right upon entry, but this is much more than just an RV park.

What are your other lodging options that you have available?

- You're absolutely right.

We have everything from our RV sites.

We have cabins of all shapes and sizes, from a deluxe cabin down to a rustic cabin.

We have tent sites that are back in the woods away from everybody else so you don't even know you're on an RV park.

And then we also have a beautiful three bedroom home that you can rent that overlooks this beautiful valley.

- [Rafferty] It's an amazing home.

I will just leave it at that.

The view behind us, the same view- - Same view.

- That you get at the house.

Outside of the lodging, you say campground, you think, oh, it's just a campground, but what else is there to do at Spacious Skies?

It's kind of endless, isn't it?

- It is endless.

That's a great way to put it.

We have a natural spring fed swim hole.

We have a fishing pond.

We have hikes.

We have three waterfalls on the property.

We have caves on the property.

We have 500 acres of exploring here at the property.

We have this beautiful gazebo.

We have weddings here.

So you can come here, you can rent out the cabins or just our gazebo and have a wedding here.

We also host groups.

We have so much to do here.

It's endless.

We have gem mining.

We have a playground for the kids.

We have events every weekend, crafts and food trucks.

So we have it all for whatever you wanna do when you're camping.

- [Rafferty] I think also folks think that this is a place for outsiders, but not necessarily the case.

If you live in Monterey, for instance, just right here in the heart of Monterey, but anywhere in the Upper Cumberland, you can come for a day to Spacious Skies.

- Absolutely.

We have day passes available for everybody and that will let them hike our trails or swim in our swimming hole or go fishing in our fishing pond.

- What about the furry friends?

Are we pet friendly here?

- We are very pet friendly.

We are a pet friendly group among all of us.

We do have a dog park for all size pets.

- [Rafferty] Oh, neat.

Okay.

Wilkerson, folks on the show become familiar with Wilkerson, he'll like the dog park.

What about the store and some of the, there's the store and you were telling us on the way in the history behind the buildings too, as far as the store and the home that's next to it.

- [Michelle] Absolutely.

Well, we do have a great camp store.

You can come in, buy some souvenirs or just stuff you need for the weekend.

But that home was the original caretaker of this property's home built in the 1800s.

- [Rafferty] Oh man.

Wow.

What is your favorite part of Spacious Skies at Belle Ridge?

- [Michelle] There's two things.

First, we believe in the outdoors.

Our motto is take the indoor outdoor.

Go outside, explore.

We're all about that.

I call it old fashioned camping with modern day amenities.

That's how I explain us.

We cherish being outside.

So that is one of the great things about here, and where else better to do it than here?

As you can see, being outside is just glorious.

So we have cabins that have full amenities, beds, lofts.

And then we have all the way down, we have glamping cabins.

But then we have rustic cabins that are more bare bones, but right across from our very beautiful bathhouse, so easily accessible.

- [Rafferty] Michelle, what do you want visitors and even locals to know before they come into Spacious Skies at Belle Ridge?

- [Michelle] Everyone is welcome here.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive from anywhere, any walk of life.

So we welcome everybody to our campgrounds.

- Michelle, thank you for your time.

I'm thinking I might wanna get out and explore this lovely area, maybe a waterfall in some of the cabins as well.

Are you cool with that?

- You're in the right place.

We'll start with the waterfall right here.

- Let's rock and roll.

- Okay.

- [Narrator] Nature lovers will not be disappointed as this expansive property offers miles of hiking trails, valley views, rock formations, a swim pond, a fishing pond, and acres and acres of exploring.

Whether just stopping in for the day or retreating for overnight stays, a visit to Spacious Skies Campground at Bell Ridge can be as relaxing or as adventurous as you desire.

(bright music) - Healing waters, medicinal heritage, handmade wears, and more await in the historic resort town of Red Boiling Springs.

Let's join field correspondent, Tiffany McDonald, as she explores the town's rich history and learns about mineral bathing and old time remedies at the Folk Medicine Festival.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Macon County's rich heritage and healing waters are celebrated each year with the Folk Medicine Festival in historic Red Boiling Springs.

With the goal of passing along knowledge, skills and traditions, the Folk Medicine Festival strives to educate visitors on old time medicine.

- Welcome to historic Red Bowling Springs, Tennessee.

I'm here at the quilt show exhibit portion of the Folk Medicine Festival with my friend, Rita Watson.

Rita, how are you today?

- I'm good.

How are you doing?

- I'm doing great.

Thank you so much for having us out.

We are super excited to be here.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Folk Medicine Festival, the history of it, how it got started?

- Well, it actually started back in the mid 1980s and ran for 10, 12 years.

Its basic purpose was to preserve the folk life of the community, of the area, because we're losing a lot of that.

Everything from canning to open fire cooking to quilting to blacksmith, weavers, basket makers, you know, all of that kind of thing.

Let the new generation know how things used to be.

You didn't run to Walmart, buy a quilt.

Grandma made it.

She spent hours making it and then she would pile 25,000 of them on you in the winter time.

(laughs) - Right, yeah, that's how I grew up too.

- Yeah, yeah.

So that's basically what it's all about, is preserving the folk life.

- [Tiffany] Oh, I love it.

I know that there's speakers all around the festival today.

Can you tell us about who's at the Speaker's Hall?

- [Rita] The Speaker's Hall is held in the Armour's Hotel, in the dining room there.

Jeff Poppen is always on the list of speakers.

He is known as the Barefoot Farmer.

He owns the largest organic farm in the State of Tennessee.

- [Tiffany] So in addition to Speakers Hall, what else do we have going on here today?

- [Rita] Well, we have what we call The Village, which is in a little park just down the road.

It always has the old time demonstrators in it, a basket maker, Barbara Boone, and Fyf who's a weaver, leaning tree farms.

There'll be milking goats and shearing sheep.

We have in the Palace Park, we have all the arts and craft vendors.

So if you need homemade soap, fried pies, homemade bread, just all sorts of things like that are in that park.

And then of course we have a music stage.

- [Tiffany] And this all kind of ties into like the rich history of Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee, right?

- [Rita] Yeah, we actually start way back in about 1840 is when the first people started coming.

They discovered the water here is real high in sulfur.

And sulfur is, I mean, we use it in drugs all the time, high in sulfur, high in magnesium.

And so the people would come and drink it and bathe in it.

Thousands of people who would come to town, they'd stay in the hotels.

At one time we had nine large hotels.

The largest had 180 rooms in it.

Most all of them faced the creek banks.

They followed the creek.

- That is fascinating.

Now, there's one bathhouse left, is that correct?

- Yes, the Armour across the street from us, has the only mineral bathhouse in the State of Tennessee.

- Perfect.

Well, I'm super excited to be here.

I'm ready to go out and enjoy the festival myself.

Rita, thank you so much for having us today.

- Oh yeah.

- You guys better believe that I'm gonna be soaking next door at the Armour Hotel soon.

Wish you were here.

- [Narrator] Folk medicine is medicine of the people, by the people and for the people.

And in Red Boiling Springs, the people want to carry on the traditions of these longtime remedies.

(bright music) - I hear Tennessee's Mayberry Town has transformed today into a spirited tasting destination.

Let's head over to Cornbread Lane to meet up with field correspondent, Matt Beal, as he samples everything from cornbread to corn liquor at Granville's Cornbread & Moonshine Festival.

(bright music) - [Narrator] Tennessee's Mayberry Town offers a spirited day of tasting at Granville's Annual Cornbread & Moonshine Festival.

In addition to demonstrations of days gone by, Pioneer Village becomes home to Cornbread Lane, offering a lunch of traditional and non-traditional cornbread options.

Each is a sampling from the morning's Cornbread Cook-off.

- Welcome to picturesque Granville, Tennessee's Mayberry Town.

We're here today on a very special day because it is the 11th Annual Cornbread & Moonshine Festival.

I'm here today with the founder of the festival, Brenda Curtis.

Brenda, thanks so much for having us here today.

- Thank you for being here.

- Tell me, how did it get started?

What's your inspiration?

- 12 or 13 years ago, my husband and I just came up with the idea of the Moonshine Festival, actually it came about first.

And then of course we thought, well, what goes better with moonshine than cornbread?

Because, you know, the corn both relative to those two things.

- [Matt] Cornbread, corn liquor, it's all around here.

- That's right.

- In fact, I think we're here in Pioneer Village.

- [Brenda] Yes, sir.

- [Matt] And lots of exciting things going on.

Did I not see some corn meal happening today?

- [Brenda] Yeah, that actually helped with the cornbread idea because we do grind our own corn meal here in the Pioneer Village.

So you can buy fresh ground corn meal.

And we also have a lot of other things exciting here in the Pioneer Village.

We have blacksmithing going on, pottery, basket making.

And you can see those not just during the festivals, but on a daily basis.

You can see things like that here in the Pioneer Village.

- Well Brenda, thanks so much for being here today and explaining this wonderful thing that you started.

We appreciate your doing it.

We have more experts to tell us about more going on with this.

(bright music) I now have the pleasure of being joined by Randall Clemons, the president of the historic Granville Volunteers.

Randall, thanks so much for being here and for having us today.

So this is a very exciting day.

It is The Cornbread & Moonshine festival.

All things corn and cornbread.

I'm getting hungry.

Tell me more about that.

- Sutton Store is known for our cornbread that we serve Wednesday through Saturday.

And so cornbread is a big part of our lives on a daily basis.

But this has grown into a major event that covers about a five county area now that we draw from interest from.

- [Matt] And there's a cornbread cooking contest, you said?

- [Randall] We had traditional, I just eat a piece of indigo that had strawberries in it.

They have a moonshine category that has a moonshine dish.

There's whole cakes, there's just different classes for it, and different age groups.

We really try to involve all the four age clubs in the five counties.

- [Matt] And as if cornbread sampling wasn't enough, there's lunch.

- [Randall] There's lunch.

It's on Cornbread Lane.

And you have pinto beans, turnip greens, fried apples, cornbread.

Then you get to sample all of the entries that was in our contest.

And then you finish it off with cobblers.

So it's a great menu and a great chance to tasting.

And so it's really a big deal for us that we've been doing that for over 10 years now.

So it's a big deal for us.

- Well, and the place is just buzzing with activity today.

You can hear it all around us.

And there's music also involved in the festival.

- We have three stages of music.

We have the Packard Family that is a family of five children that have been adopted from overseas.

They play the fiddle, and they'll be performing here in front of the cabin that we're standing by.

And then we'll be having country music over at our gazebo stage.

- [Matt] Wow, this is the day to be here at- - [Randall] The day to be here.

- [Matt] Everything is on.

And let's go back to the moonshine.

Tell me more about that.

I know you partner with organizations.

- Well, we partnered with the Tennessee Whiskey Guild, and they have brought 16 distillers from all over Tennessee.

You'll be able to taste from 12 to four.

You buy a separate ticket.

And they're set up with individual booze.

And just a great group of people.

And we're so honored to be associated with that group.

And of course, we are the home of the world's largest decanter museum with over 5,000 whiskey decanters.

And so that is a major part of this festival as well.

- I guess the only thing left for me to do is, well, it's not quite noon yet, but taste a little of that moonshine.

- You need the taste.

Gonna love it.

That's right.

- [Narrator] Characterized by storytelling of moonshiners, old and new, paired with the tastes of traditional to non-traditional cornbread, guests to the festival can sample everything from corn liquor to cornbread.

Located on the banks of the Cumberland River, historic Granville and the ever popular Cornbread & Moonshine Festival offer guests an incredible and memorable experience.

(bright music) - Breathtaking dining views, cornbread and moonshine heritage, remedies of days gone by, an outdoor enthusiast escape and special lavender farm, we've taken you on quite the road trip through Tennessee's Upper Cumberland today, one we hope has you planning your own journey.

Thank you for traveling with us.

And until our next adventure, wish you were here.

(bright music) - I'm here at the Quilt Show Exhibit with the Folk Medicine Festival with my friend Miss Rita Watson.

Rita, how are you doing today?

- I'm doing good.

(both laughing) - You are doing good.

I'm not doing so good.

I'll let you get your center again.

75th time's the charm.

(upbeat music) (bright music) - [Narrator] "Wish you were here" produced under an agreement with the Upper Cumberland Development District and made possible in part through support from the Tennessee Tech University Center for Rural Innovation and the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music)