(light music) - [Announcer 1] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

- [Announcer 2] "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.

(dramatic music) - [Elisabeth] In the heart of Tennessee.

There's a little slice of heaven you've just got to see.

(dramatic music) (wistful 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 remarkable personalities that define the charm of the Upper Cumberland.

Before we meet up with our "Wish You Were Here," field correspondents, let's escape to a relaxing and unique lodging destination with a bit of a folk feel.

With property names like House Wren and the Quail House and Crane's Cabin.

I can already tell you it's a destination for the outdoor and nature lover in us all.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer 2] Nestled among canopied trees and chirping birds near Fall Creek Falls State Park visitors to Folk Stays in Spencer, will find a haven of rest and tranquility with specialty lodging accommodations.

- Hello everyone and welcome to "Wish You Were Here."

I am here today in the majestic Spencer, Tennessee, really close to Fall Creek Falls State Park with Allie and Gage Farmer of Folk Stays.

Thank you so much for having us.

We're really excited to hear more about your property.

This is one of four locations that you guys have and houses that you guys have.

Can you tell us a little bit about where we are today?

- Today we're at our location right outside of Fall Creek Falls.

We have two houses on this property and behind us is our tree house.

This is Tree House Wren and it's our newest build.

- [Katelyn] They are beautiful locations.

But this isn't your only location.

Where else do you guys have places to stay?

- We have two on this property.

We have our Tree House and Crane's Cabin.

We also have two in Sequatchie County and we have an A-frame and a container home there.

- [Katelyn] These are beautiful locations and I'm sure the other ones are beautiful as well.

I really can't wait to explore.

Tell me what guests can do when they're visiting your cabins?

- [Allie] The biggest thing that we have is Fall Creek Falls State Park.

There's beautiful waterfalls, hiking.

And another thing that we have in our area is one of the biggest Mennonite communities in Tennessee, and it's just maybe three miles from here.

- [Gage] Another reason people like to come to our accommodations, is what we provide.

We have hot tubs and outdoor bathtubs and we truly provide a unique experience to get away from the city.

We have a lot of people that get engaged and even have had some people get married at our houses and we enjoy when people come back.

We have guests that's come to us years ago and now they have families of their own they bring here and they get to enjoy it with their family.

- [Katelyn] You guys said you have two different cabins on this property.

I wanna hear more about the cabins and what they have to offer.

- Our cabin at the front of the property is called Crane's Cabin and it has an outdoor bathtub.

It has a fire pit, and it has a deck that goes all around the house, that is just perfect for sitting at night.

It's actually named after the Sandhill Crane, which is a native bird to Tennessee.

And we took all of our design inspiration from the crane.

So the house is tall, because cranes are tall and so it has 14 foot ceilings and the silver color on the outside was inspired by the crane.

And even the red cabinets inside are inspired by the red on the crane's head.

- [Katelyn] That's really neat.

And what about the cabin that's right behind us?

- [Gage] So this is Tree House Wren.

It's based off the House Wren bird, and they're notorious for living in bird houses that look very similar to this.

And some of the design elements we put in this house was terracotta floors, which if you look at the House Wren's eggs, they're terracotta color and the color on the outside is also pulled directly from the bird's feathers.

Another unique feature about this house is we tried to use as many recycled materials as possible, like our bathroom door's from an old school that was tore down here.

And all of the materials, like the wood floors and stuff, have been recycled from other projects.

- Well, the properties are lovely.

We really appreciate you guys having us today.

I'm super excited to explore and see everything that your property has to offer.

Thank you guys so much.

- Thank you.

- [Announcer 2] The quiet of the wilderness and the calm of the natural surroundings are accompanied by modern amenities and retreat-like atmosphere.

Hosts, Gage and Allie Farmer find great pride in providing a restful escape with detailed amenities for their guests.

(upbeat music) - An event that can only be accessed by boat, a competition that's the biggest in the world, a weekend filled with adrenaline, spectators, sunshine and new friends, all on Center Hill Lake.

Let's check in with field correspondent Rafferty Cleary as he checks out what WakeFest is all about.

(upbeat dramatic music) - [Katelyn] Taking competitors and spectators on an adrenaline ride at a world level.

WakeFest takes place each year on beautiful Center Hill Lake in Smithville.

This multi-day event is only accessible by boat and brings guests from around the globe.

- Hello everyone.

We are at Pates Ford Marina in Smithville, on Center Hill Lake, for an event that happens just once a year.

Welcome to WakeFest.

Harvey Letson is with us today.

He is with TNT Watersports, that is the company who is in charge with putting on WakeFest.

Harvey, thanks for letting us spend some time with you today.

- It's nice to meet you.

- [Rafferty] Good to see you.

- All right.

- [Rafferty] Tell us how WakeFest got started.

- Well, it started out as a grassroots wakeboard tournament.

Come one, come all.

Everyone from little kids up to people that were almost at pro level.

And it started out on Old Hickory and kind of outgrew that.

And then they were able to team up with the people that own Pates Ford and we were able to move it here and it's gotten bigger and bigger every year.

- Wakeboarding, wakesurfing, explain the difference or is there a difference?

- Yes, there is.

It's a good question.

Wakeboarding, it's similar to snowboarding in that you have on a set of bindings, you'll have a board and you'll hold onto the rope and you're gonna go on average about 19 or 20 miles an hour and you'll ride behind a boat and you can learn to do different types of tricks.

With wakesurfing, the boats run at between 10 and about 12 miles an hour.

We fill them up with water, water ballast and it makes a wave that comes up behind the boat.

You get up with a rope, you find your spot in the wave, and then you toss the rope in the boat and then you just ride and surf on the wave that the boat generates.

- [Rafferty] What can folks expect when they come to WakeFest?

- It's going to be loud and the water's probably going to be rough, but you'll see some of the best wakeboarding on the planet.

Some of the top riders are here from around the world and they put on a great show.

And also the Pro Women are here and they also put on a great show.

So it's, you get to see some of the top riders on the planet right here in middle Tennessee.

At the end of the Pro Men and Women's event, we have what we call a shootout And some of the top riders they line up, everybody has to take a shot for the $50,000 prize and it's winner take all.

We have it set up so that when the first rider goes up, the other rider can't see what he's doing.

So then when the next rider comes up, he doesn't know what the previous riders have done.

So everybody that comes up has to bring an A game.

- Somebody's walking away with 50 grand at the end of this.

That's pretty awesome.

What else should folks know or be prepared for if they're coming to take in WakeFest?

- You wanna bring lots of water, have a lot of sunscreen, and you'll wanna plan well in advance.

We usually release the dates for the event in January, toward the end of January, 1st of February.

And usually within a matter of days, a lot of the immediate surrounding areas and campsites have already been taken up.

So a lot of people that come from other places now are having the opportunity to find Airbnbs and Rent by Owners also in the area.

- Personally, what is your favorite part of the two day event?

- (sighing) Just the spectacle of it.

(laughing) Yes, and you have to see it to understand it.

Be prepared to have a good time and see a good show.

- So Harvey, you talked about the spectacle of this event.

I mean, how many boats are we talking that are on the water?

And you said water is expected to be rough.

So obviously a lot of activity.

- There's, in the past, for the past five, six years, we've averaged between 500 and 700 just wakeboard/wakesurf type boats tied up and in the area.

And about a hundred houseboats also tied up.

It's a pretty huge deal.

Huge event.

- Well, Harvey, let's get out and experience WakeFest.

What do you say?

- Let's do that.

- [Rafferty] Let's do it.

- Time to go.

(hard driving music) - [Katelyn] Make the commitment and tie up your boat for the full weekend of festivities or free float and watch at your leisure.

Whatever floats your boat.

(upbeat music) - Golf, craft beer, a place where customers become like family.

Sounds like an adventure for field correspondent Matt Beal.

Let's check in with him as he heads to the golf capital of Tennessee to visit Swing On Brewing Company in Crossville.

(upbeat music) - [Elisabeth] Offering a unique hops hospitality in the Upper Cumberland, Swing on Brewing Company is located in Crossville, the golf capital of Tennessee.

Laura and Bruce make their guests feel like friends and family as they welcome them to their brewery and taproom.

- Greetings and welcome to Crossville, the golf capital of Tennessee.

We are here today at Swing On Brewing Company with the owners, Laura and Bruce Evans.

Laura and Bruce, thanks so much for having us this morning.

- Thanks for coming out.

- Let's start with the name, Swing On.

We're in the golf capital of Tennessee.

That can't be a coincidence.

- No, sir.

The name really started with swing oil, but that's a long story.

So Swing On is golf based.

It's golf themed.

The whole brewery is golf themed.

I'm a avid golfer.

I used to play three times a week until I over opened the brewery.

So now it's about once a month now, but I'm still an avid golfer.

- Do you golf by the way?

- No, I don't.

- No.

Innocent.

- I drive the cart very well, but I, yeah, yeah.

- [Matt] Somebody's got to do that.

- Somebody has to do the hard work.

(chuckling) - And we're not just at a brewery.

We are in your home, or very close.

Tell us how that works.

- [Bruce] So Tennessee is good enough.

There's no zoning laws in Cumberland County.

And so Tennessee is good enough to allow you to have a brewery on your personal property.

So it works out great.

We don't have very far to go to work.

- I love a short commute, don't you?

- It's a commute, yes.

Yeah.

- Sure, sure.

- [Matt] And did I understand you to say that neighbors actually contributed to the construction of this building.

- [Laura] Absolutely.

Yeah, I think we talked a little bit, you know, we had to wait a little while to get our concrete poured and when we had to wait, we lost our contractor.

So we had the metal building put up and then volunteers.

There's quite a few of 'em in behind us here.

A big group of people, a lot of people that were retired, plumbers, electricians, all that, built this whole building with us, just for lunch and a free beer on occasion.

So yeah, very lucky.

Very blessed.

We have a great group of volunteers.

- The volunteer state, truly.

- [Matt] We are in the volunteer state.

- Yes sir.

- That's right, we are.

- It's a testament to that.

- It it is.

Yeah.

- You became interested in Germany.

You were at the ground zero, if you will, of beer brewing, right?

- Yes.

- [Matt] But these are your first hop plants that you've grown?

- [Bruce] Yes, so at the time, this was about maybe eight or nine years ago, hops were becoming scarce, so to speak.

- [Laura] So many breweries.

- [Bruce] Because there were so many micro brewers popping- - [Laura] Yeah, popping up.

- [Bruce] And so the price of hops was going up on a daily basis.

And I figured this is a perfect retirement.

Wow.

We'll grow hops and be able to retire early.

Doesn't work that way.

(Laura laughing) Hops are extremely, extremely labor intensive.

- So take me through some of the beers that you have on tap here.

- [Bruce] Yeah, so we got a German hefeweizen, which is a wheat-based beer, lighter in hops, but very drinkable.

And we do a honey ale and it's a little bit higher in ABV 'cause the sugars in honey drive up the alcohol content a little bit.

But it's very drinkable as well.

- [Laura] All the beers come from, the names, come from the movie "Caddy Shack."

So sometimes people, like our Mexican lager is called Wang's Mexican Lager.

Mrs. Crane's blueberry.

She's one of the people at the beginning playing golf in a blue outfit.

- [Matt] Some, or one of them have been award-winning beers?

- [Bruce] Yes.

So our blueberry was built around, there's a small brewery up in Massachusetts that was located fairly close to where we lived.

Laura fell in love with the blueberry that they did and I tried to mimic it and my recipe actually came out better.

And so our beer won the top prize, which was pretty satisfying.

- Tell me about weekend activities here and what differentiates that?

- [Bruce] We have a big October Fest with the lederhosens and the whole nine yards, eight piece band.

- [Laura] We do a lot of different music, so very lucky to be so close to Nashville and have so many wonderful musicians and food trucks.

We have a variety of different foods.

So we do food trucks just about every Saturday and Sunday.

If there's not a lot going on, we have pool table, golf simulator, we have a disc golf, just started a small course.

- [Matt] I love that there's a beer here for everyone.

There's an activity here for everyone.

There is in fact a beer garden?

- [Bruce] So the beer garden is located on the east side of the property, has a fire pit, has tents for shade, picnic tables.

When it cools off in September and October we have it all lit up and it's pretty popular on the weekends there.

It's very comfortable.

There's things to do out there as well.

- Well I am anxious to go check some of this stuff out.

Clearly, it's filling up.

I need to get in line for a second beer and look forward to that.

So thanks again for having us.

Look forward to being part of the fun.

- Thank you, so much.

- Thank you, so much.

- [Katelyn] The tap room with its "Caddy Shack" themed decor, various activities for guests and award-winning beers make for a welcoming atmosphere for all who enter.

(upbeat rock music) (upbeat rock music fading) - A passion for flavor and growing garlic fuels the next stop on our journey.

Field correspondent Tiffany McDonald heads to Grimsley, Tennessee to meet up with owners of Galena Garlic Company in pursuit of a garlic education along with culinary tasting and ideas for healthy, fresh and simple cooking.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer 2] For a culinary experience and education like no other in Tennessee.

A stop at the Galena Garlic Company in Grimsley is a must.

Galena Garlic Company shares their passion for garlic with their customers by offering tastings, classes and events.

- Welcome to Gorgeous Grimsley, Tennessee.

We are here at Galena Garlic Company with owners Laszlo and Debra Marton.

How did you get to Grimsley with a garlic company?

- It's a very long story.

It's actually 22 years in the making.

We weren't always here in Grimsley.

We actually started our company in Galena, Illinois, - Hence Galena Garlic Company, right?

- Exactly.

Exactly.

- And then you've been here five-ish years, is that correct?

- Five years, yes.

As soon as we got the little rumbles of COVID we thought we'd get away a couple weeks and see what happens.

And then we just stayed.

- [Debra] We were like, "Oh my gosh, "how can we leave this beautiful place?"

- [Tiffany] It really is.

- [Debra] Yes.

- [Tiffany] The Upper Cumberland is a really gorgeous place.

And here we're on top of the plateau, so I assume that there's some great farmland.

- [Laszlo] It is.

We grow three or four varieties.

It's a little challenging, it's a little more sandy.

So we work with the soil a little more, but it grows really well and we're teaching people how to grow in the area, also.

- [Tiffany] You know, we've talked earlier today about how do you grow garlic in Tennessee?

So it's a several months long process.

- Yes, it's planted in the fall.

Late fall here, because obviously we have planted as late as December and still had a really nice crop coming out in June.

So it is, Debbie always says it's like a baby.

It's like eight, nine months and there's your garlic.

And because we are educators, we love to educate people on how to plant, how to harvest, how to market it.

You know, there's a lot of farmers that get stuck at that point, because they're so busy farming.

I'm actually invited to speak at the Pick Tennessee Conference, which is a kind of a big deal in Nashville.

- [Tiffany] That's wonderful.

- And I'm really proud that I'm gonna speak about garlic love, because it's on February 14th.

- [Tiffany] Okay.

(Debra laughing) - So the word clove has love in it, see?

- It does - Perfect, right?

- Ah.

- Yeah.

- Trying to help farmers or backyard growers at the same time.

- Perfect.

- Yeah.

So everybody should grow garlic, I think.

- I think so too.

My grandmother grew garlic when I was a child.

- There you go.

- So I was somewhat familiar with how it has to winter.

So here you can also buy everything that he's spoken about, in the store.

We've got garlic, of course, olive oils.

What else?

- We have garlic balsamic.

We have 45 different flavored balsamics besides the garlic balsamic.

- I get to taste those here in a second, right?

- [Debra] You do.

Yes.

We've got a little tasting bar for those who love to taste olive oils that are flavored and non-flavored oils.

We have a hundred percent extra virgin olive oils.

So they're the real deal, not a blend of olive oils.

Just a beautiful oil from all over the world.

We get 'em wherever they're pressing.

So we have some amazing oils.

Balsamics from Italy that have been aged 12 to 18 years.

- [Tiffany] Oh yum.

- Yeah, they're so delicious.

- So in addition to garlic and the balsamic and the olive oils, you have seasonings, is that right?

- Correct, so the seasonings are very interesting, 'cause they're in a chef pouch.

So the reason we don't use jars is every time you open and close a jar it oxidizes.

And then you still have kinda, maybe the smell, it smells great, but it starts getting bitter or old.

So our pouches, because you can reseal them, are great, because also you don't have the 11 jars.

There's like millions of flavors out in the world.

So right now we have over 300.

- Oh gosh.

- And there's not a culture or a cuisine that we cannot come across that we have on the wall.

So that's a really nice feather in our cap.

- So garlic is actually known as a super food, right?

- Absolutely, yes.

- Does that encourage what you do here?

- Well, I'm asthmatic so I tend to eat as much garlic as I can.

It helps every part of you, of your body health wise, cholesterol, blood pressure, breathing.

But when you add garlic and you add real olive oil.

And then you get into the cultures that do this.

You know, you see the guy in Greece and Italy, Sardinia or the places that are offbeat and you know, he's 95, but he looks like 50.

Well there you go.

There's your answer.

The garlic, the olive oil, the dandelion root, all these things that have the really high antioxidants, such as our oils are.

So it's, you know, what you put in.

- [Tiffany] Food is medicine.

- Food is medicine.

Yeah.

- [Tiffany] And when we first came in, there were some folks doing yoga here inside the storefront.

And you also host events, is that right?

- [Debra] Yes, we have a room, a community room that we've opened up for different small business owners to host different events.

We also invited the art class at local Clarkrange high school and they did our wall behind our register.

They actually came in and painted the wall freehand and did an amazing job.

So I believe in partnerships and believe in the community.

- [Tiffany] And people are welcome to come to your farm for planting and harvesting.

Is that correct?

- [Laszlo] Absolutely.

We have groups actually coming.

Our Jamestown Garden Club comes and we welcome anyone.

You know we had a beautiful red barn, it got torn down by a, we got not only one, but double tornadoes.

- Oh yeah, I remember that.

- She was crying.

I looked at her and I said, just get in the hallway, 'cause it's bad out there.

But we rebuilt it and it's beautiful.

And then we're gonna try to push for the first National Garlic museum in the area.

- [Tiffany] Oh, that is really incredible.

- [Laszlo] So people can come learn about the garlic, sit down, have some drinks and then chitchat about garlic.

Garlic talk.

- I love it.

Well, I've enjoyed our garlic talk today.

Thank you so much for having us.

It has been an absolute pleasure.

I'm super excited to start taste testing some of these products that they have in here.

So if you're in Grimsley or if you would like to taste some garlic and other amazing products, get up here at Galena Garlic Company.

Until then, we wish you were here.

- [Announcer 2] Garlic and lavender available at their store is grown at their nearby farm.

The future home of a garlic museum.

The space will offer education and meeting space.

In addition to showcasing fellow garlic growers.

The Martons have plans to host a Tennessee Garlic Fest, highlighting culinary connections and the benefits of garlic.

(upbeat music) - Relaxing in scenic lodging accommodations, adrenaline packed water sports, locally grown garlic goodness and a unique brewery with at home personality.

Today's explorations have surely inspired you to start planning your next visit to Tennessee's Upper Cumberland.

Thank you for traveling with us today on this journey and uncovering the region's hidden gems.

Until our next adventure, "Wish You Were Here."

(upbeat music) - I mess up all the time.

- I don't believe that.

- So you're gonna have to deal with me being like, blah, a couple of times.

- I don't believe that.

- [Camera Person] Alright, ready?

Ready?

- [Katelyn] Ready to fall over?

Is it recording still?

Yes.

- [Camera Person] We're gonna use this tape.

(all laughing) - [Katelyn] Even better.

(light upbeat music) - [Announcer 2] "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 1] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.