This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.

This project is funded by Putnam County with support from a grant provided by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

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

[♪dramatic music♪] Oh, man.

Wish you were here.

Welcome to Wish You Were here.

Adventures in Tennessee's upper Cumberland.

I'm Shan Stout, your guide.

As we explore the scenic beauty and uniqueness of this stunning region in Middle Tennessee.

Together, we will uncover new destinations, explore the charm of a small town business, and visit with the remarkable people that make Tennessee's Upper Cumberland such a magical place to visit.

Now, before we meet up with our Wish You Were here field correspondents.

Let's explore the Lodge at Center Hill, a large scale vacation rental that promises an equal measure of relaxation and extraordinary style.

[♪Christmas music♪] While-being within only five minutes of Interstate 40, but also tucked away in the beautiful woods and hills of Silver Point, Tennessee.

The Lodge at Center Hill Lake offers guests the experience of getting away from it all while also being a short drive from fun outdoor activities and great food as well.

But once you settle into the cozy, rustic setting of the lodge, you may not want to leave.

When you think of short term rentals and destinations that are extraordinary, this is the place that comes to mind.

I want to introduce you to the owner of the Lodge at Center Hill, Dawn Doll.

Thank you so much for having us today.

Welcome to the Lodge on Center Hill Lake.

However, I do have to say I've been 'Wishing You Were Here,' Shan Stout, for a long time.

Well, Dawn, we're so excited to be here.

And this place is very special for so many reasons.

And I would think large scale parties.

And with New Year's right around the corner, it's one of those things to where you can just feel that you can have everybody close to you, but not close to you.

That's exactly right.

I mean, we have a whole lower level for like the kids, kind of the bunk room, play room, video games, all that kind of stuff.

And we have separate bedrooms for all the adults, you know, 21 people.

There's plenty of space.

It's really about creating this experience.

I really try to take it to the next level.

We're adding very curated experiences like personal chef experiences, charcuterie boards, Santa experiences, small town Christmas, fly fishing excursions, you name it.

The gamut is there.

You have a personal concierge that actually does all of the things for you and takes you to all the places, so it's not just a stay, it's more of an experience.

If you need candles that are particularly made for your weekend.

We work with all kinds of different local vendors, and that's kind of the beauty of this small town.

And the beauty of small town Christmas is that we all work together to build each other.

Well, and she's not kidding, because you made a special candle just for us today.

I can't believe this.

It is the Wish You Were Here candle.

So you're not joking?

You are all in.

Actually, our dear friend who we know at Mountain Top Shop did this candle for you guys, and it smells extraordinary.

You'll have to take my word for it.

Now, I know that a lot of visitors, while they're out and about, and they are enjoying their time off.

They love Instagrammable locations and there are so many photo opportunities.

There is a view that is extraordinary.

So talk to us about the indoor versus the outdoor spaces.

So indoors we have a little bit of everything I've really tried to kind of make it like the lodge feel, but you can't ignore the Asian influence.

So you'll see a little bit of that throughout the character of the house and outside.

We have all the amenities we have, you know, a sauna and we have a hot tub and we have a fire pit.

So there's beyond the views.

I mean, there's all the outdoor spaces.

Well, we appreciate you allowing us to come in and see this extraordinary rental.

And you mind if we take a little bit of a closer look?

Absolutely.

I no longer have to wish they were here.

So whether you want to grab your guitar and entertain friends by the fire, or just sit outside and enjoy the beauty, nature has to offer, the Lodge at Center Hill Lake can be the perfect place to bring your friends and family to experience the incredible setting in this beautiful part of the Upper Cumberland.

[♪Sleep in heavenly peace..♪] What does the small town of Gainsborough, Tennessee and New York City have in common?

They both have a high appreciation of the arts community field correspondent Mirlie Larose steps into Gainsboro Modern or Gain Mod, its trendy nickname, Gain Mod is an art gallery that elevates and inspires, while being located right in the middle of the Gainsborough Square.

Let's see if Mirlie can channel her inner art critic.

[♪♪] For several years, downtown Gainsborough has come alive, with new shops and restaurants popping up all around the square.

And recently another location has opened its doors, offering an attraction usually associated with the bigger cities like Nashville or Knoxville.

Gainsboro Modern brings amazing works of art from all over the world and displays them for all to enjoy right here in the Upper Cumberland.

Hey everyone!

I'm Mirlie Larose, the MoMA in New York, the Guggenheim in Spain, and the Game Mart in Gainsborough, Tennessee.

Let's explore bold contemporary art in the heart of this small Tennessee town.

It's free is open to everyone.

I am here with Cat and Wade Schmitz, co-founder of the Game Mod.

Welcome to Gainsborough Modern Museum of Contemporary Art.

Can you guys tell me a little bit about your origin story?

How long have you guys been here?

What started it all?

We are originally from Houston, Texas.

We moved to Jackson County.

We've been full time here for about three years now, and we are artists and art collectors, and we realized we had more art than walls in our home and had this crazy idea.

Why don't we found a museum in this town that we have fallen in love with?

Gainsborough.

We love the people here.

And we wanted to give back.

What can visitors expect when they come here?

Well, free admission always.

So anyone can come in and experience contemporary art.

A lot of people, do come in and experience a museum or contemporary art for the very first time, we've noticed.

So we've only been open since June.

But we've had some, a really great response here.

Our ground level, the Gore entrance, which is our main level, houses our permanent rotating, art collection.

And then on our second level, it's a separate entrance and union entrance.

We have special exhibitions.

We have one going on right now starting October 3rd and running through December 21st.

And, it will also host events, another special exhibitions.

We'll have them sprinkled throughout the year.

That's great.

You too are very talented.

I think you definitely would love to say.

I wanted to ask, how do you guys know what you choose to go inside of your museum?

How do you decide?

You know, that's a that's a difficult question, but it's the pieces speak to us and we feel the work.

And we also think about our audience as well, something that is not going to be seen or hasn't been seen before.

That will spark some type of interest.

Can you guys tell me about the snails on that's outside of the building.

Oh, we love those snails.

They're from a artist in Milan, Italy, called Cracking Art.

And they take recycled plastics and create these creatures that are kind of larger than life, We chose the snails, because we felt they kind of remind you to slow down, you know, sort of look inside a little bit and, and just really enjoy the museum.

So there are snail ambassadors.

We're going to be having, snail days next September.

So a community event, along with, a gala celebration.

That is so fun.

That's a that's a such a great way to incorporate the community in your art.

And I can sense that's very important to you guys, too.

Yes, yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

We definitely appreciate you guys having us over.

Thank you so much.

With incredible museums, delicious dining, exciting shopping, and plenty of opportunities for fun outdoor activities, Jackson County, Tennessee has been and continues to be an exciting vacation destination in the Upper Cumberland.

Why not plan a trip to this beautiful spot in the hills of Tennessee and experience it for yourself?

You won't be disappointed.

Looking for a unique dining experience?

This restaurant is located in the historic west side of downtown Cookeville, Tennessee with elevated fare, a trendy atmosphere, and extraordinary service, you'll always find something to surprise and delight your taste buds at Savor.

And field Correspondent Jason Grider never turns down a chance to eat some really great food.

[♪♪] The historic west side of Cookeville, Tennessee, has quickly become a hotbed for tasty foods and fun entertainment.

People from surrounding areas flock to the West Side to experience that small town feel.

With the excitement of the big city just down the road, Savor of Cookeville is among the newest restaurants in this area to open its doors and offers a delectable mix of American classics, along with delicious flavors of Asian, Creole and Southwestern influences as well.

Hey, I'm here with the owner of Savor, Jay Albrecht.

And, Jay, this is new.

Savors new.

But you being in the restaurant business isn't new.

So how did all of this come to be?

So, after, 12.5 years or so in the restaurant business, being over across the street.

Right.

Literally right across the street, at Seven Senses, We decided we needed something new.

We needed, to add to the west side of Cookeville, our historic district down here.

And Savors really what that entails.

So this is the first step.

Right.

Is bringing everything from our menu, at least from Seven Senses over to Savor and, open a new facility which offers so many new benefits.

Patio, separated dining room and bar and just a lobby area for people to wait in.

And just all the things that we didn't have over at Seven Senses.

Jay, what can people expect when they come to Savor?

So first of all, I think we're a nice casual restaurant.

You know, the downtown West side, Cookeville, Tennessee, we thrive on, on, making people feel comfortable hopefully.

We are not a fast food restaurant, and a lot of people want us to be a fast food restaurant.

We're not a fast food restaurant because we cook everything to order.

Oh, perfect.

So it is literally we get your order and we we start processing that order the minute it comes in.

But we're not a fast food restaurant, so that's what that's what it's all about as a whole is just you come in, enjoy a variety and enjoy something you don't get anyplace else and let us take care of you.

And hopefully you leave with a positive feeling.

Now, obviously, being a restaurant tour, one would think that there's certain foods that are your favorite.

Yeah.

So do you have a favorite and is it on the menu at Savor?

Well, I have a lot of favorites, I guess you would say.

A lot of this menu is what people have enjoyed at Seven Senses for a long time now, but this is personal to me, but I love our bacon cheese, grit puppies.

It's the thing that started with us that has changed very, very little over the years.

And so that's the item that is our number one seller.

It's the thing that probably more people know us by than anything else.

Secondly, then, I love our tuna appetizer.

We have an ahi tuna appetizer that is I think one of the best in town.

And there are other others in town that are great.

Ours I think, just stands apart a little bit different, a different flavor profile.

And I love that.

We do a pasta dish called our Lemon Butter Linguine.

And I love it with grilled shrimp.

It's it's flavorful.

It's colorful.

It's it's it's fairly light.

And so if you're a pasta lover and you're into that, you've got that option to choose from, which is incredible.

One of my personal favorites is just the fillet.

Yeah.

We have it.

Almost everybody has a filet in town and this isn't to slight anybody else, but I'll put our filet up against anybody else's one.

We have an amazing filet.

And so I highly, recommend, the filet option.

Well, Jay, thanks so much for spending time with us.

If you plan on being in Cookeville.

Being here on the west side, come try out Savor.

It's delicious.

With such a wide variety on the menu, you are sure to find a tasty entree or appetizer to savor for yourself.

Make the west side of Cookeville your next stop for a delicious meal, and see what other exciting experiences this beautiful part of town has to offer.

With the sound of waterfalls right around the corner, you don't want to miss this local attraction when visiting Burgess Falls State Park.

Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen gives vibes of the past and the present with a fully restored spectacular red barn facade, complete with an adorable gift shop that can also feed you along your journey.

Field correspondent Shaun Scantland is excited to see what this incredible visit has in store.

[♪♪] What better setting to enjoy a good old country Christmas than in a beautifully decorated rustic farm store situated right outside the amazing Burgess Falls State Park, Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen offers guests locally made products and gifts while giving them the experience of country living at its finest.

Hi everyone, Shaun Scantland here and I'm excited to bring you along on my visit the Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and kitchen.

I'm here with the owner, Laurel Dunn.

Hey, Sean.

And hey y'all.

Welcome to Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen.

This place looks amazing, both inside and out.

I got to know, is this bar new?

Restored?

Tell me the origin of this place.

Okay, so it is the original 1949 barn.

A lot of people think because of the new metal on the outside, that it is new, but it is not.

We had put the insulation somewhere, so the insulation is on the outside, covered by new metal.

But all of the lumber in here is original to the barn in 1949.

One of the neat things when we were working on it, we'd have people come in and say that they hung tobacco in this when they were kids, or they played here, you know, when they were kids and and they told us that all of this lumber is actually chestnut oak.

So the name of our farm came before we even knew this existed, because there's a lot of chestnut oak trees on the farm.

But that was just one more, kind of thing about it that the lumber in here is chestnut oak.

But, the dream actually started in 2020, and, we just wanted a small, like a little country store to sell our farm raised beef and also produce and eggs and, you know, other local things.

And my husband was like, that barn would be the perfect store.

Just about everything that's in our store to purchase is from a local crafter.

So we've got a range of things, like my daughter actually has some little crocheted, stuffed animals in here that she makes.

We've got homemade soaps, homemade pottery, earrings made completely just from wood.

We've got clocks made out of old pans.

We just we've got so many different things.

I mean, there's you can find so many gifts for people in here and unique things that you can't just find anywhere.

I need a clock on my hand to tell me to quit cooking it, because I'm always over cooking stuff.

Wouldn't that be nice?

So that would be perfect.

Now you're located less than a mile from the wonderful Burgess Falls State Park.

Yes.

What can visitors expect when they come to this area?

So, Burgess State Park is a great little park.

And it's kind of unique in that there's not just one waterfall, but there's actually three waterfalls, and you're not hiking to get to it.

You actually are seeing it as you walk through.

So you've got the Little falls, the middle Falls, and then the big falls, but you're getting to see the river and the falls all the way down.

I love that.

So basically we're saying don't listen to TLC, chase those waterfalls, right?

That's right.

Chase those waterfalls.

All right.

Now, for a guy like me, we can't come here and not talk about the food.

You got to tell me about the food.

What's your favorite?

What are people ordering?

So probably the most, popular thing on the menu is the brisket.

So we smoke the brisket and we smoke, Boston butts for pulled pork.

Tiffany and Dexter, who are now running the store, actually has his own Big Daddy D's barbecue sauce and rubs that he puts on it to season it.

So it is really good brisket, really good.

Pulled pork.

And then we've got, Catfish Fridays.

So we got some really good catfish.

And that is a really big time on Friday nights that everybody comes out.

So, Laurel, tell me, what is something you wish people knew before they visited Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen?

So check the Facebook page for hours and days that we are open.

The name says Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen, but it is not just a store and kitchen.

There's so many more things on the farm that you can enjoy.

You know, while we're here, we've built a new chicken coop, which is more like a chicken palace.

But we built it to be interactive so people can come and see the chickens.

They can gather their own eggs.

And then also on our Facebook page, you know, we'll have whatever events are coming up for that particular part of the season.

Thank you, Laurel, so much for letting us come here today and sharing all about Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen.

Thank you for coming.

And you will want to come and explore Chestnut Oaks Farm Store and Kitchen right here in Sparta, Tennessee.

Why not come and see for yourself what country living is all about at Chestnut Oaks Farm and Kitchen?

Make it a point to visit the little Red barn and explore gorgeous Burgess Falls State Park while you're there.

There's something for everyone in Sparta, Tennessee.

[♪♪] Nestled in the heart of historic Granville, Tennessee, there is a place where friends gather in lively conversation over their favorite cup of tea and a side of delectable pastries.

The lovely, fine tea room guarantees a beautiful high tea experience, along with one of a kind gifts in their cozy gift shop.

Field correspondent Mirlie Larose is ready to find out more about this tea inspired stop, but I never let my friends drink their tea alone.

This sounds like a perfect girl's day out.

[♪♪] [♪♪] As if Granville, Tennessee wasn't already the perfect quaint Mayberry type town, there's a lovely little tea room that fits the small town experience to a tee.

It's a beautiful spot to meet up with friends, have a delightful cup of tea with a tasty treat, and just take a step back and relax from the hustle and bustle of life.

What's better than a warm cup of tea?

A tea with delicious pastries.

I'm here in Granville, Tennessee, at the Lovely Find Tea Room and Garden Gifts with the lovely Vickie Pelamati.

Vickie, thank you so much for having us.

Thanks for being here.

All right, so tell me, what made you open up this tea room in historic Granville?

Just circumstances in my life had changed.

The little home came up for sale, and I moved here.

I had the intentions of having just a gift shop.

But you know how in our older age kind of think about things.

Oh, let's have some fun.

My good friend and husband moved to the area, and she's the expert with the tea room.

And I said, Karen, do you want to do a tea room?

And that's her heart.

It's her passion.

She's always wanted to do it.

And, so that's where that idea came from.

Well, thank you to Karen for this lovely tea idea.

Absolutely, yes.

Now, could you tell me, do you need reservations in order to come here?

We encourage that because obviously you're traveling to Granville, so I would not want you to travel and not be able to be seated.

I am small, So it is a matter of making sure I have a table for you.

And that brings me to my next question.

What can visitors expect when they come here?

Well, you're greeted.

You walk into the little gift shop and then we have a table already set for you with China.

And so it's a quieter setting.

There's no large TVs, no loud music.

It's a quiet setting.

And that's the purpose of a tea room to engage in conversation.

412 00:23:19,865 --> 00:23:20,332 Yeah.

So it's the intimacy in that.

And people enjoy that.

I think they're actually starving for that at times.

So it allows you to have that quiet conversation and great food.

And you can never beat great food.

Tea, food, conversations, sounds like a good time.

Absolutely.

Could you also tell me what are some other experiences people can look forward to when they come to Granville?

Well, I just love this community.

It's a historical town.

And, of course, the general store is the star attraction.

It's an historic building.

And then we have the Tennessee Quilt Museum, Bee's Farmhouse, Breanda does a lot of great work with quilting, sewing.

She gives classes in there.

And then they can sign up for basket weaving classes, blacksmithing classes and then, Pioneer Village.

All of that takes place in Pioneer village.

And then there's the Sutton homestead.

Every place I have mentioned has historical value.

It's just a sweet, quaint little town.

That is lovely.

Thank you so much Vickie for inviting me into your beautiful space.

Thank you.

Is it okay if I try some tea with a friend?

Please do.

All righty.

Come on.

I'm so glad she said yes.

What was I going to do if you said no?

[♪♪] In today's hectic world, it's refreshing to find a place that offers the perfect setting for just relaxing and enjoying life.

Come visit Granville, Tennessee.

Have a cup of tea and take the time to appreciate a more laid back way of life, at least for a little while.

Tea and scones, unique dining, extraordinary places to relax and more holiday shopping fun than we can put in one episode.

Today's explorations have definitely wrapped up our holiday season with joy and gratitude for all that Tennessee's Upper Cumberland has to offer.

Thank you for staying with us on today's journey and until our next adventure.

Happy holidays from all of us at Wish You Were Here!

With the lovely Vickie Pelamati.

Correct.

Okay, I should just be confident then.

Pelamati.

464 00:26:03,795 --> 00:26:06,531 So you're located less than a mile from Burgess Falls State Park.

Wonderful park.

Yes, yes, yes.

Hello.

It's two sentences.

How could you forget the second one on the way there?

70s freeze frame.

This project is funded by Putnam County with support from a grant provided by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.