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Weekend fun is right next-door to Nashvilleby Angela WibkingNashville is a destination in itself. We’ve got the Grand Ole Opry, the Tennessee Titans NFL football team, Andrew Jackson’s historic home The Hermitage and even a full-scale replica of The Parthenon with a 40-foot-tall statue of Athena inside. If you have the time, though, you should consider spending a few extra days in Tennessee to relax at luxurious country inn, stroll and shop in a quaint small town or even explore a whole other city. Here are four weekend getaways that are just an hour or two down the road from Nashville.
The inn also serves lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Tues.-Sat. and offers gourmet dining by appointment in the evening. The excellent chicken salad and an addictive dessert called Apple Cheese Casserole are standout lunch items, while the Portobello Stuffed Buffalo Tenderloin and Coconut Shrimp have lured such celebrities as Hank Williams, Jr. to the inn for dinner. For information, call 931-232-9492 or visit the inn’s web site www.bbonline.com/tn/riverfront.
But there’s more to Chattanooga than a great aquarium and unusual rock formations. The Bluff View Arts District, for example, provides a great getaway for the creatively inclined. The district, just a short walk from the aquarium, is only a few blocks square but is boasts an inn, eateries, two museums and several shops. Book a room at the Bluff View Inn (423-265-5033), an upscale bed-and-breakfast inn with 3 excellent restaurants and a view of a beautiful modern sculpture garden overlooking the river. Tour the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts and learn about the eccentric but brilliant collector whose vast antique holdings are housed here. Check out the excellent permanent and changing exhibits at the Hunter Museum of American Art. Browse through the fine contemporary crafts and art at the River Gallery. Enjoy a sumptuous dessert and coffee concoction at Rembrandt’s Coffee House. Walk across the Walnut Street Pedestrian Bridge to the emerging arts district on the other side of the river. For more information on visiting Chattanooga, call 800-322-3344 or visit their web site at www.chattanooga.net/cvb.
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town of Dover, about 80 miles northwest of Nashville, may be small but it has
some major attractions. One is the Ft. Donelson National Military Park, site of
a significant Civil War victory for Union forces, and another is the lush Land
Between the Lakes recreation area about 25 miles up the road from town. A third
reason for heading to Dover for a few days is the Riverfront Plantation Inn.
The inn is situated on a 100-foot bluff overlooking the Cumberland River – a
view that in 1862 would have included Union gunboats making their way up the
river to do battle with Confederate troops but today offers an outstanding
vista of the lazy river from the inn’s own gazebo. There are five rooms, all
with private baths and enclosed sitting porches, in the renovated and
modernized pre-Civil War structure. Each room is named after a Southern Civil
War general and is individually decorated with antiques and items from the
varied and unique historical collections of the owners. Rates, which include
both early morning coffee and pastries delivered to your room and, a little
later, a full breakfast, are $85-$115 per night.
If you can
only manage one night away from Nashville but still want to experience the
peace and quiet of the Tennessee countryside, consider Peacock Hill Country
Inn, located on a 650-acre farm in College Grove, about 30 miles south of
Nashville. There are 5 guestrooms, all with spacious private baths and king
beds, in the restored 1850 farmhouse, plus a suite in the detached log cabin.
There are also two rooms and a suite in the restored pre-Civil War McCall House
and the 3-room Grainery Suite, in a redesigned 1880s building once used to
store grain. Rates range from $125-$225 a night and include a hearty breakfast
which might consist of an egg dish and fluffy biscuits or Apple Pancake Puff,
plus fruit, juice, tea and coffee. A hospitality bar stocked with snacks and soft
drinks is also available to guests at no extra charge. Activities range from
hiking the miles of trails on the property to just kicking back on a rocker on
the front porch and keeping a lookout for one of the 35 peacocks that roam the
grounds and give the inn its name. For more information or reservations, call
368-7727 or visit the inn’s web site at 
Folksy Rock City and the spectacular Tennessee Aquarium are Chattanooga’s
claims to fame and no one visiting the city, just a two hour drive from
Nashville, should dream of missing them. The aquarium, on the banks of the
Tennessee River, is filled with countless tanks filled with fresh water fish of
all types, a wonderful display of turtles and many other exhibits. Across the
street is an IMAX Theater that shows two different films in 3-D daily. Rock
City is a charming, old-fashioned attraction, set high in the mountains
overlooking the city. Visitors stroll through it at their own pace, marveling
at various rock formations like Fat Man’s Squeeze and the Needle’s Eye,
crossing swinging bridges, passing through caves and enjoying a panoramic view
of the valley and city below.
For a weekend that combines small
town charm with some rugged outdoor activity options, travel 90 minutes
southeast of Nashville on I-24 and head for the little town of Winchester. Plan
to spend some time poking through Hammer’s, a block-long store on the town
square where you’ll find a little of just about everything: men’s’ dress
shirts, overalls, work boots, local honey, fabric, women’s’ apparel, toys,
candy, craft items, home furnishings, and who knows what all. This shopper once
found washable linen dresses, in the latest styles, there for just $15 each.
You’ll also want to browse through Expressions, a shop just off the town square
that successfully combines books and fine crafts by Tennessee artisans, and
Knies Company, a hometown hardware/gardening/home furnishings store. Check out
the Oldham Theater, a vintage independent cinema on the square that still shows
flicks. Have a filling roast beef, ham or turkey sandwich at the Brick Café but
save room that night for a gourmet feast at Pearl’s, a casually elegant
restaurant near Sewanee. From crawfish cakes to the Pearl’s special salad to
the cream cheese brownie finale, this is the kind of place food lovers build
their weekend around. For a little physical activity to offset your fine
dining, explore the 11,500-acre South Cumberland Recreation Area nearby, with
miles of hiking trails and scenic vistas, go underground at the Wonder Cave or
go for the water sports at Tim’s Ford Marina. Rest up for a night or two at the
Adams Edgeworth Inn (931-924-4000) or the North Gate Inn (931-924-2799), two
bed-and-breakfast inns on the grounds of the 117-year-old Monteagle Assembly, a
summer vacation spot for wealthy Southerners for generations. For more
information on Winchester, call the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
(931-967-6788).