Go Sunnyland Tours! Safe, Easy and Fun Escorted Motorcoach Tours

Music, Mystery, Wine & War

September 13 - 17, 2010

5 Days & 9 Meals

Special Features

Dinner at Hancock House B&B
Tour Historic Rock Castle
Driving Tour of Country Stars Homes
Tour Trinity Broadcasting Network and original garden and estates of country music legend Conway Twitty.
Gallatin Tennessee’s Historic Square
View film in Historic Palace Theater
Tour Long Hollow Winery, meet Grand Ole Opry Star Stu Phillips
Dinner, entertainment and dancing at Long Hollow Jamboree
Tour the Carter House, Franklin, Tennessee
Tour the Carnton Plantation
Tour Beachaven Winery and Vineyards
Great American Biscuit Bake-Off
Candlelight Dinner and Civil War Ball at Smith-Trahern Mansion
Guided tour of Fort Campbell Military Base
Lunch at a Military Dining facility – eat with the soldiers
Tour a Tobacco Farm
USO Dinner Show

How can I tell you in just a few words about the beauty, the history, the music, the fun that we have packed into this short tour? From the Civil War to the 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles, from Civil War Balls to USO Shows to Country Music Greats, from learning about Tobacco to the tasting of the wine, this tour has it all.

Day 1, Monday, September 13

Today will be a travel day to Hendersonville, Tennessee for 2 nights lodging at the Holiday Inn Express. After getting checked into our hotel, we will depart for a delicious dinner at the Hancock House, a Bed and Breakfast that was once a stagecoach stop. After dinner learn about the home’s history and past owners from the lively hostess, Roberta Hancock.
LODGING: Holiday Inn Express
MEALS: Dinner

Day 2, Tuesday, September 14

Begin the day with a tour of Rock Castle, a Federal House built in late 18th Century, was an important structure in early Tennessee and represents part of Tennessee’s pre-Civil war history. Next we do a driving tour of some of the Country Music Stars homes including Johnny and June Carter Cash, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Ricky Skaggs and others. Our tour of the Trinity Broadcasting Network include stops at the Trinity Music City Church Auditorium, television studio and the original gardens and estate of Country Music legend Conway Twitty. Have lunch on your own at Gallatin’s historic square. After lunch, have some free time to check out their charming shops. Time to sit down and relax a bit as you watch the Lone Ranger solve a mystery while you munch on popcorn at the historic Palace Theater, the oldest theater in the South still in its original location. We have to move on as we head for Goodlettsville to meet Grand Ole Opry Star Stu Phillips at the Long Hollow Winery and taste his excellent Tennessee wines, jellies and cheeses. We will tour the winery and enjoy a medley of his famous tunes. Back to the hotel for few minutes of needed down time before we depart for Dinner, Music and Dancing at the Long Hollow Jamboree. This local favorite features down home food and live country music.
LODGING: Holiday Inn Express
MEALS: Breakfast Dinner

Day 3, Wednesday, September 15

Our travels today take us to Franklin, Tennessee, site of the Battle of Franklin during the Civil War. We will tour the Carter House where you can see the evidence of over 1000 bullet holes, the most bullet ridden building still standing since the Civil War. Hear the stories of the Carter family and how they survived the battle. Next, step into The New York Times bestseller “The Widow of the South” by Robert Hicks at the Carnton Plantation. This antebellum mansion served as a confederate field hospital and today bloodstains still mar the floors. Stroll along one of the most beautiful areas in the South and get a firsthand look at the historic past of Franklin. This is a Great American Main Street with over 70 shopping, dining and entertainment options. Enjoy lunch in one of the restaurants along the downtown streets. After lunch, we depart for Clarksville, Tennessee and, for the wine connoisseurs, our next stop will be a tour and tasting at the Beachaven Winery and Vineyard, the states largest winery. Beachaven provides a glimpse into the centuries-old art of wine making and is one of a handful of wineries that produce French Method Champagne. We return to our hotel for the beginning of “The Great Biscuit Bake Off” and Biscuit Making 101. Teams will prepare biscuits by different methods or recipes and in the morning we will have the biscuits baked and have a big country breakfast, choosing the winner of the Great Biscuit Bake Off. Dinner this evening is a special event… a private candlelight dinner in an antebellum home, the Smith-Trahern Mansion. We will dine by candlelight on southern specialties and hear the stories of the hearty souls who weathered many historic events. Bluegrass favorites, Stringed Legacy will perform and a Civil War Ball is planned just for us.
LODGING: Riverside Inn
MEALS: Breakfast Dinner

Day 4, Thursday, September 16

A full southern breakfast with “biscuit judging” will begin our day. A real treat is in store for us today as we visit Fort Campbell Military Base – home of the famed 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles (Air Assault). We will tour the Memorial Museum which traces the history of the Screaming Eagles from WWII engagements to Vietnam to Operation Desert Storm and view the various aircraft, military equipment and monuments on display. Enjoy a guided tour of the base plus a special surprise demonstration. Lunch is included at a Military Dining Facility. Eat like the soldiers eat and have a chance to visit with them at their dining hall. Our next stop will be a Tobacco Farm. The area was once the Tobacco King, the second largest tobacco market in the United States, and home to the largest tobacco warehouse in the world. Talk with the farmer, view the process and learn how tobacco impacted the economy. After a short driving tour of Downtown Clarksville and a brief stop on Historic Franklin Street, we will depart for our hotel and a few minutes to rest before departing for dinner. We continue our patriotic day with a USO Dinner Show. After a delicious meal, the sounds of the Andrews sisters and the Glenn Miller Orchestra will delight you. Of Course, dancing will be encouraged.
LODGING: Riverside Inn
MEALS: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5, Friday, September 17

It has been a great tour and we have seen and done so many things, but now we must head towards home. We should arrive in Springfield approximately 4:45 PM.
MEALS: Breakfast

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