I tour one of the state’s newest and most accomplished beer makers,Mayday! Brewery. I sample round (“Boro Blonde” ale),after round (“Angry Redhead”ale), after round (“Evil Octopus”), stopping my quaffs long enough to really appreciate the hoppy goodness of each frothy draft from this small craft brew house.
Soon,we venture into the TN hinterlands and arrive at Short Mountain Distillery. Featuring authentic, small batch (and now, legal!) corn liquor that’s dispensed at a real working farm,Short Mountain is a top TN producer of this fanciful liba- tion.
In the spirits world,corn liquor is a real up and comer,and Short Mountain is leading that charge.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t indicate how solemn and observant the people who populate the area in and around Nashville are to their CivilWar and slav- ery
backgrounds.Commemorations are everywhere, including at Stones River National Battlefield,where one of the bloodiest battles in the state was fought, and,down the road at Carnton Plantation,a private home that became a field hospital (literally overnight),and then, long after that,one barbarous bat- tle. This property,with over four hundred soldiers’plots,holds the largest private CivilWar cemetery in the U.S.
As I check out of the Marriott I feel as if I’ve been barbecued, fricasseed, fried and jubilee’d. I never expected to lose weight on this trip, so gorging on the South’s finest cuisine has been worth the caloric fortitude.
More than eats,and more than the spirit- ed libation, I found Nashville and its sur- rounding area to be a treasure-trove for history,culture and,of course,music.
Mostly, though,a great state achieves its prime status through great people.
And, with this in mind, on this trip I met some of the nicest folks I’ve encountered while I’ve been traveling the country in search of notable event venues.
Mid-Atlantic EVENTS Magazine 67
Finally…
All of the acts at Music City Roots,Live at the Loveless Café get together for one big onstage jam,as host Jim Lauderdale bids us a fond farewell.One more slow sip of moonshine,one more earful of country music,and I resign myself to life speeding up again as I soon head back to my Mid- Atlantic home.
Ken Alan is theVice President of Concierge Services for Equus Capital Partners. He is the founder of the Philadelphia Concierge Association and a contribu- tor for several regional publications.
kalan@bpgltd.com
When in TN,
contacts with the keys to an exceptional visit include - Tennessee Department of Tourism Development Cindy Dupree:
Cindy.dupree@state.tn.us and
Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau Jenny Steuber:
jenny@visitmusiccity.com
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