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Vacation Ideas in Middle Tennessee

KOA camping in Tennessee

Belle Meade Plantation
Nashville's Belle Meade Plantation will recognize its bicentennial with a variety of special events during 2007. A 30-acre historic site representing 200 years of Tennessee history, the Belle Meade Plantation features an antebellum mansion, frontier log cabin and seven outbuildings.

This Greek revival house was home to five generations of the Harding-Jackson family, original owners of the Belle Meade Farm. In the late 19th century, the farm encompassed 5,400 acres and was one of the largest private estates in Nashville. The farm was a thoroughbred nursery famous for breeding and training championship race horses. Recent Kentucky derby winners like Funny Cide and Barbarro, even racing legends like Secretariat and Seabiscuit can trace their bloodlines back to the breeding stock at Belle Meade.

Belle Meade Plantation encourages families to explore daily both on the grounds and inside the historic buildings. Parents and children can experience the historic site together to create a unique memory. Guides are provided for families and games to play on-site. Visit online at bellemeadeplantation.com for more information.

Jack Daniel Distillery in Lynchburg
Whenever you're in the vicinity of Lynchburg, just over an hour's drive from Nashville, drop by for a firsthand look at this distillery. One of the guides will accompany you on a tour and tell you the complete story of Jack Daniel's whiskey. You'll discover why, since day one, it's never been subject to change. You may even hear an interesting anecdote or two about Mr. Jack.

Through the years, much has been said about Jack Daniel and the whiskey he created. You'll learn about everything from the birth of Mr. Jack to the birth of the square-shaped bottle. As well as Mr. Jack's dress code, his first gold medal, the day he kicked his safe and the story of the label.

Lynchburg is the seat of Moore County, Tennessee's smallest county. Even though it's been home to the distillery since before Mr. Jack received his license back in 1866, it is a dry county and has been so ever since Prohibition. And while the distillery may be the main attraction here, you don't want to miss some of the other local favorites. Like lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House, a trip to the Lynchburg Hardware and General Store, the Chamber of Commerce, the county Courthouse and all the latest from Moore County News. In other words, if you want to see all the sights in Lynchburg, take your time. For more information, go online to jackdaniels.com/.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville
This Nashville landmark is an entertaining destination with something for everyone. The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum features interactive exhibits, films featuring today's top country names, private sessions with professional songwriters along with the southern hospitality Tennessee is famous for.

Can't Stop Loving You, the biographical exhibition provides an overview of Ray Charles' remarkable career with special emphasis on his country music influences and his contributions to the growth and ennoblement of the genre. The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will pay tribute to American music architect Ray Price with an exhibit. For the Good Times: The Ray Price Story is in the museum's east gallery through June 2007 and Sing Me Back Home, one of Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum's permanent exhibits, is an exciting, multi-layered journey through the life of country music.

The museum also sponsors family programs one Saturday each month. Visit countrymusichalloffame.com or call (800) 852-6437 for more information.

Grand Ole Opry in Nashville
Known as an American icon, the Grand Ole Opry creates one of a kind entertainment for audiences of all ages. Visit the place that began as a simple radio broadcast and evolved into one of the true icons of American entertainment. The Grand Ole Opry showcases the best in country music.

The six-foot circle of dark, oak wood in the Opry House stage is shiny but clearly well worn. Cut from the stage of the opry's famous former home, the Ryman Auditorium, this circle gives newcomers and veterans alike the opportunity to sing on the same spot that once supported Uncle Dave Macon, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, and others.

Many things about the opry have changed over the years - its members, the sound of its music, even its home. But there's always that oak-solid center to remind every singer or musician who steps inside that they take part in something much larger than themselves, that wherever they go they have a connection to the legends and the giants who came before them. Visit opry.com or call (615) 871-6779 for more information.

Old Hickory Lake in Sumner County
This beautiful lake has been home to several national and regional championship bass tournaments over the past few years, including WalMart FLW, Bassmaster Megabucks and Bass Pro Shop's Crappiemasters National Championship. A display in the Old Hickory Lake Visitor Center depicts the history and development of the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake. The lake provides a perfect place for picnics, leisurely walks along the shoreline as well as many other outdoor activities. Sumner County offers seven historic homes and two fort sites open to the public dating from 1779 to around 1860. You'll be able to stand in rooms where Andrew Jackson, Sam Houston and other founding fathers of our country had dinner, planned strategy and danced the night away. For more information, go online to www.sumnercountytourism.com.