Tennessee Whiskey Country

There are few names as synonymous with Tennessee as Jack Daniel. The spirited distiller put the state on the map globally with his Lynchburg-made whiskey and became the owner of the first distillery registered in the United States when he opened his eponymous enterprise in 1866.

But Daniel is hardly the only whiskey proprietor hailing from Tennessee—in fact, his is one of more than 30 distilleries that dot the rolling terrain of the Volunteer State. Planning a trip to Nashville? Access to some of the world’s most cherished whiskey is just an hour away and comes with the bonus of being situated amongst some of the prettiest landscapes in Tennessee. Here’s how to spend a weekend in Tennessee Whiskey Country.

Day 1: Shelbyville and Bell Buckle

If you’re starting your Tennessee Whiskey Trail vacation from Nashville, it’s an easy drive an hour south to Bedford County where you’ll embark on your first distillery tour. The home of the famed Tennessee walking horses also hosts a growing whiskey presence thanks to a former enslaved man, Nearest Green.

Nearest Green Distillery

Located on a 458-acre farm in Shelbyville, Nearest Green Distillery tells the story of “Uncle Nearest,” who taught Jack Daniel the craft of distilling. The owners behind the Nearest Green brand have invested heavily in building a unique experience for visitors in the competitive world of distilling destinations. The world’s longest bar topping out at 518 feet, a restaurant open six days a week and a fascinating history that directly ties a former slave to the world-famous alcohol produced locally makes Nearest Green a must on your tour of Tennessee Whiskey Country.

Nearest Green Distillery offers multiple tours that include tastings like the Single Barrel Thieving, where you taste directly from barrels, or the Taste of History tour, in which you can sample some of their more famous bottles. There are also tours that are conducted exclusively in Spanish.

Downtown Bell Buckle

Adjacent to Shelbyville, Bell Buckle is one of Tennessee’s most beloved small towns, a stop on many travelers’ itineraries thanks to its thriving downtown square of antique shops and gift emporiums paired with annual events like the RC Cola-MoonPie Festival each June and the Webb School Art and Craft Show every October. Shops like Phillips General Store, Hilltop Antiques, Livery Stable Antiques, Simplicity, Doodle Bug, Farm Girlz Findery, Bluebird Antiques & Ice Cream Parlor and Daffodilly Design that are open year round make it a slam dunk no matter the month you visit.

Anchoring the town is the Bell Buckle Cafe, a restaurant with a reputation that has landed Bell Buckle on such shows as Tennessee Crossroads. Serving meat-and-threes and pretty much any Southern entrée you could wish for—fried catfish, smoked pork chops, country-fried steak—the café doesn’t take reservations, so you’ll want to arrive early before prime lunch hours to put your name on the list before you poke around the neighboring shops. At the end of the block is Bell Buckle Coffee Shop & Book Swap, which serves a deep well of coffee drinks and breakfast and lunch items. There are also shelves lined with books and plenty of places to stretch out and read for the travelers who need to rest their weary legs.

Stay over in Bell Buckle

With just 600 residents, Bell Buckle is devoid of chain hotels and, instead, brims with small, family-owned businesses and a handful of vacation rentals. Hinkle Hill Inn Retreat House is a historic home just off the Bell Buckle Square that’s known for its top-notch hospitality, home cooking and deep ties to the quilting community. The inn books out far in advance because of the prestige surrounding its quilting classes, so if you can’t nail down a room, try the Fox Den, a three-bedroom ranch rental on a working farm in Bell Buckle.

Day 2: Tullahoma

The next county over from Bell Buckle, Coffee County is the most populous county in the South Central region, its two largest cities being Tullahoma and Manchester, the host of the annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. A railroad town established in the 1850s, Tullahoma is known for its Civil War history, Air Force base, aviation technology and a former distiller who once called it home.

Cascade Hollow Distilling Co.

As you approach Coffee County from Bell Buckle, you’ll drive through limestone hills and dense hardwoods, past a clear spring-fed creek and into the hollow that abuts Normandy Lake where George Dickel once made whisky. The German-born immigrant started his distillery after the Civil War, and it operated in Tullahoma until state prohibition in 1910 forced it up to Kentucky where Stitzel Distillery (now Stitzel-Weller) held one the few coveted special licenses to produce medicinal spirits. The national ban on alcohol ended in 1933, but it would be three decades until Dickel was manufactured and bottled in Tennessee once more.

After expansive upgrades to the facility, the Tullahoma distillery now known as Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. upped the ante as a must visit on any weekend in Tennessee while continuing to produce some of the finest aged booze in the nation. Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. is open six days a week for tours and self-guided tastings. For something a little different, on Fridays, they offer an upgraded tour, George Dickel Bottled in Bond Experience, which concludes with the tasting of four Bottled in Bond whiskies, while Saturdays feature the George Dickel Single Barrel Experience with samples of three 15-year single barrels and a bottle to take home with you.

Tullahoma’s waterfalls

For a broader glimpse at the water sources that feed the area, detour to Tullahoma’s best waterfalls after your first sip of whiskey. Ten miles from Cascade Hollow, Rutledge Falls is privately-owned property, but the trails, waterfall and swimming pool at the bottom of the cascading rocks have long been open to the public. The hike down is short but steep, so wear sturdy shoes. Machine Falls is more of a haul to reach, but the 1.5-mile round trip is worth the trouble for seeing the magnificent 60-foot waterfall from down below once you reach the base. Short Springs Natural Area also has other trails that lead to Busby Falls, Laurel Bluff and Adams Falls.

Downtown Tullahoma

The existence of Tullahoma as a city is largely due to construction of the railroad line between Nashville and Chattanooga in the mid-1800s that still runs right through the center of town; many of the historic homes are located along this corridor. A large collection of murals and local shops like the Yellow Tulip Design give Tullahoma its modern-day artsy flair. The downtown strip is growing thanks to the presence of restaurants like City Sandwich Company, Spinelli’s Pizza, the Seafood Place and One22West, alongside long-time mainstays such as Daddy Billy’s and London’s Bar, both of which have been in operation for over 50 years.

Beechcraft Heritage Museum

Featuring the earliest aircraft created by Walter Beech, the Model 17R, Tullahoma’s Beechcraft Heritage Museum was inspired by a visit from Louise Thaden in 1973. The first ever woman to compete and win in the 1936 Bendix Trophy Race, a transcontinental competition designed to kick-start innovation among engineers and pilots in the early days of U.S. aviation, Thaden was a visiting speaker who offered to donate all her racing memorabilia if the Staggerwing Club would create a museum. The doors to Beechcraft Heritage Museum opened the following year.

For the complete experience, set aside a couple hours to tour Beechcraft’s immaculately maintained hangars and 38 aircraft, all in pristine condition. Or visit in October for the annual Beech Party, which brings in even more airborne, historical hardware from across the country. The four-day extravaganza features formation flying, lectures, training and insight into the world of Beechcraft enthusiasts.

Stay over in Tullahoma

Tullahoma’s main corridor, North Jackson Street, features several chain hotels like the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express & Suites, but the most unique stay is the Grand Lux Inn. The 1902 historic home sits in downtown Tullahoma and offers queen and two-bed suites with a daily continental breakfast and a full kitchen open to guest use. It’s also right next door to Emil’s Bistro, one of Tullahoma’s top restaurants, and walking distance to the dining and retail district.

Day 3: Lynchburg and Fayetteville

From Tullahoma, it’s just a 15-minute drive onward to Lynchburg. While the city of Lynchburg was incorporated before the Civil War, the whiskey legacy that sprung up just as the war was ending is responsible for making it a household name across the world. Fifteen miles down the road toward the Alabama border, Fayetteville is home to the Lincoln County Process, a filtering step almost all distilleries use to produce Tennessee whiskey.

Jack Daniel’s Distillery

After leaving home in 1864, Jasper “Jack” Daniel learned to make whiskey from a preacher and an enslaved man, Nathan “Nearest” Green. He used the water from the mineral-rich Cave Spring Hollow to make his Old No. 7, the distiller’s signature charcoal-mellowed Tennessee whiskey with the now-iconic black label. During your visit to Jack Daniel’s Distillery, you’ll learn all about his early years, as well as the criteria to make Tennessee whiskey: made from 51 percent corn, filtered through charcoal, then aged in charred, new American white oak barrels.

Once you arrive at the distillery grounds, you’ll park at the official Tennessee Whiskey Trailhead, which doubles as a welcome center and shop selling unique spirits-themed T-shirts and other Lynchburg specialties, before crossing the street to enter the visitor center. Tours are offered every day of the week and last just under two hours. While Moore County is still dry, the distillery is an exception: All tours end with a tasting, and whiskey connoisseurs may want to upgrade to the Bonded Tour, which includes tasting the trio of Jack Daniel’s Bonded, Jack Daniel’s Bonded Rye and Triple Mash. Groups of up to eight also can opt for the Jack Daniel Innovation Tasting, which does not include a tour but is a private sampling experience in a premiere space.

Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant

A former boarding house, Miss Mary Bobo’s Restaurant has been a local institution since 1908. Miss Mary ran the joint until she died in 1983 just one month shy of turning 102; after that, Jack’s great-grandniece Lynne Tolley took the reins until selling it in 2014. Today, Miss Mary Bobo’s remains relatively unchanged with the various nooks and crannies of the multi-level house turned into group dining spaces.

Seatings are offered at 11am and 1pm from Monday through Saturday, and reservations for lunch at Miss Mary Bobo’s are highly suggested. You’ll want to arrive early, and once your table is called, a hostess (or docent) will escort you to your room, where you’ll sit with groups from across the country and world while being doled out generous portions of Southern cuisine—think: fried catfish, meatloaf, fried chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, fried okra, baked apples—served family-style. Since it’s a dry county, you can’t order alcohol at the boarding house, but the pie served for dessert often is infused with the distinct flavors of fine Tennessee whiskey.

Lynchburg Square

Though Moore County has fewer than 7,000 residents, the Lynchburg square is bustling no matter the day of the week. The presence of the distillery has laid the groundwork for small businesses to prosper, and the Lynchburg square is dotted with retail operations like the Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg Hardware & General Store, Lodge Factory Store, Taylor’s Leatherwear and Velma’s Candy, an old-fashioned candy store, as a result. Lovers of old buildings may want to tour the Moore County Old Jail—open limited hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday—which operated for nearly a century and now is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

The Lynchburg square also has several restaurants for those who don’t want the full belt-loosening experience at Miss Mary Bobo’s. Whiskey Waffle is a food truck with a permanent location that whips up both sweet and savory waffles. Barrel House BBQ is equally known for its pit-smoked pulled pork and its most popular sandwich, the Grilled Cheese on Crack. Lynchburg Cigar Company cooks up the best wood-fired pizzas around, using Jack Daniel’s barrel staves and bungs to fuel the fire.

Company Distilling Co.

The newest addition to downtown Lynchburg is   of Company Distilling Co., the vision of a handful of distilling veterans who opened their first location in Townsend a few years back. At the helm is former Jack Daniel master distiller Jeff Arnett who branched out to create his own line of products, starting with the signature Company Distilling Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The following years saw Arnett adding gin, vodka, special releases and even beer to its portfolio, as well as taking over a former winery space on the Lynchburg square to expand Company products throughout Middle Tennessee.

Prichard’s Distillery

Leaving Lynchburg, you’ll come to Kelso, home to Prichard’s Distillery, another 20 minutes down the road. This traditional Tennessee distillery bottles whiskey, rum and other products hand-crafted in its copper pot stills. Housed in an old elementary school, Prichard’s is the only distillery allowed to make Tennessee Whiskey without the Lincoln County Process thanks to a grandfathering clause contained in legislation. Though it was founded in 1997 as the state’s first legal distillery to open since Prohibition, the family’s history of distilling—from Granddaddy Benjamin Prichard of Davidson County—actually dates back to the 1800s during the reign of Daniel and Dickel. Tours and tastings at Prichard’s are free, and the distillery is open every day but Sunday.

Stay over in Lynchburg or Fayetteville

The best places to stay in Lynchburg or Fayetteville are small inns and B&Bs like the Tolley House or the Lynchburg Valley Inn. The area also has numerous Airbnbs and vacation rentals like the converted 60-year-old grain bins, the Silos at Promise Manor, and the four-bedroom Miss Elizabeth’s Place right on the Lynchburg square. If you’d prefer to camp out closer to Fayetteville, Mulberry Lavender Farm and B&B occupies an 1860s farmhouse once owned by Jack’s brother.

Day 4: Lynnville and Pulaski

Due west of Lincoln County is Pulaski, home to the University of Tennessee Southern. In addition to boutiques like Cane + Poplar and Reeves Drug Store Gift Shop along its main thoroughfare, 1st Street, Pulaski has several restaurants to grab a bite like StoryBrook Farms Eatery or Yellow Deli. Giles County is also the site of the second location of Common John Brewing Co., a popular Manchester brewery that has expanded west, as well as home to one of the larger distillery operations in Middle Tennessee.

Big Machine Distillery

What started as a small family business in 2011—the first product release being the All Purpose Shine—has blossomed into one of Tennessee’s signature distilleries. The brainchild of engineer Clayton James and radiologist Blair Butler, Tenn South Distillery was acquired by music mogul Scott Borchetta and his brother, who rebranded the company as Big Machine Distillery, in 2015.

The distillery rapidly grew its offerings—and a cult following to its Big Machine Distillery’s Spiked Cooler vodka juice pouches—later acquiring Picker’s Vodka, as well. While Lynnville is Big Machine’s production home, the operation also has a pair of locations in Nashville where visitors can sample their products. The Tenn South Distillery in Lynnville, however, is where you can participate in the Bottle Your Own spirit program, the first of its kind in Tennessee. Visitors who book a tour can add the option to bottle Single Barrel Clayton James Tennessee Whiskey straight from the barrel, implementing their own personal touches.

Downtown Lynnville

Lynnville may only have 327 residents, but one such local made it a destination worth driving miles to reach. Driven by his own appreciation of luxury leather, Colonel Littleton took his love for the finer things in life and turned it into one of Tennessee’s premier fashion brands. Making briefcases, belts, bags, wallets, hats and more out of American alligator, buffalo and other animal hides, Col. Littleton focuses on the highest quality craftsmanship with the intention for products to be passed down from generation to generation.

After you’ve loaded your car with souvenirs of bottles and leather, grab a burger and old-fashioned malt at Soda Pop Junction, in operation since 1860. Lynnville is also home to Herb & Howard’s General Store and the Lynnville Railroad Museum, a reproduction of an old trail depot that pays homage to the golden days of rail travel. From here, it’s an easy drive back to Nashville via I-65 to catch your flight home—or you can book dinner at Kitchen 218 then stay over in Pulaski’s historic Daly Horne House for a night before starting the next leg of your Tennessee Whiskey Trail adventures.