Touring Tennessee: Day 2 Savannah

[CrispyA]

We slept a bit longer this morning, which was a bonus. As has been the case with this hotel, it took a few goes to get the shower to work, but we were all ready before too long.

We hadn't seen anybody apart from the staff and were starting to think we might be the only people there. We did spot a couple more at breakfast though. As Evan set off for breakfast, he was having trouble putting his new flip flops on. On closer inspection, this was because they were completely different sizes! I was the guilty party but to be fair, I had left them in his room and asked him to try them on and he had told me they fitted him . . .

Breakfast was unimpressive - there was a waffle machine and some biscuits and gravy but me, Paul and Hannah went for the oatmeal that you added hot water to. It wasn't great, but neither were the biscuits which Evan described as rock-like. With the rain hammering down outside, we weren't feeling great!

Still, we were on holiday, so we packed up the car and set off. First stop was the George Dickel Distillery in Cascade Hollow. Yes, there is a much more famous whisky distillery nearby but this is much more interesting.

The rain stopped when we arrived and even better, the tour was free as their system was down. We had to show ID and us adults got wristbands to show we were old enough to sample the wares. Deanna gave us a tour of the distillery and we found out that George Dickel whisky is the only Tennessee whisky that is made purely by hand. George insisted on spelling it the Scottish way as he believed his whisky was of the same quality.

The tour was really interesting and the distillery is in a lovely spot. After the tour, the kids went to sit in the gift shop and Paul and I sat down with Deanna to taste some of whiskies. We really enjoyed it - it's very smooth - and bought a bottle and a couple of t-shirts from the shop.

We then headed out to Lynchburg, where the more famous Jack Daniel set up his distillery. We didn't bother with the tour, as we already knew how whisky is made but had a little mooch around the shop. We mostly enjoyed this giant chair!

Lynchburg is quite pretty, so we had a stroll around. Obviously, the main thing is the distillery and Mr Jack is everywhere.

The rain had stopped but it was very humid. You can see why Tennessee is so lush and green with this kind of climate.

After Lynchburg, we were getting hungry, so started looking for a lunch stop. With Hannah's new found pescatarianism, we thought we would try Long John Silver's. Big Mistake. Never go there.

The staff were okay, when they weren't moaning to each other, but the whole place was quite depressing and the food was really quite mediocre. It was just a sad lunch.

But at least we weren't hungry anymore, not that that's a great recommendation for a restaurant.

We were soon back on the road and before too long we had arrived at Savannah. There wasn't a whole lot there, but it was a metropolis compared to Shelbyville. We were staying at the Savannah motel, which was basic, but fine. It had the courthouse across the square and a correctional facility behind. I don't know about you, but those are things I'm always looking for in a hotel . . .

The old town is quite charming and we had a nice walk down to the Tennessee river.

Boyband time.

Cherry Mansion is near the river and that is where Ulysses S. Grant, future president of the USA, was staying when he heard that the battle with the Confederate Army had begun at nearby Shiloh. He was sitting down to breakfast and left his food uneaten to head to the battle site where the Union army were eventually victorious.

You can see the mansion in the background.

We had tea at the nearby Hickory Pit BBQ, where our ex-vegetarian ate chicken. There was no stopping her now! The rest of us had pulled pork or ribs, neither of which were that great. Hannah's chicken, however, was quite tasty. The local Sheriff was in but to be fair, the other options were limited.

However, we quite liked Savannah and the sense of history there. And we were going to get to know the Tennessee river quite well over the next couple of weeks so it was good to be properly introduced.

[Melbatb]

You didn't have a good day on the food front by the sounds of it!

Love all your poses - and that giant chair is amazing in that Hannah looks so tall compared to Evan! Great optical illusion I guess

[CrispyA]

Originally Posted by Melbatb

You didn't have a good day on the food front by the sounds of it!

Love all your poses - and that giant chair is amazing in that Hannah looks so tall compared to Evan! Great optical illusion I guess

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I know - he looks so little in that picture. We mostly had great food on the trip - but will know to avoid Long John Silvers in future!

[Mortimer Mouse]

Not the best day for food choices. Is Hannah still converted, now that she's home?

Impressive boyband pic.

[CrispyA]

Originally Posted by Mortimer Mouse

Not the best day for food choices. Is Hannah still converted, now that she's home?

Impressive boyband pic.

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Glad you liked our boyband pic - we love doing those. Hannah is still a meat eater - it's so much easier now we don't have to make 2 meals.

[Jesslydevie1]

Oh I loved your location for your hotel😛 I actually would have loved having a little wonder around , your not having much luck with food yet hope it improves.

[WileyCoyote]

I must add the correctional facility to my hotel must have list ! Too funny.
Sounds great .. We did the JD tour , isn't Lynchburg a teeny bit creepy as well as quirky?
Food options are sounding a bit random but loving all the local history already.

[RachelM]

I hope your food improves. I would love to visit Tennessee one day.