WILSON COUNTY STORY IDEAS

Wilson County has a story to tell! 

GOIN’ TO THE PROMISED LAND: Promised Land Trail Along Highway 70 through Wilson County

The first settlers to Middle Tennessee were bound for The Promised Land. With a government title grant, John B. Walker led the pioneers in 1794 to staking their claim at Hickory Ridge, just west of Lebanon, in the abundant new territory.

Today, visitors can take the commemorative Promised Land: Pilgrimage to President Trail along Highway 70 through Watertown, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet, beside the historic Walton Road, which Andrew Jackson also blazed through the wilderness. 

On the Promised Land Trail, you can make a stop to look inside the reconstructed Neddy Jacobs Cabin from the 1800s on the Square in Lebanon. Gaze at a plaque nearby, where the former attorney’s office of Sam Houston (who eventually became Governor of Texas) was located in 1818. Walk around Fiddlers Grove Historic Village, just a few miles off the trail, to see primitive buildings like the Smoke House from 1805 and the Forbes Cabin from 1810 which were moved to the Wilson County Fairgrounds.  The City of Lebanon Museum has a self-guided tour―or a private one led by appointment by volunteer Jack Cato―of the early exhibits from Wilson County downstairs in City Hall.

The Promised Land Trail also has several modern-day landmarks along Highway 70 from the antique shops and an orchard in Mt. Juliet to the town square in Watertown. The complete route is still under development by Tennessee Trails and Byways.

Visitors Contact: Tennessee Trails and Byways, www.tntrailsandbyways.com; Interview Contact: Jack Cato, Volunteer Guide, 615-444-9273 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

CIVIL WAR TALES: Civil War 150th Sesquicentennial Begins in 2011 for Wilson County

The statue of General Robert H. Hatton is an everyday reminder in Lebanon of the Civil War, which will commemorate its 150th anniversary from 2011 to 2015 in the nation. So are the four official markers on Tennessee’s Civil War Trail through Wilson County, including one for the Battle of Lebanon on May 5, 1862 when the Union Army defeated the Confederate troops on the Square.

As a Son of the Confederate Veterans, Martin Frost also lives and breathes as General Hatton when he portrays him in November during the Cedar Grove Candlelight Cemetery Tour in Lebanon. With his neatly trimmed goatee, Frost has been a commanding presence in the uniform for the past 12 years at re-enactments.

General Hatton enrolled as a junior at Cumberland University, but he soon began his law career in Wilson County afterward, said Frost. With about 600 volunteers, he formed a unit – the Lebanon Blues – in 1861 to march with the Confederates in the 7th Tennessee Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.    

Visitors Contact: Civil War Trails, www.civilwartrails.org; Interview Contact: Martin Frost, Civil War Re-Enactor, 615-449-5442 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

COMFORT FOOD CIRCUIT: Cracker Barrel, Dumplin’ Days and Meat-and-Threes

Nothing warms the heart like comfort food. More of that may have been served at Cracker Barrel than practically any other restaurant in America since it was founded in 1969 in Lebanon. Product Development Manager Steve Lutz has tasted hundreds of dishes in his 34 years with the operation.

The menu originated with family recipes from Dan Evins, who started Cracker Barrel to provide hospitality to travelers along interstate highways. Evins grew up on those around his dinner table, so he gave them what he was accustomed all his life. Today, the test kitchens at headquarters look just like those inside Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, of which there are 594 in 43 locations around the U.S.

“We stay true to that tradition, with the meals we develop now,” explained Lutz. Those have to “lift your spirits and fill you up,” he said, which is what the Low Country Boil they introduced in 2010 does with Gulf shrimp and sausage does from the Carolinas. Breakfast is always hearty, including the three fluffy “Momma’s Pancakes with Blackberries” with two eggs and smoked bacon or sausage.

Wilson County is also known for Dumplin’ Days, where the plump, white, tender chicken and dumplings are made every April at the cook-off at Fiddler’s Grove Historic Village on the Wilson County Fairgrounds. You can have a bowl of those, while you listen to storytellers or the acoustic musicians.

Down-home goodness also extends to the meat-and-three vegetable plates at Baker’s Café in Mt. Juliet, the Sunset Restaurant in Lebanon, or the Depot Junction Café in Watertown. Have the catfish with a side of live bluegrass music on Friday nights at Baker’s Cafe, go for Sunday dinner with fried chicken at Sunset Restaurant, or have the rolls and pies at the Depot Junction Café.

Visitors Contact: Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, 615-444-5503, www.lebanonwilsontnchamber.org; Interview Contact: Julie Davis, Public Relations Director for Cracker Barrel, 615-443-9266, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , to schedule with Product Development Manager Steve Lutz

VINTAGE TENNESSEE: Toast to Tennessee Wine Festival

Swirl, sip and swallow. You can be a connoisseur at the Toast to Tennessee Wine Festival every May near Mt. Juliet, by going to the booths of approximately 22 vintners at the Nashville Shores water park.

So how to pair the food that Tennessee is best known for with its finest wines? That’s what Spokesperson Tammy Algood of Pick Tennessee Products does as she experiments with making recipes like “Merlot Brownies” with alcohol. Visitors to the Toast of Tennessee Wine Festival can watch local chefs do that at seminars.

Visitors Contact: Mt. Juliet Chamber of Commerce, 615-758-3478, www.atoasttotennessee.com; Interview Contact: Tammy Algood, Pick TN Products, 615-834-5162, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

THE FAIR OF CHAMPIONS: Wilson County Fair

When it comes to blue ribbons, the Wilson County Fair has awarded hundreds of them since its inception in 1853 in Lebanon. During those 10 days, it knows what it takes to be a grand champion. This year’s theme is “Reflecting Back While Looking Ahead.”     

The Wilson County Fair has taken the prize itself over the years. The overall attendance of 505,434 was a record in 2009, and it was listed in 2008 as one of the Top 50 in the nation. Yet, it’s the individuals who enter everything from a “Piggy Bank Pageant” to the “Hog-O-Rama” who are the most competitive on the grounds.

Winners are definitely made at the animal shows. “It takes participating, so you have to truly get involved,” said Lyndon LaFevers, Chairman of Poultry and Rabbit Shows at the Wilson County Fair, who was “born an animal enthusiast” and “reared on a 72-acre farm.” “It takes research, like going to the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association (small breed of chickens) websites to see the colors and varieties of the poultry you can exhibit. And, it also takes a specialty, which means you have to focus in your interests.”  

Visitors Contact: Wilson County Fair Office, 615-443-2626, www.wilsoncountyfair.net; Interview Contact: Lyndon LaFevers, Chairman of Poultry and Rabbit Shows, 615-449-5134

RAIL CROSSINGS: Special Excursion Trains to Watertown, Music City Star Commuter Rail

Make tracks to Wilson County, where the railroad has been a part of the landscape since 1888 from Lebanon. On an excursion train from the Tennessee Central Railway Museum (TCRM), you can sight-see around farms from Mt. Juliet to Watertown.

Several holidays are an occasion to take the TCRM Excursion Train, which has a Valentine’s Day Murder Mystery, an Easter Bunny Train Trip, and even a run to the North Pole before Christmas.  However, the oldest-standing tradition on the TCRM Excursion Train has been the Mile-Long Yard Sale to Watertown now held twice annually. There are also two staged train robberies in the day during the year, but just one “night train,” for the Watertown Arts and Music Festival every July.

The panorama of the countryside can be seen from the domed car on the TCRM Excursion Train from the buffet lounge or office cars. Yet, the vintage F7 and E8 locomotives are what President Terry Bebout of TCRM likes to explore as a rail buff.

The scenic view from the commuter rail Music City Star is also impressive as it takes you over a bridge near the Cumberland River. Hundreds of workers from Wilson County take the “Star” to their offices in the downtown from Monday through Friday, where they arrive at the Riverfront Station in Nashville.

The Music City Star also has a Game-Day Express whenever the Tennessee Titans play at noon in their National Football League (NFL) schedule at LP Field in Nashville. There are also other special events in the year, when the Music City Star announces on its www.rta-ride.org website it is making the circuit from Wilson County.

Visitors Contact: Tennessee Central Railway Museum, 615-244-9001, www.tcry.org, Music City Star, Regional Transportation Authority, 615-862-8833, www.rta-ride.org; Interview Contact: Terry Bebout, President of the Tennessee Central Railway Museum, 615-479-5758, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

SAVVY SHOPPING: Providence Marketplace, Antiques, Premium Outlets of Lebanon and Hartmann Factory Outlet Store

The perfect shopping day is in Wilson County, where you can find a bargain, get a designer name label and take a one-of-a-kind item home. Make a mini-getaway to Lebanon and Mt. Juliet, where you can customize your trip.

Sign up for online coupons at Providence Marketplace at www.shopprovidencemarketplace.com, where you could receive as much as $5 off a purchase along with E-mail updates.

“We recommend that you always go first by Guest Services when you come here, because you never know what the stores are offering at the moment,” said Jeremy Murrin, general manager and marketing manager at Premium Outlets in Lebanon. With a few simple steps, he can make the planning easier for you.

Take a pre-registered group of 10 or more to Premium Outlets in Lebanon, just by organizing through the web site. It has a free VIP book along with other incentives worth hundreds of dollars. And, the leader gets a complimentary Dine-On-Us card for a meal in the food court.

Get just the right bag at the Hartman Factory Outlet Store elsewhere in Lebanon. You only have to know when the major sales are during the year, which are in March/April, August/September and November/December. There’s also a Preferred Customer List that you can qualify for online.

If you like to go antiquing, plan your itinerary from the shops that are listed at www.visitwilsoncounty.com. Whether they are along Highway 70 in Mt. Juliet to the Squares in Lebanon and Watertown, there are dozens of collectibles in Wilson County.

Visitors Contact: Wilson County Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.visitwilsoncounty.com; Interview Contact: Jeremy Murrin, General Manager and Marketing Manager, Premium Outlets of Lebanon, 615-444-0433.

* All information subject to change. Please call ahead for the most up-to-date information. *