A real Tennessee bachelorette party
I've attended four bachelorette parties now, and I've planned two of those and been the recipient of one. So personally, my experience is rather limited and made up through what I knew about bachelorette parties before I even went to one.
When I was planning the bachelorette party for Annemarie, I really wanted it to be special to her, what she enjoyed, and somehow mix in that whole wedding thing.
I've come to find out that Nashville is the premier destination for a lot of bachelorette parties. I guess between Honky Tonk Row, those tractor rides, and the inescapable music you've got a good recipe for some crazy nights out with your girlfriends.
But in addition to all that, there's also beautiful day trips all around.
So I came up with a whole day itinerary that would take us up to two hours away from our Nashville home base and get us exploring some areas of Tennessee none of us have seen before with an end to the night at her now husband's home (he went somewhere else that night) for a sleepover that included face masks and an imaginary trip to Hawaii. With balloons.
I'm getting ahead of myself though. Before the end comes all of this:
- First, pick strawberries at the aptly named Batey Farms (her new last name would be "Beaty" pronounced the same as "Batey")
- Get food and milkshakes at Reeves-Sain Soda Shoppe
- Cannonsburgh Village: Visit the bucket.
- Bluegrass Underground (Annemarie had been wanting to go to this for awhile)
- Rock Island State Park (get it — because the "rock" metaphor?? ;) )
- and finally... PARTAYY at Adam's house (her now husband)
In addition to each location, we also made up little riddles for her to guess where we were going next! (I made them up pretty quickly so don't judge!)
Also, here's a little video (part of the deal was she had to wear that cowboy hat all day, and I think it suited her):
Batey Farms
Lady Beaty has a great matey that will be plowing through life all the day long.
Batey Farms has many activities throughout the year but at this time of the season it was strawberry picking time! It's a little hard to get to because the turn-in was actually closed, as was technically the farm. Apparently strawberry picking had ended just the week before. But luckily we talked to the nice farmer and he said we can pick what we find. For free! There was actually a lot left. And they tasted delicious.
Reeves-Sain Soda Shoppe (Best milkshakes)
[I don't remember what the riddle was here]
There's a little pharmacy in Murfreesboro, kind of like a Rite-Aid or Walgreens, but in addition to that it has some great local gift options and (the truly best part) a little soda shoppe known for their amazing milkshakes. And they were GOOD. Completely worth the stop and the little pack lunch we took with us.
Worlds Largest Cedar Bucket
Sometimes in life, you'll just need to buck it.
There's a little historic village in Murfreesboro that "represents approximately 100 years of early Tennessee life from the 1830s to the 1930s. Within the village is a gristmill, school house, telephone operator's house, the University House, the Leeman House, a museum, a caboose, the Wedding Chapel, a doctor's office, a general store, a blacksmith's shop, a well, and other points of pioneering interest," (source). Other points of pioneering interest might include the World's Largest Cedar Bucket. Not sure why, but it's there. And we went. Some more information on this legendary bucket:
"The World's Largest Cedar Bucket is a 1,556 imperial gallons red cedar bucket. The bucket is approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, has a 6 feet (1.8 m) diameter at its base and 9 feet (2.7 m) at its top.
The bucket was built in 1887 by the Tennessee Red Cedar Woodenworks Company from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. It was originally displayed in Murfreesboro, until it was displayed at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the 1904 Saint Louis World's Fair. The cedar bucket factory burned in 1952, and local grocer Crigger’s Market bought the item to display it. It was auctioned off approximately in 1965 and it was purchased by a Rossville, Georgia amusement park. It was brought back to Murfreesboro in 1976 to be displayed at Cannonsburgh Village," (source).
Bluegrass Underground
Sometimes you have to hit the low note before you can go high.
I wrote about the Bluegrass Underground and Cumberland Caverns here, but as a reminder...it was really neat. To listen to music inside a cavern under a priceless antique chandelier is a unique and incredible experience.
Rock Island State Park
And now, [Annemarie] remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye [and Adam] must [continue to] build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you [both] to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall. (Helaman 5:12)
Rock Island is an easy drive from Cumberland Caverns and the views are pretty incredible. You don't need to hike anywhere to be impressed. There are a couple overview spots you can get to by car. I wrote about in more in-depth here.
Adam's house
Your soon to be home. Not better than the Hamilton. Just different.
The finale of the night — slumber party and relaxing at Adam's — was welcomed after the long day. I also bought beads for everyone to wear and we played a "you can't say that game" where as people arrive, you tell them the "forbidden" word (we chose two: marriage and Adam) and if you say any variation or those words, you get a bead taken away.
Dinner was pizza and we watched a movie that I fell asleep to within the first ten minutes. Not because it was bad, but I was pretty exhausted considering the day we had.
She's now a married woman, but there's always a good reason to do a girls day trip and sleepover party! Until next time I'm in Tennessee, I'll just remember these good moments with great friends.
