A Weekend in Clarksville, TN!
Clarksville, Tennessee is a place that I love! Returning, we came to see and do new things. My husband Keith and I were hosted by Visit Clarksville, Tennessee. Come along. See what there is do in this vibrant river City! A town filled with history, architecture, a foodie scene, artists and more! The downtown has survived fires, floods, and even a tornado. They just keep adding, renovating, and cherishing what makes this town unique, and one of a kind.
Old Glory Distilling Co.
We began our journey at the Old Glory Restaurant & Silo Park. “This new distillery restaurant opened in February,” Michelle Dickerson of Visit Clarksville shared.
The decor includes lights made from barrels, signs reading “Crafted in Clarksville Tennessee” and more. We were impressed by the Cunningham family’s connection to the local farm economy. Growing up in Clarksville, on their website they share they are, “using grains grown by the farmers we run into at the barbershop and never taking shortcuts…”
The food was so good! Keith and I both ordered the Southern Crispy Chicken. I loved all of our dining experiences; however, this was the best meal on our trip! To top it off, we ordered the stuffed chocolate bread. Yum!
Historic Collinsville
Step into the past at Historic Collinsville! Director, Kristy Proctor took us on a tour sharing the town was settled in the 1870’s. The pioneers were the Collins Brothers, thus, the name Collinsville! Later the postmaster later changed it to Southside.
Throughout the grounds there is lovely old iron on display.
We met Kristy at the Visitor’s Center. This cabin belonged to the founder Glen Weakly’s grandmother, Savannah Tennessee Jones. “Savannah had four children. Glen’s dad (her son) was a minister. He baptized JoAnn (Glen’s wife),” Kristy shared.
Open April – October, Thursday – Sunday, visitors can see many renovated buildings. You can learn the history of the area. See Indian Artifacts Glen found when farming the soil. Stop in the beautiful cabins filled with antiques the Weaklys collected.
Our favorite outbuilding was the tobacco barn. “Clarksville was world renown for tobacco,” Kristy said.
She showed us how they dried the tobacco by hanging it. We also saw an example of a Black Hawk corn sheller. This was patented by a Clarksville businessman, Asahel Huntington Patch.
The Weakly Museum
Many years ago, we toured Historic Collinsville and met JoAnn and Glenn Weakly. The Weaklys passed in 2021. Today their house is a museum. Jeff Harris gave us a wonderful tour of the home. He shared the reason for Historic Collinsville. He said, “JoAnn had been a teacher. She saw students, especially those with learning disabilities being left behind.”
So, they taught by sharing history hands on. I recall JoAnn Weakly said, “The Bible says to use what gifts you have. We have been blessed from day one.”
Give they did, and now everyone is reaping the blessings of their generosity.
Erin’s Farm!
Linda and Gary Hamm operate this century farm. At Erin’s Farm they grow blueberries and Christmas trees. The Hamms are using conservation practices. We saw this firsthand when we toured this award-winning farm. Located about 25 miles outside of town, the farm is named after their late daughter.
When we arrived, we were led into the farm by their dog Titan. “We use organic practices as much as possible,” Gary said about the farm they first purchased in 1991. Beginning with 75 acres, they now have 220.
They started with Christmas trees. Linda said, “We do a choose and cut. We have 350 Christmas trees or so.” During the holiday they offer hayrides and hot chocolate.
Next, they Hamms added an acre of blueberries. I learned that you have to have two different types of blueberries for them to pollinate. I even got to sample and pick a few berries!
“We later added a Monarch butterfly pollinator field, and a woodland orchard,” she shared. Photographers enjoy taking pictures in this area. These fields benefit people and animals alike. Today retired from their fulltime jobs, they enjoy time with family and their four grandchildren. At times they have artist events, check out their website and Facebook page for details.
Memories on Main & Strawberry Alley Ale Works
Located in the heart of downtown Clarksville, we enjoyed a stay at the Airbnb, Memories on Main. We loved the roomy renovated art inspired townhouse. It is near everything. On Visit Clarksville they share, “It is one block from Downtown Commons, two blocks from the upcoming event center, near the river walk, across the street from APSU, and minutes to Clarksville’s finest restaurants, bars, coffee shops, boutiques, museums, and art galleries! Less than 15 miles to Fort Campbell and just 45 miles to downtown Nashville!”
With two bedrooms each with its own bath, it is great for families, couples, or a group of friends. I especially loved the balcony off the bedroom. I had fun trying out the Skee-Ball arcade game.
After checking in, we headed to Strawberry Alley Ale Works. Michelle of Visit Clarksville TN shared, “This young family that owns Old Glory Distillery bought this abandoned building and opened the restaurant and brewery downtown in April 2018.”
During a previous visit, we dined here and learned that previously the building was a textile for the military and a former popular night spot and a German restaurant. Thursday evening, I sampled their wonderful chicken kabob, and loved it! On Saturday afternoon, we dipped in and had a beer at the bar to cool off before evening entertainment.
Antiquing & art fun
Anyone that knows my husband knows he is an antique enthusiast. So, antiquing in Clarksville makes sense! On Friday morning, we tried out a fun stop, The Amsterdam Cafe. Located in a renovated auto repair shop, the coffee shop offers coffees, baked goods, and locally sourced foods as well as a small marketplace.
Clarksville is filled with history, and art. One success story from this river city is that of the Olympic Gold Medalist Wilma Rudolph. We went to the Wilma Rudolph Event Center to check out the beautiful memorial statue. Created by sculptor Rev. Howard Brown, I loved the quotes from Ms. Rudolph, who was the first woman athlete to win three gold medals in one Olympics. This track and field athelete achieved this in Rome, Italy in in 1960!
Antiquing started early. Our first stop was Angi’s Treasures, then onto the wonderful Miss Lucille’s Marketplace. At this fun store they have over 52,000 sq. feet with a little something for everyone. I found a couple music T-shirts for my musician grandson and more! At Radical Relic Antiques, there was 2,000 Sq ft, with 70 booths full of some of the finest and most beautiful Antiques & Collectables. Warehouse 41 had several shops; I found a couple vintage outfits. Over the day Keith found some cool tools, and this was all before lunch!
Stopping for nourishment from our robust shopping, we stopped at the wonderful Legends Smokehouse-Riverside. Keith had amazing looking ribs while I got pulled chicken and fried okra.
Best of all though was the great service from our server who was quite the salesman!
Downtown!
After meeting our server who is a legend in the making at Legends, we headed downtown. At &Vinyl, Keith spied a blast from the past, a ZZ Top record. There are lots of cool records to enjoy perusing. This made us think we need to add a record player to our entertainment line up!
In a series of little shops, we stopped at I met Jerica Watson of JAIJOU Co. Boutique. This is a women’s store named after her daughters and she put their “J” names together. “My business grew from candles to head-to-toe care for women. We have body soaps, body butter and more, you can come here and get fully dressed.”
Jerica gave me a wonderful candle, and we connected on her love of farm things! Outside of Mildred and Mabels, I love the “God Bless Clarksville” sign.
We shopped in Clarksville Collection where I found some perfume, and Keith a book.
Artlink was a favorite because of the opportunity for artists to take classes, buy supplies and find a community.
The same was true of Melody and Ken Shipley’s Rivercity Clay Studio. They just celebrated their 3rd anniversary. “We are a gallery that focuses mainly on fine crafts. We have fiber arts, ceramics, jewelry, painting, photography and all kinds of different things,” Marion said.
Their beautiful pottery was up front for sale and on display. They are getting ready to open a new higher end gallery on Strawberry Alley, in August. They offer classes and more!
More art like the Tennessee Triumph Suffragettes was on my list of things to see.
A favorite piece of art I love is the Children’s Fountain. I captured water in motion.
Evening Out!
What fun to eat in the Mailroom, a renovated post office! Just opened August of 2022, they are located across from the Downtown Commons. We loved the food, especially the amazing bread pudding!
After dinner, we met up with Michelle and her husband Dan to watch the Eagles Tribute Project, a band that plays Eagles music!
The concert was located at the Downtown Commons which is like a huge playground. We saw little ones enjoying the water element.
Michelle said this summer they have been offering music by tribute bands and it has been drawing a huge crowd! The evening, we were there it was filled with lawn chairs, and fans like us enjoying music in a historic downtown area!
The Wrap
Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at the fun Downtown Market, a farmer’s market that has been going since 2009!
Janice Emory, owner of Pure Joy soaps has been here since the beginning. She said there were originally 16 vendors and now there are around 80! All vendors have items they made or that came from local sources.
There is everything from woodworking to a petting zoo to produce!
We tried the stuffed waffles for breakfast, enjoyed walking through the market and seeing the variety of things available! I even met some women making a difference by offering scholarships and more from the Clarksville Women’s Club, a volunteer organization.
There is something to see and do in Clarksville year-round! Come at Christmas on the riverwalk! Tour the Smith-Trahen House! Enjoy Civil War History, or do like I did, and just come for the weekend!
Before heading out of town, I had to see the iconic Last Train to Clarksville Mural. As a fan of the group, the Monkees, this hit is a blast from my past.
When I looked it up, the subject was more serious than anticipated it was a Vietnam Protest song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. For Clarksville though the mural is a fun way to promote the city and its railroad and military roots. Plus, it’s a great place for a selfie!
