Texas Tuesday-Mt. Vernon: Small Town Fun

To be honest, Mt. Vernon, Texas was never on my radar to write about.  Never even thought about it.  It was just another small town off of Interstate 30 that we pass on the way to Arkansas.  Just another small town that we drive to so that my daughter can play 2 or 3 basketball games and then come home.  But a couple of weeks ago, she had a 3 day tournament there.  Her team had 3 games spanning a 9 hour period one day.  So we really had no choice but to get out of the gym and explore the small town.  Man, it's pretty cute!  We had lunch as well as walked around the town square.  The square is adorable.  In the middle of downtown sits a square shaped park that is covered with trees.  At the time, the crepe myrtles were blooming big time!  (Blooming crepe myrtles means it's HOT in Texas!)

We ate lunch at a place across the street from the park called "Our Place."  It's only open for a few hours around lunchtime.  Service was incredibly nice and the food was awesome!  I had a chicken salad sandwich and it was delicious.  I don't usually order sandwiches for lunch but I was so glad I did.  They definitely weren't stingy with the chicken salad!

We came in the back door of the restaurant.  The back door faces the front of Franklin County Historical Association.  Of course that caught Chief's eye!!  He loves museums. 

 As we talked to our very friendly waitress, we found out the museum was closing at 2pm.  Upon hearing Chief's disappointment, the waitress worked her magic to get the museum to open for us.  We got our own personal tour of the museum which included a collection of Don Meredith memorabilia  as well as a rare bird egg collection...222 bird eggs to be exact.  3 of those eggs are from birds that have been extinct for over 100 years reportedly!  The entire room is climate controlled.  I didn't get a picture of the collection.  Mainly because I was so mesmerized by the shear number of eggs and information all in one small room!  Reportedly, a "big national museum from DC" wanted the collection.  But the little town fought back and the collection stayed right there. 

After exploring the small museum for over an hour, we walked around downtown.  

                                                        Franklin County Courthouse

So next time you're around the northeast Texas area, stop in Mt Vernon for some lunch and a little history!

Hugs y'all,

Melissa

Texas Tuesday- The Tennessee Edition

Our group of crazies headed North right after the kids got out of school in June.  Kids got out on Friday...Red had two basketball games on Saturday and by Sunday morning, we were packed and loaded in the truck.   Our ultimate destination was New York but our first major
stop would be Nashville.  Chief heard about the George Jones Museum that had opened earlier in the year in downtown Nashville.  What 8 year old boy has the George Jones Museum on his bucket list?!  Mine does!  He played the Possum  old cassettes and records non-stop until we left. 

I will say we picked the worst possible night to arrive in Nashville.  We got into town about 7:30 that night (the museum doesn't close until 10 or after).  It was Sunday but it was drunk people galore!!  It's never good when your kids are watching people getting put into their cars by their friends because they are sooooo wasted.  It was only after we got to our hotel later that night that we discovered it was the start of CMA Fest.  Needless to say, we did not do much sight seeing on our 2 hours in Nashville.

Now to the main reason for our stop in Nashville...the George Jones Museum.  It was pretty cool.  When we walked up, the hubs asked these 2 men where we entered the actual museum.  Now, I am not sure if these 2 were hired by the museum or if they just did this for the fun of it.  I am not calling  them short... but I am 5 foot 4 and I was a good 6 inches taller than them. Their neon orange rimmed glasses (they both wore them) wasn't even the best part. They looked similar to Weird Al Yankovic and wore black t-shirts that read "BANG THIS" in big neon orange letters.  I wish I had gotten a picture of them but to be honest, I was seriously flabbergasted and slightly confused by them.

We entered through the doors into the gift shop.  At the entrance is  small open-air lounge with a band playing.  This museum has 4 floors. The actual museum is on the 2nd floor.  You can rent the 3rd floor for a wedding reception or other event.  The rooftop houses the restaurant and bar.  It has an amazing view!!  It overlooks the Tennessee Titans Stadium.

The museum exhibit was put together by George Jones' wife, Nancy.  She handpicked items that were personal to the Possum such as contents of his wallet.  I have a Costco card just like George. 

There were items such as the chair he sat in while he watched Sunday Football and his own personal barber shop setup.  It was a very well put together exhibit that showcased his personal side as much as the entertainer part of him.

Here's Chief with George Jones' truck that sits in the gift shop.  He feels that it is important for you to know there is a "moonshine maker" in the bed of the truck.  (Yes, my sweet son read my blog over my shoulder as I type.)

 

If you've gotten to the end of this post and wondered why I made this a Texas Tuesday post, know this...George Jones grew up in Saratoga, Texas and raised in Vidor, TX. 

 

So the next time you venture through Nashville, be sure to put this one on your list to see.  You won't be disappointed.

 

Hugs y'all,

Melissa