Good morning Gatlinburg!
2 Stops before Nashville
First up the “Secret City” – Oak Ridge TN. Site of a government built city in the middle of TN made specifically to develop the atomic bomb during WWII. The whole place was constructed in a matter of months and grew from the first expected 12,000 inhabitants to approximately 75,000. It was so secretive and big brother-like. The workers couldn’t discuss their work with anyone and letters to home were censored. All in the name of supporting the war effort.
So there is a 3-hour government run tour of the facilities (it covered 90 square miles) which we hadn’t signed up for, but the museum offers a good look into what was happening there. Lots of photos documenting life in Oak Ridge on the “reservation”. They were adding 32 houses a day in 1942-1943.
Wow!! Interesting!!
Onto a much less grim place. Lynchburg TN, home of the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. Ahhhh. A tour of the distillery followed by a tasting of course. Plus the added bonus of specialness, with Glenda being the heir of a Tennessee Squire complete with a square inch plot of land in Lynchburg on the distillery land. We weren’t sure which inch it was. Susan got to bask in the glory of a Squire’s life….for a moment.
The buildings are a bit reminiscent of abandoned factories in the northeast with all their gray and black metal. We seriously did not think the good stuff came through those weatherworn buildings. But it definitely does!
The tour is super fun, the whiskey is great and the people watching beyond!!!
A quick BBQ plate at a local place in Lynchburg and on to Nashville!
