Tennessee | Banjo and Layla's Lifestyle and Travel

It’s Fall. Leaves changing, cooler weather, football, pumpkins, and lots of Fall festivals in towns all across the U.S. In The Memphis area where I live there is a festival in almost every town. I do love the Italian Festival in June, and there is always the famous Music Fest and Memphis in May. But since Fall is one of my favorite seasons I enjoy Fall festivals the best. Two of the biggest are the Cooper-Young Festival and the Germantown Festival. The Germantown Festival is one of the longest continuously run festivals in the area. My husband and I recently attended the 48th annual one this month, and I wanted to share some pictures with you.

The Germantown Festival is a free family fun weekend. with over 400 local and regional artists and craftsmen selling their unique treasures such as pottery, artwork, jewelry, metal, woodwork, hand-stitched clothing, paintings, and photography.

There is lots of food – everything from fair food like corn dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes to brats, barbecue, and even lobster. There is a Kids Zone with rides and activities for children, an auto show with new and classic cars, and live musical entertainment on a stage.

But being the dog lover that I am my favorite part is the Weenie Dog Race called “The Running of the Weenies.”

It is the cutest thing. There are lots of people with weenie dogs everywhere, and they have a Best Dressed Contest before the race when people embarrass their dogs by dressing them in creative costumes then parading them before the judges. And then the race. Owners line up holding their wiggly pups, while another person the dog loves is at the finish line cheering them on and encouraging them to run to them. It is hilarious. Half the dogs get sidetracked, and some even turn around and run back to the start! So cute.

So I want to hear from you. Comment below and tell me about your favorite festival where you live.

Cindy Baker

We have been wanting to visit Discovery Park ever since we heard about it when it was first built, and we were not disappointed. Discovery Park of America, located near Reelfoot Lake in West Tennessee, has something for all ages. According to their website, the mission of Discovery Park of America is to inspire children and adults to see beyond. From the 100,000-square-foot museum to to beautifully landscaped 50 acre heritage park outside, there is such a wide variety of interesting nature, science, technology, history, and art displays and hands-on activities that there really is something for everybody. From history to space exploration, Discovery Park of America aims to inspire you to see beyond and provide a greater understanding of our world – past, present and future. The park is located in Union City, TN so if you live in the area, it is an easy day trip from Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, and Dyersburg in Tennnessee and Paducah and Murray in Kentucky. Read to the end to watch our video.

We decided we did not want to get up early for the drive, so we went up from Memphis the night before and stayed overnight in Martin, TN. If you are ever in Martin, TN and are not on a diet try a cool restaurant we found called The Grind. It is a mac n’ cheese burger bar with lots of original unique menu items such as their creative milkshakes.

Museum

The museum showcases ten exhibit galleries focused on topics like Native American history, the military, natural history, regional history, science, space technology, art, transportation and more. Here is a list of experiences from their website:

Theater simulation of the 1811-12 earthquakes that contributed to creating the beautiful landscape in this region
20,000-gallon aquarium revealing the underwater life of Reelfoot Lake
Dinosaurs, fossils and prehistoric artifacts
Military equipment, vintage automobiles and an actual Titan I missile ready to launch
Interactive displays focused on science, technology, engineering and math – and dozens more hands-on experiences. Enjoy some of my museum photos below:

Heritage Park

The 50-acre outdoor heritage park includes a man-made river flowing through the extensively-landscaped property, along with waterfalls, bridges and other water features. Here is a list of visitor experiences from their website:

Reproduction of a turn-of-the-century town with a working gristmill, windmill and one-room school house
Japanese, European and American gardens
Authentic 120-year-old church
Vintage train station and depot with locomotive, cars and caboose to explore inside and out
Liberty Hall including a replica of the Liberty Bell
One-of-a-kind, nature-inspired playground experience featuring a PlayOdyssey Tower, log steppers, log balance beams, hillside climbers, slides and a mini zip line
Ag Center showcasing the agricultural traditions and heritage of this region
Log cabins, farm buildings, equipment and family items providing a glimpse into rural life in the 1800s Enjoy some of my Heritage Park (outside the museum) photos below:

Discovery Park America is open Tuesday – Sunday. We found it to be very reasonably priced. For more information info@discoveryparkofamerica.com I hope you enjoy our little video:

On our way home we stopped by Reelfoot Lake to take some photos. I had never been there. The lake was formed from the violent New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812. The mighty Mississippi River flowed backwards for three days. How strange! The lake looks pretty cool, because there are Cypress trees growing up out of it. Below are a few pics.