We love the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and Joe grew up listening to classic country music with his family, so it comes as no surprise that a visit to the Loretta Lynn Ranch at Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, has been on our list for a long time. We had a great time visiting the ranch and museum, and we'll tell you more about our tour of the plantation home in another post.
We can tell you a few things right away: First, it's pretty cool, especially if you love Loretta Lynn and are a country music fan. Second, there is a lot of history out in Hurricane Mills, so even if you don't love country music, there is a good chance something about this place will interest you. Third, this place is truly beautiful, set along a creek in the Tennessee hills way out in the country, so you should enjoy a visit even if country music makes your ears burn and history puts you to sleep.
There is a lot to see and do at the ranch. There are campgrounds for RVs and even some cabins. There is a motocross track, an enormous swimming pool, and Loretta even gives concerts right on the ranch. You'll probably be most interested in the plantation home and the museum. We got tickets to see both for less than we expected, and we suggest bringing twenty or thirty dollars a person in cash to make things easy when you visit. We arrived mid-morning and managed to get a parking spot near the museum. Around the mill it is a reasonably small area but we still did a lot of walking, so bring comfortable shoes.
In the Loretta Lynn Museum is a ton of cool stuff. They don't allow pictures in the museum so you'll have to take our word for it, but we promise that inside Loretta has put on display some of the most iconic pieces from her life and career in country music. We walked inside her original tour bus, said to have traveled three million miles. And Loretta even parks her current bus right outside just so you can take pictures. We saw her stage costumes, family wedding photos, her medal of freedom, and autographed books from several presidents. And there is a lot more, so if you've seen the movie and listened to a few records, we think you'll agree how cool it is to see this stuff in person. What struck us most is how Loretta Lynn has put her entire life on display for her fans.
We had a great time at the Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, and you'll see pictures of the house in another post. We hope you'll make the hour trip from Nashville to see the ranch yourself and tour the museum, and we hope you'll sing along just like Josh and Joe Travels.
