Thursday 9/21 & Friday 9/22/2023 – The Circle Continues

The wagonmasters and us spent the day getting the final touches ready for our American Mountain Music Tour guests. We are staying at the Nashville KOA.

Nashville is a corporate KOA. The general manager is TJ Hayduke and he started his career near our home in Florida. He was at the St. Petersburg KOA Holiday before becoming a General Manager at the Louisville South KOA Holiday, then moving onto Nashville. Charlie and I enjoyed visiting with our caravanners as they were arriving. It’s going to be a great tour!

In the campground is a unique RV. Take-A-Vet Fishing is the non-profit! Since it's inception in 2011, Take-A-Vet Fishing has taken over 3,500 veterans fishing.

Friday morning was our last few minutes to finish up and be ready for our caravan to begin. We start all Yankee events with a welcome that includes traditional Root Beer Floats. We make them in a red solo cup with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream and your own can of ice-cold root beer. Included in every root beer float is an extra wide straw and a long-handled spoon. It is also known as the “Black or Brown Cow.” The root beer float got its start in Colorado in a mining camp. Frank J. Wisner of Cripple Creek, Colorado, gets the credit for inventing the “Black Cow” way back in August of 1893.

At our welcome gatherings, we learn a little bit about all of our caravanners. But we will learn more over the next 15 days. As, we ask each caravanner to submit a 3x5 card with a “little known fact” on them. Then we read them and other caravanners guess who they think it is. Finally, the owner of the little-known fact stands and tells “the rest of the story.” 

We enjoyed our welcome dinner at Paula Deens Kitchen. It is a southern-inspired eatery, with mouth-watering dishes created by Paula Deen and her family. It’s located in a stunning 17,000-square-foot building that seat 406 guests. It is located along the banks of the beautiful Cumberland River, adjacent to Opry Mills Mall.

Like Paula Deen, Yankee RV tours understands the values of spending time with family and friends sharing a meal together. We were invited to feel at home while we enjoyed some genuine Southern hospitality and family-style dining. 

We dined on endless portions of classic recipes, including signature dishes such as Paula’s Southern Fried Chicken and Ooey Gooey Butter Cake.

A great first day of our Yankee Adventure!