by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Apr 28, 2024 | Tennessee, Travel
Karen and I met Pete Waddington at the U-Joint’s bar in Chattanooga while having dinner before a play. Pete told us an amazing story about leasing a former Tennessee State Prison in Morgan County for one dollar a year and turning it into a tourist attraction...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Apr 5, 2024 | Tennessee, Travel
Formerly, “The Water Cress Capital of the World,” Huntsville’s growing tech and science industries have transformed it into “Rocket City, USA,” and Alabama’s most populous municipality. Huntsville’s Historic Downtown has been...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Apr 2, 2024 | Hiking, Hiking, Travel
Huntsville is Alabama’s largest city and less than two-hours drive from Chattanooga. Karen and I spent the last weekend in March exploring “The Best Place to Live in Alabama.” In 1950 Wernher von Braun and his team moved to Huntsville’s...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Dec 17, 2023 | Events, Party, Tennessee
Karen and I suited up for the Nooga Santa Pub Crawl 2023 Saturday night (12-16). Wearing Santa’s outfit is fun, but also comes with responsibility. Walking down the street with people yelling, “SANTA” from cars and asking to take selfies with us was...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Dec 2, 2023 | Tennessee, Travel
November 24-28 Karen and I traveled to Memphis, TN to hang out with her niece Jenna Reneau and watch her referee the NBA game between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves. Beale Street was the center of our tourist activities and we chose the original B.B.King Blues Club...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Nov 21, 2023 | Hiking, Hiking, Tennessee
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area covers 125,000 acres along the Tennessee and Kentucky State Line. We started on the Sawmill Trail to Slave Falls, which was dry due to weeks of rainless weather. A bit further down the trail is Needle Arch. Big South...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Nov 18, 2023 | Beach, Travel
October 3-6, 2023 Karen and I drove to Florida to visit our good friends from Texas sailing days Steve and Janet to attend the MountainFilm On Tour Festival in WaterColor, Florida. The sold-out documentary film festival first-come-first-seated line was long and...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Nov 9, 2023 | Hiking, Hiking, North Carolina, Travel, Water Falls
The fall leaves in our portion of the Tennessee Valley were just starting to turn when reports that the leaves were peaking on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Fortunately for us, the drive to the BRP entrance near Asheville, NC is only three hours away, so we booked a...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Sep 17, 2023 | Hiking, Tennessee, Water Falls
Our first fall hike of 2023 took us to the Rock Creek Gorge Scenic Area in the Cherokee National Forest in far eastern Tennessee to visit Falls of the Scenic Spur. Overcast skies supplied a few brief sprinkles, the temperature remained below 85-degrees, and we had the...
by jeff@lyonsroar.com | Aug 21, 2023 | Hiking, North Carolina, Travel, Water Falls
Second Falls, also known as Lower Falls is visible from the Blue Ridge Parkway just outside of Asheville, NC. Ease of access and the short hike in make it a very popular tourist stop and swimming hole. The Graveyard Fields loop also features Upper Falls. We stopped by...
