Falls Mill

We made plans to go on an adventure today.  We weren't quite sure to where and then it hit me - Falls Mill in Tennessee!  Our friend, Karen, had gone a couple years ago and judging by the pictures she took, we knew it would be something we would love.  It did not disappoint!

We got a later start than I wanted but we're on our way by noon.  We stopped and picked up extra foods for a picnic and hit the road.  It's an easy drive and took us through some beautiful country.

We got there, paid our admission fee, and they set us up with a short video of the history of the mill.  It was quite interesting.

Wheeeeee!

The owner, John, was extremely kind and informative.  He said he was grinding flour for the day and asked if we'd like to watch.  He said that's the loudest thing they do there :)  It was pretty loud!

The grain in the hopper

goes down to the bottom and is ground over and over

 

The pipe (far left of the pic) sucks the flour up

and over to the bin.  Here's the finished product!

We thanked him and barely walked off and the printing press caught Brit's eye.  (It was in part of the video we had watched) She asked how it worked, I started to answer and then John stepped over.  I said "I bet he could explain it better than I can" and he did...in detail!  He showed us how everything worked and answered every question with a smile.  I'm telling you...he gets and A++ for kindness and awesome costumer service!

John showed us the bags they use for their flour and meal.  He prints the product on the front of the bag and then on the back, nutritional content and recipes.  He said he uses the press about every two weeks and can print 600 bags in an hour! 

Upstairs, there is a general store and museum.  We had a lot of fun looking around, touching and reading nearly everything.

Brit found a book she really liked and she's not a huge history nut.  It showed pictures of places battles took place then and pictures of the same places now.  It was very interesting.

We want to learn how to use a loom!

Ginned cotton

When we were finished inside, he headed outdoors.  First to look at the dam.

Then we headed back to The Beast to get our blankets and food for our picnic.

They have a beautiful picnic area right by the water.  Everything was maintained very well - grass cut and landscaped up by the buildings.  There was a trash can there for your convenience too.

Yummy lunch

Of course, I took like two bites and jumped up to get pictures  :)

 

Before we left, we purchased Grandpa Yoders apple butter and chow chow.  It's the same brand of chow chow we bought the last time we were in this neck of the woods.  We also bought a little bag of candy that the lady was selling for her daughter.  Long story short...her daughter was invited to be a student ambassador to go to Canada and they're trying to finished raising the money.  This idea REALLY sparked Brit's interest, especially when the lady told Brit about the older kids (her age) going to the UK last year and this year, Italy and Greece.  That kid would go off in a heartbeat! She gave us the website.  Haven't looked at it yet but HERE it is if any of you want to check it out.

We could not be happier with our adventure today!  I hope we go back again...with friends!  :)