Beer, Bacon and Bourbon — oh my!

Williamson County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Beer, Bacon and Bourbon — three words that still the heart of the most steadfast Southerner.

Now, all we need is a festival honoring all three!

            Well, shut my mouth, if Franklin, Tenn., hasn’t organized one.

            The first, Beer Bacon and Bourbon will take place Saturday, March 5, at The Factory at Franklin, featuring top local craft brewed beers, various bacon-themed hors d'oeuvres and the finest Southern bourbon. It will also host a first-of-its-kind “Tennessee Home Brew Exhibition,” which will give guests the opportunity to try home-brewed beers from across the Tennessee and award a “people’s choice” winner. Tickets to Beer Bacon & Bourbon are $75 and can be purchased online at beerbaconbourbontn.com. 

            Franklin, Tenn., is a quaint town located just outside Nashville, home to great shopping in the historic downtown district, music venues, Arrington Vineyards and the site of the Civil War’s Battle of Franklin. It’s also a stop on the Natchez Trace Parkway and the Americana Music Triangle.

For information on Franklin and Williamson County, visit VisitFranklin.com.

And if you’re a lover of bacon and bourbon, check out the review we did on “Southern Living Bourbon and Bacon: The Ultimate Guide to the South’s Favorite Foods” by Morgan Murphy.

Thar she blows! Spindletop celebrates 115th birthday

The nation’s first oil boom happened deep in the heart of Texas (actually more like along the southeast coast) and this year the Spindletop gusher, located just outside Beaumont, celebrates its 115th anniversary of the Lucas Gusher discovery that changed the way we use energy. When the gusher blew on Jan. 10, 1901, the flow was so intense, oil spewed forth for nine days before the well could be capped.

The Spindletop Gladys City/Boomtown Museum will celebrate the anniversary of the Lucas Gusher discovery on Jan. 9, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as part of the Spindletop Anniversary Celebration. Re-enactors will take visitors back to the early days of the oil rush town with demonstrations and craft-making of blacksmithing, butter churning, soap-making and more and there will be live entertainment and an old-fashioned “drillers’ lunch.” Of course the day won’t be complete without the blowing of the Lucas Gusher.

The celebration continues into the next day, with free admission to the Boomtown Museum all day on Jan. 10.
            For more information, visit http://www.spindletop.org/.