Sheriff Buford Pusser - Adamsville, TN

**Total Cost for this trip was $21 for 2 adults and 3 kids (12, 10, 7)**

*Packed lunch plus gas*

This adventure was taken from the Tennessee Trail and Byway Self-Guided Driving Tour - Walking Tall.  Destination is Adamsville, TN to see the Home/Museum of Walking Tall Legend Sheriff Buford Pusser.

This day trip works for anyone up to 3 hours from Adamsville, TN.

Of course, I don't ever go from Point A to Point B so we made some stops along the way.

Stop #1 - Britton Lane Battlefield - 280 Britton Lane, Denmark, TN (Page 30)
This is one of the many Civil War battle sites in Tennessee.  We tried to go there before but the GPS took us someplace way different and we ended up just going to Chickasaw State Park the first time.  We found it this time and it's nothing spectacular but I just like to check everything out and it was interesting to see 'along the way'.

Kaden was apparently dying of thirst...

He was sure he was going to get that well to work

Checking out the 'old stuff'

Then we headed to the main attraction for the day...the Home of Sheriff Buford Pusser.  Sheriff Pusser is the guy from those "Walking Tall" movies.  He lived in Adamsville, TN and was the McNairy County Sheriff from 1964-1970.

Stop #2 Adamsville Cemetery - 303 Old Stage Rd, Adamsville, TN (Page 13)
Here we found Sheriff Pusser's grave...his wife Pauline who was shot to death on a ride along with Pusser, is also buried here...also with a son and other close relatives.

Stop #3 Buford Pusser Monument and Crashsite - in Lawton, TN on the corner of Hwy 64 and Lawton Rd. (Page 12)

It was here that on August 21, 1974, Sheriff Buford Pusser died in a fiery crash when his Corvette left the road, hitting this embankment.  This site is marked with this monument and Hwy 64 has been named Buford Pusser Highway in his honor.

We still had some time before Sheriff Pusser's Home/Museum opened so we headed over the river into Savannah, TN to have lunch by the Tennessee River.

Stop #4 Wayne Jerrolds Riverside City Park - take the first right on to S Riverside Dr after going over the bridge.

This park isn't in the guide, but we had happened upon it on a past visit to Savannah, TN.

On the way back into Adamsville, I saw this sign and of course I made my kids get out on the side of the highway to make a picture by it!  They were thrilled!

They are such good sports...most of the time!

Because today was a Sunday and the museum doesn't open until 1pm on Sundays, it was still not time for the home/museum to open so we stopped at this park at the end of the road the museum was on. It was conveniently named Buford Pusser Memorial Park so I made the kids make a picture there too...lol.

Finally it was 1pm...
Stop #5 Sheriff Buford Pusser Home and Museum - 342 Pusser St. (Page 13)

Hours: May-October Monday-Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 9am-5pm & Sunday 1pm-5pm.  November-April Monday-Friday 11am-4pm, Saturday 9am-4pm, Sunday 1pm-4pm.
Admission is $7 adults, $5 seniors, $3 children 12-18, $2 children 6-11, Free 5 and Under. 

The museum was very informative.  The tour guide we had was the daughter of Sheriff Pusser's deputy John Smith so she really knew a lot.  She walked us through the whole house telling us all about everything you could ever want to know about the man.

The kids standing in Sheriff Pusser's kitchen!

This house was built in the 1970s after a house fire destroyed it. Pusser built on the same site.  The house has 7 outside doors, ensuring that he would never be trapped inside. Also, his bedroom is underground, feeling safer in a room with no windows.

They don't actually let you in there

Also on display, in the garage, is his charred corvette he died in.

I really liked the home/museum.  I did feel like the lady was sort of rushing us through and we didn't get to spend as much time looking and reading stuff as we wanted but it was fun.  I think the kids liked it too.  They don't know who he is but after hearing some of the stories about his time as an officer and sheriff, the kids wanted to know more.

Also in Adamsville:
Old Home Motel - 211 E Main St. - Sheriff Pusser lived in Room 110 of this motel for 4 months while his new house was being built after the fire destroyed it.
Gibbs Oil & Gas Collectibles Museum - 114 W Main St.

Stop # 6 Rockabilly Highway Mural - W Court Ave & 2nd St, Selmer, TN (Page 10)

On the way home we drove through Selmer and found this cool mural on a building and I had to stop and push my kids out of the car for a picture.

Savannah, Tennessee Day Trip

**Total Cost for this adventure was only $6 for 2 adults and 3 kids**

*Packed lunch plus gas*

We picked a place from our Tennessee Self-Guided Driving Tour - Walking Tall brochure, got in the car and headed to Savannah, TN.

This trip works for anyone up to 3 hours from Savannah, TN.

Stop #1 Tennessee River Museum - 495 Main Street, Savannah, TN 38372 (Page 16)

Hours of Operation: Monday through Saturday - 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Sunday -1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day

Admission: Adults $ 3.00, Students & Children - FREE

Dad had been wanting to go here since we went to Shiloh National Military Park in June.  They had a lot of information in this fairly small area. The boys really enjoyed checking out the 'hands-on" parts.

Learning all about Musseling on the Tennessee River

Dante and Kaden spent a good deal of time whispering back and forth to each other on these.  I can't remember what they were called but they were about 4 yards or more apart and they worked really well.  You just whisper really quietly into one and the other person can hear you as if they were talking right to your face.

   

Then we tried picking up this cannon ball...it was REALLY heavy!

    

And of course Kaden loved the room of different bullets and cannon balls so Dante took our picture

Then to the War of the River display.  Kaden and I stepped over the ropes to get on the ship for a photo op...Dante did not like that.  He was convinced we were going to jail for trespassing! LOL

Stop #2 Savannah Cemetery - U.S. Hwy. 64 to 128 S. to Cherry St. Savannah, TN 38372 (Page 15)

Next we drove over the the Savannah Cemetery to find Alex Haley's grandmother, Queen Haley's gravesite.  It is also the gravesite of Alex Haley's grandfather and Alex Haley's first wife.

The kids think I am crazy. They complain every time we go to a cemetery. "Mom, why are we always going to cemeteries...It's weird and creepy!"  

Stop #3 Wayne Jerrolds Riverside City Park - S Riverside Dr.

It is just a parking lot on the edge of the Tennessee River with a couple short walking paths.  We just sat out and had a snack and snaps a few pictures.

We headed toward home and on the way we stopped in Pinson...

Other Attractions in Savannah:
Worleybird Cafe - 990 Pickwick St. - Tribute Restaurant to Country Singer Darryl Worley
Savannah Historic District & Tour - Brochure at Tennessee River Museum
Cherry Mansion - 265 W Main St. - Union General Grant's headquarters for the 6 wks before Battle of Shiloh. Also Alex Haley's grandmother was a maid in this house.

Stop # 4  Artesian Well - Hwy 45S at Ozier Rd, Pinson

Kaden is convinced that the legend of these wells is true.  There is another one in Jackson, TN that we have been to and they are said to have curing abilities for healing ailments.  So Kaden always wants to go to these wells and drink from them so he doesn't have to be sick anymore.

 

Getting Started

Hello, My name is Amy and this is my blog.
Here's a little bit about me and my family. I am 33 years old, I have 3 kids...almost 12, just turned 10 and a 7 year old. We love to go on what the kids call "Mom's Adventures". What we do is we pick a place or a couple places with in the same area and get in the car and see what we can find. We don't have a lot of money so most of the time they are free and sometimes they cost very little. We don't do expensive things often...if ever. But we ALWAYS have fun!
I am a very organized person...sometimes to a fault. I want to see and do everything the world has to offer. I may never get to many of the places I want to go, but I've planned out all the trips anyway. My favorite past-time is exploring places to go and things to see.
I recently borrowed all my regional travel guides and brochures to a friend that moved to my area...she has a couple kids and wanted to do some things with them over the summer. Two months later, she hadn't gone or done anything because she said that every time she looked at my things, it was too overwhelming and she didn't know where to start. She said she just wanted me to tell her what to do. I got to thinking about it and I get it, travel guides are great, they give you all the information you need but most people don't have time to go through a several hundred page book looking for something to do for a day or two. I know from experience that it can take several hours and even days looking through the books, getting on Google Maps, locating different places and where they are in comparison to other places, determining what it around the area you picked to go to, etc. Especially if you are unfamiliar with the area. So I decided, since I love to plan trips and I have notebooks full of them, I would start a blog...I would 'tell you what to do".
I hope you enjoy the trips I have planned. Trips are suppose to be fun, not stressful so let someone else do the work! But don't forget to take lots of pictures! Nikon D5100 16.2MP Digital SLR Camera with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3. (Google Affiliate Ad)Thank you
PS: Please bear with me as I get started in this adventure...It's going to take some time to post all these trips.

x