Episode 3910

- [Narrator] Tennessee Crossroads is brought to you in part by--

- [Narrator] Some of our biggest checks have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee lottery, proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now that's some game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Narrator] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways where adventure, cuisine and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at tntrailsandbyways.com.

- [Narrator] The co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee and in five neighboring states. More at outcoop.com.

- [Narrator] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.

- This week, we'll visit a natural bridge near Waynesboro. We'll meet an artist who paints instruments, check out the menu at a Memphis steakhouse and visit a village fit for a hobbit. I'm no Lord of the Rings, but I am, Ketch Secor, welcoming you to Tennessee Crossroads. I think you'll agree that Tennessee has more than its share of natural beauty. You'll find some of that beauty in the wondrous rock formations that dot the state. Cindy Carter explored one formation recently that will take your breath away.

- [Cindy] It took millions of years for rushing waters in Waynesboro, Tennessee to carve out the only known double span natural bridges in the northern hemisphere, maybe even the world.

- We joke and say, but it's the truth. God did a great job. We just don't need to mess it up.

- [Cindy] But it only took a few hours for Stan and Gwinette Beavis to say yes to building their future around this miraculous design.

- For us when we got back to the bridges, it was spiritual for us and when we were back there, we're like, we've got to figure out a plan to open it up to the public.

- [Cindy] You see, for 30 years, the bridges and surrounding property were closed to the public. It was a private fitness retreat, but once the Beavis family purchased the site in 2024, they welcomed everyone to come and see for themselves this remarkable natural wonder.

- Invaluable, invaluable.

- [Cindy] Local historian Petsy Nut often leads visitors of all ages through the colorful past that unfolded beneath the span of these twin arches, beginning with the creek, Chickasaw and other Native American tribes who found refuge here.

- What we do know is that during their time, there would be tribunal council meetings held here where a multitude of tribes would come together.

- [Cindy] The rocks still have tiny indentions from when Native American women cracked nuts on their surfaces.

- And they would sit for hours at places like this with the nutting stone cracking the nuts.

- [Cindy] And after the Native Americans were driven away, the gangs moved in, the perfect hideout after robbing folks traveling along the nearby Natchez Trace.

- The bloody harbors, the murals, the Masons were just a few of the gang. So they would rob, sometimes kill. They would come here, they would hide the loot, and they had four perfect points of lookout because if they were on any one of the points here, they could see in any direction to see if there were posses coming after them.

- [Cindy] Even Tennessee Legend, Davey Crockett, spent some quality time at the bridges, delivering his first political speech here on a spot known as the Pulpit Rock.

- It's invaluable, we've got one of a kind, no other place on the face of the earth has what we have.

- Another hotspot on this property is this, the ice cave. Now the temperature inside this natural wonder hovers around 58 degrees year round, which was great for early settlers who needed to store food and pretty cool for visitors today. Though the beauty and history of the natural bridges are the focal point here, there remains plenty to see and do outside of the tour, which is why visitors have the option to spend a night or several enjoying this natural setting in one of the onsite rustic lodges.

- We have several amenities here. If they book a room with us, they have access to the swimming pool. We have a sauna hot tub, rec room, racketball, outdoor basketball, corn hole. They get to view the bridges, the ice cave. The restaurant is open seven days a week now.

- [Cindy] Ah, yes, the Alpine restaurant serves up southern style breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert with a view. The menu includes daily specials, such as Mr. Andy's barbecue and smoked chicken, prepared by who else, Mr. Andy himself.

- I've been cooking this since we had a duck.

- [Cindy] And after all that tasting and touring, you might want to grab an inner tube and head to 48 Creek for some serious swim time or just the lazy float on the water.

- Like the floating in the creek, the restaurant, all of that, you do not have to stay here to enjoy that, and several of the amenities you can get a day pass and just come enjoy the property.

- [Cindy] And locals in particular are excited to finally be able to hike on the property and enjoy the bridges after 30 years of waiting and wondering.

- To be able to come in and look at it, I think it's huge personally for the community.

- The first time we came, we were just taken back when we walked to the actual bridges itself. I was amazed, I lived 20 minutes from here growing up and I had never experienced that.

- [Cindy] It's an experience one truly has to see to appreciate.

- We're looking at one bridge and we're sitting under the other.

- [Cindy] And the Beavis family hopes the vivid history sheltered beneath those natural arches will captivate new travelers who are drawn to these awe inspiring bridges.

- One of the main goals that we want our generation, the next generations, everybody to get to experience this place.

- Thanks, Cindy, in my line of work, it's common to see people picking on a musical instrument or two, but in our next story, Miranda Cohen introduces us to a painter with an uncommon talent, turning old guitars into unique works of art.

- [Miranda] From a very early age, it was obvious that Edward Rittenberg had a great gift, a keen artistic eye and a masterful hand for creating. His paintings are captivating to the senses, bold colors thickly layered in what he describes as an impasto style of art, meaning the paint forms visual and tactile textures and depth, creating an exquisite balance.

- I just like the process and I think it looks neat from the side. So you can see it and kind of go, what is that, and get closer to it and really get into the painting and see what's going on and step away and kind of look at what I had in my mind when I was painting.

- [Miranda] Almost a native Nashvillian, he has lived here since the age of two. As a boy, he was busy with baseball. Then came the responsibilities of life and a successful corporate career.

- It was really when I turned 30, I got married, my wife went to a gallery. She found a painting that she liked. We didn't really have money to be buying a painting at that time. And I said, well, I'll just paint one for you. I realized, hey, I really like texture, I like colors. And so I kept exploring that.

- [Miranda] In fact, one of his early paintings is a self portrait titled, Split Me, an image capturing the inner conflict of a busy executive with the desire to paint. And finally he knew it was time to pursue what really made him happy, and he began painting full time.

- What sparked the real thing is when my mom died in '22, my dad died 90 days later. I had a lot of paintings around and I just put a post on Facebook and within about three weeks, I had sold 12 paintings.

- [Miranda] He turned to his canvas at a difficult time and found the process therapeutic and the results are stunning.

- I've always loved textured in painting. I love creating paintings with texture. And so, I don't know, I guess it's kind of like sculpting in a little bit of a way, but I still say it's painting. I'm using paint, and even though 90% of my work is probably done through knives, I still use brushes. In the beginning, I used a lot of spoons and kind of worked to find the right spoon. I really kind of went heavier with my heavy body acrylics and the texture and color, and really kind of focused on floral or bringing nature from outside to inside. I do get inspiration looking at flowers, but rarely do I like look at something and paint it. I kind of just start and go. I don't want things to be perfect, right? I think nature's not perfect.

- [Miranda] From the breathtaking bounty of nature to whimsical pets, even this stunning bridal bouquet turned into a work of art. The array of colors seemed to reach out from the canvas.

- I did a guitar player, drummer, piano player, and somebody blowing a trumpet. So a different style, but I really enjoyed it.

- [Miranda] And it was while he was painting these vivid musicians he had an idea, what if he used an actual musical instrument as his canvas?

- I started doing guitars. I mean, really, I live in Nashville and it's the only place I sell 'em. At first, I was painting guitars on a canvas, and then I thought, what would happen if I just tried to paint a guitar using my same style?

- [Miranda] All repurposed from secondhand stores, these discarded tools of the trade will bring joy once again, but this time as works of art. Edward Rittenberg's guitar series seem to have struck the perfect chord in the perfect town. They have found their way into some very famous hands and can be seen throughout the city like this vibrant display at the Moxy Nashville Downtown Hotel. A visual artist, husband, father, and a man who is making a difference by pursuing his passion and abundantly sharing his talents with others.

- I love it, I found something that I love to do. I just really want people to be happy when they look at my art. I mean, we live in kind of a difficult times and I just want people to stop and look and smile. That's success, it's not about selling a bunch of paintings or making a bunch of money. It's really just about making people happy. And so it's been fun, it's been a great ride.

- Thanks, Miranda, you know when you're hungry for a good steak, there seemed to be a lot of high end options that might require a second mortgage on your home. Well, Danielle Allen found an unpretentious spot down in Memphis that serves juicy steaks in a relaxed setting. It's called the Side Porch Steakhouse.

- [Danielle] The Mid-South may be known for its barbecue, but where do you go for a juicy steak? You head to the heart of Bartlett and stop at the Side Porch Steakhouse.

- This is a steakhouse that is not too fancy, not too casual. You can come however you want and we've got a great variety of steaks using the same recipes that we've been using. They've been using since 1976, since it opened, and it's just a good place to be.

- [Danielle] If anyone knows the ins and outs of the Side Porch Steakhouse, it's the business manager Emily Cook. She says the friendly atmosphere keeps people coming back. And of course the menu does too.

- Our grilled chicken breast is really good and you can get that plain, or with bacon and cheese, 'cause bacon and cheese makes everything better. We have pork chops and we have fried and grilled shrimp. We have salmon and mahi mahi.

- [Danielle] And the steaks, well, there's a secret ingredient for that.

- We have a proprietary marinade that we put on our steaks and our chicken and our pork chops, but people really love it and we get asked for the recipe a lot and we don't share.

- Of course, everyone comes here for the steaks, but that's not the only reason they're walking through the door. It's also the croutons.

- It's not a hard crispy like you'd have in a salad. It's about this big. It's a slice of a roll, and they're toasted with butter and garlic salt, and they're pretty tasty.

- [Danielle] And who's responsible for this yummy goodness? That would be Mr. Gary, also known as the Crouton King. He makes sure every batch is just as mouthwatering as the last one.

- What I rub them down with, it's a mixture of butter and garlic powder, and I have to cut these here at a certain length, or should I say size, because we want them to be about like that. We don't want 'em to be huge or too small. They ready to go in the oven, about eight minutes and that's it. That's Side Porch croutons.

- [Danielle] With beloved items like the croutons, the Side Porch Steakhouse stays busy, but Emily doesn't manage it alone. She owns the business with five others. They're all friends who raise their kids together and they're all passionate about the restaurant. That's why they jumped into action when they found out it was closing in 2021.

- It happened kind of in a strange way. One of the owners texted out that, gosh, I'd really love to buy Side Porch. I hear that it's for sale. And then another couple said how much? And another one said, are you serious? And within a week, they had walked through and we, I guess, made an offer on it pretty fast. And it was just to save it. This is an icon in Bartlett and it's a special thing to the people of Bartlett, and we wanted to save it.

- [Danielle] The first step was buying the Side Porch Steakhouse. Next, it was time for renovations. The group did extensive work to the building while also honoring its long history.

- The house was actually built as a single family residence in 1936, and it went through lots of owners, but at one point, the telegraph operator lived here, and this was the telegraph office. And a mayor was here with his family for a while, and it converted from a single family residence to Side Porch in 1976.

- [Danielle] When the restaurant reopened with the new look and the same cherished menu, the community was overjoyed, including Rebecca Lane. This was her family's home when she was a child.

- Oh, my mother would be shocked to know that there is a bar in our house. Where the bar is was my sister's and I's bedroom. We had two twin beds and a little half bath up there. And then the side porch was not there, it was a carport.

- [Danielle] But no matter the changes over the years, the feeling remains the same.

- I'll tell you, I was so thrilled that they... Of course someone else owned it before this group bought it. But I was so thrilled that they didn't tear it down. I mean, this just my home. I'm sorry, it really means a lot to me.

- We've been humbled by the community supporting us and continuing to come out. We have customers who are here every week and it's been fun to do it and to do this business with our friends. And we really have a community atmosphere here, and it's just been nice to continue the legacy.

- Delicious, thanks, Danielle. Of all the places to stay up in East Tennessee, we've never seen a location quite like this one made up of things like fairy dust and leprechauns gold. It's a place that almost transports you to another world entirely. Laura Faber introduces us now to the Ancient Lore Village.

- I call it a place of peace and quiet where people should come.

- We wanna make sure that you have the most magical day.

- [Laura] On 67 acres just south of Knoxville sits a whimsical wonderland just waiting for your family to visit. The Ancient Lore Village looks like a movie set and is based on a book called Bokee's Trek, Outcast to the Inner Earth.

- [Narrator] Next to the waterfall is the perfect place for each of us to build our homes as a community and this will be our village

- [Laura] Author and entrepreneur Tom Boyd wrote this book after campaigning with his son Randy, who ran for governor. Tom found voters across the state so divided, it inspired him to do something to promote unity and kindness.

- So I tried to come up with something unique that I could convey a message where people should be better, could live better. And only way I could see to do that was take characters from ancient world that nobody could argue with. So I created a character called Bokee living in a particular village. So the idea was to create a group of villages with different characters in it and take a character and go through 'em and meet fantastic people no matter what it looked like.

- [Laura] Taking this idea of a fantastical village from the pages of a book and transforming it into a five star resort was a monumental task. It officially opened during the pandemic.

- We are a luxury event venue and boutique resort, and it's really about the experiences that you have when you come here. And it doesn't matter whether you're coming here for a wedding or whether you're coming here for a corporate retreat or a family reunion, or a gender reveal party where we change the color of the waterfall to pink or blue. I mean, we just are a place where people can come together and have an experience that when they leave, they're going to continue to spread that goodness throughout the world.

- [Laura] CEO Melissa Blatner calls it hospitality with a purpose, a place to help people unplug from the junk. There are no TVs in the rooms. Melissa hopes people would rather gather round the bonfire at night or practice their archery skills or try axe throwing. The rooms are hard to leave, though. They are stunning and unique. Melissa's favorite room, the waterfall villa.

- From the birch wall behind me to the Venetian plaster wall, that makes you feel like you're in the middle of a birch forest. So it's a sweet too, which is why I like it 'cause I like to be spoiled. So it also has an adjoining living room, and it's perfect for like the bride getting ready. We can bring lunch in, everybody can be here together.

- Then there is the grass covered 1600 square foot house. This is Bokee's Bungalow. It's got two private bedrooms, three full baths, four bunks, and this is completely underground. The 17 foot tall fireplace in chimney is gorgeous, and the cozy tile dining cove is the perfect place to share a meal. Every room is named after the characters in Tom's book and have themes like the Gremlin Den and Orc House and though Tom loves them all, he does have a favorite. Your favorite room.

- Oh, the leprechaun before, but that's because my grandchildren called me a leprechaun.

- [Laura] With green and gold Venetian plaster walls that swirl and flow, the bathrooms are gold with green shell tile in the shower, and a hidden leprechaun in one of the custom cabinets.

- We talked about hints of characters in the rooms. The leprechauns have this a magic wand that they're one of the few characters that can flow between the world of man and the ancient lore world. So they throw their magic wand up in the air and it creates this portal. So the fireplace mimics that portal of where it has these river stones that swirl into themselves where the leprechauns can go in and out.

- [Laura] The three tier, 40 foot waterfall was made of boulders that existed on the property. Seating areas surround it along with elaborate landscaping. With customized packages and itineraries, plus elevated cuisine, Ancient Lore Village offers both luxury and an experience that remind you of simpler times,

- Bringing families together and going and having those special moments, we need more of that in this world. People get so busy, everyone is so plugged into their phone and their computer that it's good to just have some real experiences.

- [Laura] Do you think you've accomplished what you wanted to accomplish with this place, Tom?

- [Tom] Absolutely, I'm overjoyed with it.

- Hey, thanks Laura. Well, that's all the time we have for this week. Please check out our website at tennesseecrossroads.org and watch us anytime by downloading the PBS app. As always, thanks for tuning in, see you next time.

- Hey, I am John Phillips from Phillips Forged Knives in Knoxville, Tennessee. It's such an honor to be part of the cannon of Tennessee Crossroads that works so hard to help promote the culture in our state that creates the amazing fabric that makes where we live so unique. So thank you, Tennessee Crossroads.

- [Narrator] Tennessee Crossroads is brought to you in part by--

- [Narrator] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over seven and a half billion dollars we've raised for education, providing more than two million scholarships and grants. The Tennessee lottery, game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Narrator] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways where adventure, cuisine and history come together. With 16 scenic driving trails, you can discover why Tennessee sounds perfect. Trips can be planned at tntrailsandbyways.com.

- [Narrator] The co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee and in five neighboring states. More at ourcoop.com.

- [Narrator] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.