Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
I thought I should visit ole’ Loretta for lots of reasons:
1. We have the same middle name, although mine is spelled Lynne.
2. I’ve never seen a dude ranch. And
3. Because it’s just about 10 minutes off of I-40 between Nashville and Memphis and I had some time to kill.
What did I learn? I never knew Loretta was the “Coal Miner’s Daughter” until this trip. For some reason, I always thought Janice Joplin had that title. Maybe she’s the “Other Coal Miner’s Daughter” like pork is the “Other White Meat.” I don’t know. I couldn’t find the coal mine, but it really is supposed to be there. I guess you have to pay for a tour to get that kind of information. The plantation home was beautiful, befitting a country music legend and there was an old red mill (see the picture above), fake western town and a recording studio. I didn’t get around to taking a tour, although they are available. I didn’t have THAT much time to kill.
Parts of the compound reminded me of what I think a 1950’s summer camp should look like. This is mainly based on watching The Parent Trap starring Haley Mills and Haley Mills when I was a kid. They had cabins, a pool, horseback riding and lots of other stuff.
Directions? Follow the billboards. You can’t miss em’.