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The
Three Faces of Fun at Falcon Rest
or
"How Falcon Rest Became the
Victorian Mansion Where History Is Fun"
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The restoration of Falcon Rest began in 1989. When the mansion opened
to the
public
after 4-1/2 years of hard work, over 1,000 local
people toured during the first two days.
But it was the state's electric co-op magazine
that started the love affair between Falcon Rest and tour groups.
Tennessee Magazine
has over 400,000
readers, and when the Victorian Gentleman and Lady appeared on its
cover a few months after the mansion opened, the church and senior
groups started calling. They had two reactions: "This is one of
our favorite mansions we ever toured" and "Where do we go eat?"
It didn't take long to figure out the correct answer was, "Right
here!"
It came in handy that The Victorian Lady grew
up in South Louisiana
and was born with a talent for great food, and that The
Victorian Gentleman has been accused of being a born storyteller.
Murfreesboro
Magazine
called him "a walking encyclopedia in a tuxedo." Last month's Group
Tour Magazine said, "Tales roll off his tongue as easily as
butter off
a hot knife." |
 Face
#1: The Victorian Gentleman
Meals were served on the mansion's veranda when those first groups
came, and the Gentleman had a revelation -- 30 or 40 people can't fit
in one room for a mansion tour, much less see and hear. So the Vaudeville
Style History Show was born, with the fun-loving, full-figured,
fast-talking Victorian Gentleman weaving funny stories about the
mansion's history while folks were seated comfortably for their
meal. Then they were turned loose to spread out
in the mansion, seeing everything at their own pace without having to
look over
somebody's shoulder. The groups were soon coming year round, and
a large and elegant Victorian Carriage House dining room followed --
complete with a stage where the Gent could spin his tales.
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 Face
#2: Buffalo Bill (aka Mr. Faulkner)
A former employee who had become director of a local charity came to
the Victorian Gentleman several years ago, asking him to put on a
Victorian play she had found as a fund raiser. He said, "I've
been thinking about doing a murder mystery based on the real history of
the mansion for a long time. Let's do that instead." He and
his wife played Mr. and Mrs. Faulkner, the former employee became Mag
the Cook, and all the local people in the audience were assigned real
characters from 1897. By the time Mag discovered Mr. Faulkner
dead in her kitchen, and Buffalo Bill Cody (who really was in Middle
Tennessee in 1897) showed up to solve the murder, the audience was
rolling with laughter. Murder
at
the Mansion has been performed hundreds of times since,
participated in with delight by groups aged 10 to 90 from all over the
country.
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 Face
#3: The Clay Ghost
Falcon Rest's employees also inspired its newest show, Ghost at the
Mansion. The building was known for its spirits even before
it was restored, and the staff kept insisting, "Do something about the
ghosts." At "the Victorian mansion where history is fun," a
spooky show didn't seem appropriate, so this one is designed to tickle
the funny bone as well as the spine. Stories about the
mysterious, unusual happenings at Falcon Rest and other Tennessee
locations are woven into a light-hearted ghost convention set in the
modern era. Everyone in the audience gets a character, only in
this show, they're all dead. The Victorian Gentleman and Lady
are Mr. Faulkner and his mother-in-law
Darthula, and the governess Georgia Cox takes on the personality
of
the employee who often plays her: "she's looking for a man, and any man
will do."
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Coming
in 2008: The Fourth Face of Fun at Falcon Rest
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www.falconrest.travel
McMinnville,
Tenn.
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We're on your way
from anywhere thru
Middle Tennessee!
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Easy
access from I-24 & I-40.
Nashville. -- 1
1/2 hrs.
Chattanooga -- 1
1/2 hrs.
Knoxville -- 2
hrs.
Pigeon Forge -- 3
hrs.
Atlanta -- 3
1/2 hrs.
Birmingham -- 4
hrs.
Jack Daniel’s -- 50
min.
Cumberland County
Playhouse -- 50
min.
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Speaking of faces, check out...
"Beauty and the Beast" at
2006
Bank Travel in Mobile
Kathleen
Green of Sweet Magnolia Tours is the beauty; not saying who the "beast"
might be.
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For more information,
help in
itinerary planning,
or
to make reservations,
contact
Charlien
McGlothin
falconrest@falconrest.com
(931) 668-4444
2645
Faulkner Springs Rd. McMinnville, TN 37110 |
June 2006
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