Good Things Happen at Falcon Rest!

    Falcon Rest in McMinnville, Tenn., has earned its reputation as "the Victorian mansion where history is fun."
    We've begun to realize it's also the "the Victorian mansion where good things happen."
    A case in point is the lovely young couple pictured to the right with an out-of-costume Victorian gentleman (no, I don't sleep in the top hat and tux!)
    This smiling couple had dropped by our tea room for lunch one day last year, announcing they were on their wedding trip and telling us about their recent marriage.
    The Victorian Lady and I just celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary, so of course we're big believers in love and marriage. We were delighted to hear their good news but wondered how it concerned us.
    "It all started here," they explained. As it turns out, they had been seeing each other occasionally when a tour operator brought their East Tennessee Senior Center group to Falcon Rest the year before, but the subject of marriage had never come up. After they enjoyed a meal, entertainment and mansion tour here, we all boarded their motorcoach for a step-on tour of the area.
    Someone mentioned that they were dating, and that was all it took for the Victorian Gentleman. They said I started teasing them about getting married, which apparently got the ball rolling. They were "Mr. and Mrs." within six months of their visit!

    We don't promise that everyone who visits Falcon Rest will end up getting married. That actually might scare a few of them away!
    The "good things" could be more like the 40th anniversary cake a group leader asked us to surprise some of her members with, or as simple as honest-to-goodness belly laughs that chase away aches and pains. They can be students discovering that history actually is about real people just like them, or individuals who take a chance on visiting a tour mansion they may never have heard of and go away saying, "We loved every minute of it and are so glad we made the trip."
   So, whether you're a tour operator planning trips for thousands of customers a year, a dedicated volunteer group leader putting together unique experiences for your friends, or area individuals looking for a great place to bring your out of town guests for a special memory, be sure that Falcon Rest is on your list.
   After all, it's "the Victorian mansion where good things happen!"

-- George McGlothin, "The Victorian Gentleman"