Your bus tour guide to McMinnville and Rock Island State Park

Add an Area Step-on Tour of "Mc-Minn-ville," Tennessee

Natural Beauty, Local History, and Even More Fun

Would your bus tour group like to spend extra time in the area and see more of its beautiful countryside?

Then invite our Victorian Gentleman aboard your coach as a step-on guide for a rib-tickling trip through McMinnville history.

Here’s how he tells it:

Every once in a while, I run into someone who stops me and says: “I know where you’re from: “Mc-Minn-ville, Tennessee.”  Immediately, I know they’ve been on a motorcoach with me on an area tour after a show at Falcon Rest.

The yarns I tell as we drive through the countryside are all true … from Civil War stories about General John Hunt Morgan spending his honeymoon in McMinnville to the eccentric millionaire during the depression who financed the local (still private) library.

After each story, I ask the passengers, “Where did it happen?” 

They chuckle and answer, “Mc-Minn-ville, Tennessee!

Highlight of the Tour

The beautiful waterfalls at Rock Island State Park, a dozen miles northeast of Falcon Rest, highlight the tour.

The easily accessed scenic overlook is near the old Great Falls Cotton Mill building, opened in 1892 by the builder of Falcon Rest, manufacturer Clay Faulkner, and his family.

The building hasn’t been used for anything but storage since its mill wheel was washed away in the great 1902 flood, but at six-bricks thick, it will stand for centuries — a testimony to Faulkner’s vision.

Adult Step-on Tour: $3 each
School Step-on Tour: $2 each
9-3/4% sales tax additional.

Only available in addition to shows, for groups traveling by motorcoach or school bus



How long does it take?

Allow 1-1/2 hours for round-trip step-on tour from Falcon Rest to Rock Island Park and back,.

The park is on the way from McMinnville to I-40 east (Knoxville, Crossville).

For those going home toward I-40 East, the guide can ride the coach as far as the park and be dropped off there. In those cases, the only additional time required is the 20-30 minutes spent at the park itself.

Where history is fun