SHOP MY LORETTA LYNN’S RANCH LOOK:
Now that we’re back in Tennessee, I find that I’m taking every opportunity that comes my way to discover my birth state all over again. I can’t tell you how many times I drove by exit 143 on Interstate 40 on my way to back up to the University of Tennessee. I always saw that larger than life sign boasting a visit to “Loretta Lynn’s Ranch and Log Cabin Restaurant” and drove right on past it, usually because I was in a rush.
Now that life has (sort of) slowed down a bit, I’m trying to find opportunities to experience places along my route instead of whizzing right past them. And this is precisely how I found my way to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch this past Tuesday! After our visit, I’m kicking myself for not checking it out any earlier. It was such a fun time!! My brother joined me for the adventure and we not only learned so much more about the living legend Loretta herself, but the whole experience felt like waltzing into a time capsule too.
So you don’t wait to see it for yourself, I’m sharing five reasons to pay a visit to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch below!
1. Experience Small-Town Tennessee Life in Hurricane Mills, TN
Loretta Lynn’s ranch sits in the middle of the quaint little Tennessee town of Hurricane Mills. It lies about seven miles or so from bustling Interstate-40, making it an easy destination to visit. When Loretta and her husband Mooney purchased their 19th-century plantation, almost the entire town of Hurricane Mills came along with it.
The town’s general store, post office, and Grist Mill are preserved today and act as museums and gift shops for Loretta Lynn’s Ranch visitors. I was happy to see that the town’s tiny post office is still in operation today, and guests are even encouraged to send postcards from it to friends and family back home.
2. Hear an Inspiring Story of Rags to Riches
Loretta Lynn’s journey from growing up in a small cabin (with 7 siblings!) in Butcher Holler, Kentucky to becoming the “Queen of Country Music” is nothing short of incredible.
Visitors to Loretta Lynn’s Ranch can opt to take a tour of the recreation of Loretta’s Butcher Holler home along with a visit inside her Southern plantation home. Guided tours are $17.50 and last about an hour. There is also an additional museum on-site that you can include in your tour should you be interested. Visits to the Grist Mill Museum and Doll Museum (Loretta was an avid doll collector #funfact) are free!
3. Discover What Life was Like for a Family of 10 in Butcher Holler, KY
The recreation of Loretta Lynn’s Butcher Holler cabin home sits right across the road from the Hurricane Mills Grist Mill. This recreation is so accurate (down to the Sears catalog pages glued to the walls) because it was the set built and used for the film on Loretta Lynn’s life, Coal Miner’s Daughter.
The 3-room cabin only had one bedroom, reserved for the parents. Many of Loretta Lynn’s siblings slept upstairs together in a loft attic space above the house. Hard to imagine, isn’t it!?
4. Step Inside Loretta’s Southern Plantation Mansion
Many plantation tours I’ve taken have led me back to a bygone time somewhere in between the 18th-19th centuries. Loretta Lynn Ranch’s does no such thing. Sure, you can tell from a quick walk around the exterior that this could once have been a working plantation home many years ago, but a step inside you will see that it was fit for country music royalty.
5. And Travel Back in Time While Doing So
It’s very rare to tour a historic Southern Mansion and to see a home decked to the nines in 1970s decor. The interior of Loretta Lynn’s Tennessee home was trimmed in shades of green, yellows, oranges, browns and pinks – some of the most popular interior tones of the 1970s. Her house has been preserved just as it was when she lived there with her husband and six children all those years ago.
You can still see her husband Mooney’s cowboy boots (that he once wore to the White House #funfact) sitting by the settee in front of their bed. A peek into her master bathroom shows off her love for all things pink – especially pink Avon makeup!
I couldn’t get over the oranges and browns decorating her 1970s kitchen. It’s funny how interior design trends evolve, isn’t it!? Today, all we want are white cabinets, marble and shades of blue (or is that just me!?) – a stark contrast to the trends of the Seventies.
My home decor tastes might differ from Loretta’s a bit, but not my fashion sense! I would so whip something up in my kitchen in the outfit she once wore pictured above!!
6. Shop Your Heart Out and Sample Southern Cuisine Too
After a tour of Loretta Lynn’s ranch, visitors can check out the museums on the property or shop till they drop at the country stores on site. One sells fan merchandise and knick-knacks fit for a cowgirl (or boy) and the other offers home goods, jams and a whole lot more sweet Southern goodies.
Closer to the interstate, you can grab a bite to eat at Loretta Lynn’s Kitchen. This country buffet whips up classic Southern dishes and is decorated with memorabilia as a nod to Country Music’s Queen.
ps: dress details!! This Kate Spade number is a Rent the Runway find. You can get 40% off RTR Unlimited or RTR Mini (their new kid’s program) with the code RTRALICE.
SHOP MY LORETTA LYNN’S RANCH LOOK:
Whether you’re traveling from Memphis to Nashville, visiting Nashville and looking for a great day trip, or setting off on a Southern road trip adventure, I highly encourage you to stop in Hurricane Mills for an afternoon to see Loretta Lynn’s Ranch.
Loretta Lynn is 87 years old and still recording music. Goals, y’all! She truly is a living country music legend and currently still resides on this property today, albeit not in the big house. It’s rare to be able to tour someone’s home in this way, especially when parts of the home are still in use. (For example, her kids will spend time upstairs and occasionally they pop into the big house for various events and purposes.) You never know, you may spot Loretta herself on your next visit!
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As always, thank you for stopping by the blog and following along on our adventures!
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xo, alice
