Jazz on the Lawn in Clarksville

Located right off of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, the hotel is in a great location. In fact, it was less than a mile to the winery, which made it perfect for us. Check-in was easy and the staff was very friendly. Our room was located on the third floor and was a typical hotel room with the requisite two queen-size beds, a desk, a chair, and a TV. The beds were oh so soft and the pillows were great. The decor was nice, especially in the lobby area. The bathroom was average in size and equipment. The room was fairly clean, with a few spots on the duvet cover.

The pool was gorgeous, but we didn't bring our suits. The continental breakfast featured "make your own" waffles, cereals, a variety of pastries, bagels, apples, microwaveable sausage and biscuits, juice, milk, coffee, etc. Check-out was just as painless as checking in, and the morning staff was extremely pleasant. We would definitely stay here again.

We usually try to eat lunch here while we are in Clarksville. It is in the middle of the historic downtown area in an older brick building that adds a lot of charm to the place. It is a quick walk from some of the other places that we enjoy visiting. It is a great place to go with a group of friends. Blackhorse has a warm and inviting atmosphere. The decor is a lot of brick and dark wood with a variety of old beer labels framed around the walls. The place is always exceptionally clean. The servers are very friendly and normally very good. I think we have only had one bad experience and they were extremely busy that day. They serve several of their own microbrews. I am not a beer fan but my husband enjoys their beer.

The food is great!! The beer cheese dip is absolutely heavenly with just the right amount of spice. You just can't get enough. And the soft pretzels are one of my favorites. The pizzas are really good as well with a garlic crust. The Blackhorse has a wide variety of menu options, though some of them seem a little strange. Some of the offerings that I recall included hamburgers, hummus, flatbread sandwiches, corned beef, etc. Prices are a little on the expensive side but still very reasonable. It is a must visit for us. I am hungry just writing about the beer cheese dip!!!

After hearing some rave reviews of others who had been, my friends and I decided we MUST visit Beachaven Winery for their Jazz on the Lawn. Held on certain Saturdays from August to October, Jazz on the Lawn is sponsored by and held on the grounds of Beachaven Winery. A different jazz artist is featured at each event, and the free concert lasts from 6:30pm until 9:30pm.

Because we were driving from out of town and because we wanted to tour the winery first, we arrived extremely early (about 3:15pm). We toured the small winery and sampled several of their wines. They also had fresh-baked breads for sale. Yum!! We then went outside to see where the concert was to be held. Several picnic tables were scattered around the area, and since we were so early, we had our choice. We quickly claimed one in front of the stage, but far enough away that we could hold a conversation. We unpacked the picnic we had brought and hung out until the concert was ready to start. We brought sandwiches, grapes, cheese, crackers, and chocolate. Others brought picnics, ranging from the very simple snack items to elaborate feasts of fried chicken, potato salad, and more. The music was good, but was more New Age jazz on the night we were there. Great atmosphere and extremely cheap. The weather was great, and it could be very romantic!!! Definitely something I would like to do again.

Some tips: get there early. The picnic tables go fast and space in general is limited, as is parking. They set up a table to sell wine outside and provide you with plastic cups. Admission is free (as long as you buy a bottle of Beachaven wine). The rules are simple: no other alcohol is allowed and make sure you clean up after yourself. They had a lot of security around. Had we known that they would have a Halloween theme at the last event, we probably would have waited and went to that one. It sounded like a blast.

Beachaven Winery is a great place to visit, even if you miss Jazz on the Lawn. We printed off directions from the Internet, and they were a little confusing, but Clarksville has a number of signs directing you to the winery. When you arrive, one of the first things you see are the vines.

Though small in size, the winery offers a large variety of wines for every taste and budget. From a dry Cabernet Sauvigon to a semi-dry variety named after music such as Melody, Jazz, and Harmony to semi-sweet Cumberland White to Barrister's Red (a wonderful red muscadine wine named after a judge). Prices range from $9 to $30 per bottle. The winery also bottles wine under military labels in honor of the 101st Airbourne Division located at nearby Fort Campbell, KY.

The staff was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about their wines. The tasting bar is towards the back and can accommodate about 20 people at a time. It was not very crowded while we were there, and as I said, the staff was just great. The winery store also offers a wine accessories such as corkscrews, bottle stoppers (even some in a Christmas theme), wine chillers, candles, aprons, jams, jellies, cheeses, breads, and more, all at fairly reasonable prices.

I generally enjoy sweeter wines, and this was no exception, with the Cumberland White and Golden Rose being my favorites. Now, if we could just get Tennessee to change its laws about delivering wine!

While in Clarksville, my husband and I always enjoy a trip to Rocknrocks, located across the street from the historic Roxy Theater. One of the largest online dealers of beads, Rocknrocks now has a showroom and store in Clarksville. The showroom area is somewhat small but contains a wide variety of beads, stones, wire, jewelry findings, pendants, beading tools, books on beading, unusual gifts and more. Some of the beads and gemstones offered include coral, agate, amber, amethyst, ametrine, chalcedony, citrine, garnet, goldstone, hematite, lapis, jasper, moonstone, opal, obsidian, carnelian, seed pearls, freshwater pearls, jade, quartz, sodalite, tiger eye, topaz, tourmaline, and turquoise. You can also order from them online. Prices are very reasonable.

The staff will help you find the beads that you want as well as the material to make the piece that you want. You might even want to check out their "Forest Gump" mix, aptly named as "you never know what you are gonna get." Rocknrocks even carries hand crafted jewelry by some of the local artisans. The inventory of handmade jewelry varies as all of the pieces are unique. Behind the showroom/storefront is the Rocknrocks warehouse with thousands and thousands of beads, gemstones and the like. The warehouse services Rocknrocks’ online store and their Ebay auctions. Rick and Dede, the owners, are wonderful people and are very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly as are all of the staff.

Rick makes some the jewelry that is on display. He does some absolutely gorgeous wire-wrapped jewelry. Rick as well as other staff members teach classes on beading, jewelry making, rosary making, etc. I believe there is a small fee for the classes which includes the materials that are used for the class. The class schedule can be found at their website www.rocknrocks.com You never know what you might find with a visit to Rocknrocks.