Principal Dr. Ryan Jackson shares with correspondent Tom Wilmer how Tennessee’s Mt Pleasant Arts Innovation Zone preK-12 educational model benefits student’s educational goals by infusing Art into S.T.E.M. Learning comes alive, as students passionately work on curricular projects ranging from creating NASA-mentored self-sustaining habitats on Mars, to building/selling tiny houses that can result in various trade certifications at completion. Gone is the “sit and listen” drudgery, replaced by the

Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Edinburgh, Scotland where he visits with Richard Paterson , regarded as one of the world’s foremost blenders of Scotch Whisky. Afterwards Wilmer talks with Daryl McNally at Old Bushmills Distillery , the world’s oldest licensed distillery, located along Northern Ireland ’s Antrim Coast, just a wee drive from Belfast. This show is a repost “best-of-the-best” travel show in celebration of Journeys of Discovery’s 31st anniversary producing on-air and digital

Tom Reed came to Hohenwald, Tennessee back in 1971 as a vanguard member of a commune dubbed "The Farm” . Hundreds of hippies arrived in their vans and more than 80 school busses adorned with banners proclaiming “Out to Save the World”. They purchased 1,750 acres and settled in, and the Farm is still thriving in the Hohenwald, Tennessee countryside. Reed eventually left the commune but he and his wife returned to Hohenwald toward the end of their careers in the health care field. Today they are

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a visit with Lee Kennedy, owner of Leiper’s Fork Distillery located on the outskirts of uptown Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee. Kennedy shares insights about producing Tennessee whiskey and bourbon, events at the distillery and the process of growing his elixir’s market distribution. Kennedy noted that his philosophy is predicated on honoring the spirit of pioneer regional whisky-distillers and utilizing locally grown ingredients. The Leiper’s Fork Distillery show is

Join correspondent Tom Wilmer in Leiper’s Fork, Tennessee where he visits with two artists, Lisa Fox and D avid Arms who own galleries in the heart of uptown Leiper’s Fork. The rural community is less than 40 miles from Nashville, but it’s a world apart. The Art of Leiper’s Fork is the ninth in a series showcasing the Nashville’s Big Back Yard economic initiative—a showcase of rural destinations along the Natchez Trace National Parkway from Leiper’s Fork, down along the Parkway route to Northern

Amber Falls Winery and Cellars , situated close to the Natchez Trace National Parkway , is just 17 minutes away from the town of Hohenwald and an hour and a quarter to downtown Nashville. In addition to a tasting room with retail sales and outdoor live-music events scheduled throughout the year, cottages adjacent to the winery are available for overnight stays. Join correspondent Tom Wilmer for a visit with the owner of Amber Falls Winery, Tim Zaunbrecher. If you can’t make it out to the winery,

Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with outreach manager Todd Montgomery at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Rescued elephants from circuses and zoos across America find peace at the Elephant Sanctuary. Founded in 1995, the sanctuary is not open to the public to ensure a tranquil retirement environment for the elephants. Fortunately there’s a wonderful educational visitors' center located in downtown Hohenwald. Video displays include the EleCam , providing live-streaming video feed

Correspondent Tom Wilmer continues his exploration of Tennessee’s rural communities where modern pioneers invest in and restore historic downtown buildings and along the way infuse new economic life and vitality in the rural communities. When Michael and Kathy Dumont relocated from Rhode Island back in 2007, more than 14 downtown commercial buildings in downtown Linden, Tennessee were abandoned and boarded up. The Dumont’s, smitten with downtown Linden’s historic architecture, purchased and

In the latter decades of the 19 th Century, new towns and villages sprung up across Tennessee. Some of the settlers were U.S. citizens relocating from the eastern seaboard, along with European immigrants, all in pursuit of opportunity. Land in rural Tennessee was easily accessible by riverboat, trains and wagons. German Catholics established the town of Loretto in 1870. Before long Loretto was served by stage and railway. The economy bustled with lumber mills and downtown retail establishments.

Sixty years after his passing, Frank Lloyd Wright remains America’s seminal architect. Born on the heels of the Civil War, Wright produced residential and commercial projects until his passing in 1959. A game changing commission was Wright’s Rosenbaum residence , built in 1939 in Florence, Alabama.