I want to go to the Jack in 2014


 
Chris Allingham

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
Not to compete, but for the experience. Can someone summarize the ins and outs of going as a tourist? Best airport to fly into? When to arrive, when to leave? Where to stay? What are the must-do activities, events, things you just don't want to miss?

Maybe some of us could meet up there this year??? :)

UPDATE: I've removed this event from my schedule. My wife had a change in work schedule and can no longer go with me. Maybe next year!
 
Chris, I have been there several times hanging out with teams from our association who got "the call" As far as airports, I don't know I usually drive down, but I'm assuming Nashville as it's only about a 1 1/2 hour drive from there. As like any other comp set up is going on Friday, there is parking in and around Lynchburg. You will not be able to take a car into the comp area unless you have credentials. Things to do: Jack Daniels Distillery tour about a 2 1/2 hour tour; lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House (a must!!! reservations required) visit the Lynchburg Hardware and General Store for all things Jack and souvenirs of the competition. When I have gone, we stayed in either Tullahoma or Manchester, Tullahoma is about a 20 minute drive to Lynchburg and Manchester is about 30-35. I highly recommend the Hampton Inn in Tullahoma, a little pricey but very nice hotel and comfy. In Manchester, we stayed at the Sleep Inn & Suites, very nice place. On Saturday there are a lot of people at the comp walking around...you must get there early is you hope to find parking in town. If not, there are a couple places outside of town that run shuttles into the comp site.

If I was you, I would arrive on Thursday, get your rental car, check into your hotel and then take a ride to Lynchburg and get the lay of the land. Friday...take take the tour in the morning or later in the afternoon and definitely hit Miss Mary's for lunch. Then spend the rest of the day walking through the comp area talking to teams, souvenir shopping, and take in the parade of teams later in the afternoon, etc. Saturday, get there early, watch the teams during turn ins, many teams offer samples to the crowd of their product. If you stay for the awards ceremony on Saturday, it begins at 4pm and it is long, probably about 2 hours or a little more. Once that is finished, go back to your hotel, pack and take a flight out on Sunday.

If you have any other questions, just let me know.
 
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Bruce has you covered.

Fly into either Nashville TN or Huntsville AL. You might be able to find a hotel in Fayetteville, Tullahoma, or Manchester but may have to work further south into Hazel Green, Meridianville, or Huntsville AL. Of course, you can stay in our guest room or RV - your choice - rent free. You can rent a car and come and go as you please. I am about an hour from Lynchburg the back way thru Huntland and Kelso (home of Pritchard's Distillery and their Sweet Lucy).

We always park in the church parking lot and walk a few blocks to the entrance. It's 10 bucks to park but it goes to the church so what the heck. It's a VERY small town and a short walk from anywhere.
 
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Chris, you can also fly into Chattanooga if you get better air fares.... The contest is held right off the square. I was surprised at just how small the area really is. The cook sites and vendors booths do cover a pretty good area, but the town square is pretty small. There is parking lot at the rear corner of the square, but it filled up pretty early when I was there. You do need to make time to tour the distillery. I have several times and I never tire of the tour. Take your camera, you will get a lot of photo ops. Lodging is tough, I stayed at hotel in Tullahoma, Holiday Inn express I think. It's a short drive to the event. You need to book it asap. A lot of the teams stayed there. I will look for you. I will be there too.
 
I've booked a room at the Hampton Inn in Tullahoma arriving Thursday, departing Sunday. Looking forward to this! :)
 
If we have a member on a team with a bung draw maybe we can meet at their cook site at a designated time for a group photo.
 
A friend of mine once told me the county the Jack Daniels Distillery is in is actually a 'dry county'? Any truth to this? I couldn't imagine not being able to partake in frosty beverages during an event like this.
 
Benji Chong said:
A friend of mine once told me the county the Jack Daniels Distillery is in is actually a 'dry county'? Any truth to this? I couldn't imagine not being able to partake in frosty beverages during an event like this.
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The county in which the distillery is located is, in fact, a dry county, meaning it's illegal to sell or purchase alcohol in the county. But I think you can BYO and drink discretely. At the distillery, they offer a $10 sampling tour and you can buy Jack as a souvenir.
 
Benji Chong said:
A friend of mine once told me the county the Jack Daniels Distillery is in is actually a 'dry county'? Any truth to this? I couldn't imagine not being able to partake in frosty beverages during an event like this.
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It's true. You cannot drink in Lynchburg.
 
This is the closest event that I could attend, I think it would be cool to meet up with others from this group.
 
this is just slightly off-topic(since I can't attend this specific competition), but you mentioned the public wandering thru the area when the competition is underway. my question is if I were to attend a local event, what time would be good to observe team's layouts etc, and is there the possibility to sample leftovers? I would imagine a team might cook extra then want to sell the leftovers as samples to the public to at least reduce their net cost for the weekend. does this occur? (I haven't been but wanted to understand what the protocol might be for a wandering observer. I figure knocking on their door during the turn-in period is a bad idea, but what about the rest of the time?)
thanks for any insight on this
 
Dwain Pannell said:
It's true. You cannot drink in Lynchburg.
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It's true, legally you can not drink in Lynchburg. The times I have been down to the Jack, however, if you keep all your adult refreshments in Red Plastic Cups and any open containers out of plain sight, no one will bother you.
If you keep open bottles of Jack Daniels on your prep table, or empty beer cans lying around, the Sheriffs Dept. will definitely stop by and have a conversation with you. COMMON SENSE.
 
Tony, I visit competitions all the time. You try not to bother anyone when they look busy. If they're standing around drinking a beer, I say hello and engage in conversation. As it gets closer to turn-in time, and then during the actual turn-in period, I don't bother anybody. Once all the turn-ins are complete, you can step right up and talk to anybody. Some will give you samples of leftovers. It's not common for anyone to sell anything to the public, due to local health dept. rules and contest restrictions.
 
We've been fortunate to have competed at The Jack on five separate occasions and have gotten to know the ropes pretty well. Many of the comments already posted here are accurate but I'll add a few new ones and elaborate on a few others.

First, regarding alcohol and the fact that Moore County is a dry county, the local police do not tolerate any display of public drinking. They actually patrol the contest venue and enforce the law. Basically, you're fine as long as you don't have any liquor or beer containers sitting out in the open and you are not carrying a can or bottle of beer in a kozy. If you are and they approach you, you're going to have to throw it away. The best move is to use your own container, be that the classic "red cup" or something else to your liking. Just be sure that it is not clear so the contents of the container are hidden.

Taking a tour of the Jack Daniels distillery is really fun and informative. You'll get to see one of the largest distilleries in the world in action and it is quite impressive. That having been said, there is another distillery tour you should check out as well. It is the Prichard's Distillery which is located in Kelso, TN and is about 20 minutes from Lynchburg and very close to Fayetteville. Prichard's is a micro distillery and is located in an old schoolhouse. (Really, it is.) They make many different products but they are most widely known for their rum. Our personal favorite product though is a bourbon liqueur called "Sweet Lucy". This stuff is awesome! The spiced rum is also excellent. Oh, and Kelso is located in Lincoln County and Lincoln County IS NOT a dry county. The tour begins and ends in the tasting room and they will gladly let you sample any and all of their products! In addition, you can also purchase anything they make right at the distillery, just like you can at the JD distillery. If you can, you really should take both tours as it will give you a great perspective on the large vs small operation which really is an interesting thing.

I wholeheartedly agree on getting a reservation at Miss Mary Bobo's! Family style country dining in a great setting!

Lynchburg is truly a "one stop light" town and all of the action related to the contest takes place after a southward turn at that stop light! After taking that turn you'll find yourself in the town square which is populated mostly with shops and restaurants. The most popular shop in the square is the Jack Daniels Hardware Store. This is the place where you'll find every kind of Jack Daniels memorabilia you can think of from clothing to barware to furniture. (That's where our barrel stave rocking chair came from!) You can easily spend an hour or more inside browsing through the two level store. This is also the place where you can purchase the famous Jack Daniels barrelhead. Some years ago, teams began buying barrelheads and walking them around the contest site with a Sharpie and having all the teams sign it. Some teams get them every time they go, others do it just once. The barrelheads nowadays are branded with the contest logo and are beautifully varnished but you can still find some that were actually used on whiskey barrels and buy them too. It really is the most traditional souvenir for teams that attend the contest.

If you follow the road at the southwest corner of the square, it will lead you to the entrance of Wiseman Park which is were all the teams will be located. The ones with the large RVs and 5th wheels will typically be close to the entrance of the park but the majority of the teams will be located in and around the horse track in the southern portion of the park. All of the International teams will be in the infield of the track and the Domestic teams will be located outside the railing and some will even be on the adjacent ball fields. You can easily see what I'm talking about by looking at the location via Google Maps or Google Earth. Many of the teams will begin setting up on Thursday instead of the normal Friday but that is usually so that they have a chance to enjoy the area as this isn't just a normal comp! Chris, your plan of arriving on Thursday is a good one. Get the distillery tours done as early in your stay as you can because they will fill up fast then the bulk of the teams arrive. Same goes for your Miss Mary Bobo's visit.

Those are really the basics but I would be happy to answer any specific questions that you may have on the location or the event. Heck, with any luck, we'll be there for sixth time this October and we'll see you there!
 
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