Most Nashvillians have probably seen the billboards along the interstate advertising the new Johnny Cash Museum & Café on 3rd Ave. downtown, but few have likely yet heard of The Storytellers Museum and Hideaway Farm in Bon Aqua, TN. A short drive outside of the city limits down 1-40 West sits an old restored general store that once served as a small-town concert stage for Johnny Cash. The store was later sold and used as a recording studio, but then fell into disrepair until it was recently re-discovered and painstakingly restored by its new owner–an ardent and loyal Cash fan.
The small museum primarily houses memorabilia of Johnny Cash, but also has pieces commemorating Elvis Presley and other country music artists. The legendary “One Piece At a Time” car, which was crafted with a hodgepodge of original Cadillac parts that span a production period of approximately 25 years (and is sung about in Cash’s song by the same title) is on display, and is accessible for photo ops inside the cab. The museum tour begins by watching two short videos, one of which details the restoration of the museum with old reel footage of Cash inside the building. The second video tells the story of salvaging the home of Colonel Tom Parker, the late and great manager of the King of Rock and Roll; this home was local in Madison, Tennessee, and is where Elvis spent much of his time, making the house itself a piece of musical history worthy of preservation. Many pieces from the home and grounds were carefully used to create a beautiful outdoor space with a park-type atmosphere located behind the museum. After watching the videos, you will have time to explore the mementos and to take pictures and will also get to enjoy a 20-30 minute live concert from local talent! The rotation of performing artists actually includes Johnny Cash’s grandson and nephew, among others.
Also included in the price of admission is entry to the farmhouse (built before the Civil War) that was owned and loved by Johnny Cash for over 30 years. The log home, which sits about a mile down the road from the museum, was known as his retreat away, where he could rest and “live the life of a country boy”, among the beautiful, quiet, rolling hills of Hickman County. On the grounds of the farmhouse is a long, open-air garage housing a collection of old cars once owned by Johnny. Being within the walls where this iconic musician both played and lived gives a sense of nostalgia that pictures and artifacts alone cannot provide.
The museum also currently serves as a live music venue and hosts concerts on Saturday nights, replicating in a sense the weekend guitar pulls known as “Saturday Night at Hickman County”, when the Man in Black himself once played there with friends. (Thomas Gabriel, Cash’s grandson will perform the first concert of 2018 on Jan 20, from 7-8:30pm).
Winter hours for the museum are Fridays and Saturdays, opening at 10am, with last entry at 2pm (see storytellersmuseum.com for more details). In a city where most of the country music history and fan-based tours are located in the busy heart of the hectic downtown, you’ll very likely enjoy this opportunity to drive out to the beautiful, open outdoors for a classically country music-lover’s experience.
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