Last Christmas my boyfriends mum bought us a gift card to stay one night at the Ledford Mill Bed and Breakfast in Wartrace Tennessee. We ended up redeeming the card on my Birthday in March. We hadn't really been on vacation since the previous Fall so we were excited about spending a night away from the same old, same old. The mill is not hard to get to, between Nashville, just past Shelbyville and before Tullahoma. If you're looking for an alternative to the tourist hotels in nearby Lynchburg you may want to consider the mill as your overnight location. We arrived later in the evening, probably after 4 in fact, and were greeted by Inn owner John Spear. He was just about to take one of the other guests on a tour of the mill, so we joined them! Everything was explained in detail, where the all access kitchen was, how our bathroom had all the original mill nuts, bolts, gears and wheels. We stayed in the Creek room, which has it's own private deck looking out of the woods, and is bigger than any hotel room I've ever stayed in. It has a giant clawfoot tub and the lofted area for the bed is built right in to the rock wall. This room and the Falls room are on the first level. The second level is an antique shop and the mills kitchen and dining area. The third level is Loft another guest room has it's own balcony. We were introduced to Tom Cruise. Yes Tom Cruise...the mill cat. An ancient feline who calls the mill home. He spent the entire night with us in our bedroom sleeping on the rug. If you don't like cats, it's easy enough to shove him out. We settled in for the night. The mill does not have television, dvds, or internet. It's quiet, extremely quiet. They do offer a vcr and television in each room and have a library of old VHS to pick from. We ended up using the claw foot tub, making ourselves dinner in the funky old kitchen and hanging out with Tom. The next morning I saw an owl flying around when I got up super early to the use the bathroom. There I am peeing and an owl is flying around the woods outside the window! We asked to have breakfast around 8am and right on time, John and his wife Mildred had cooked up some breakfast for everyone upstairs. A cheesy potato sausage dish, corn fritters and pineapple. Mildred is one of the funniest people I've ever met. The Spears are wonderful welcoming people with a wealth of knowledge about the area the mill is located in. After a lengthy breakfast discussion we went outside to explore the grounds. Tom Cruise followed us. We took the garden path from our back deck, that leads to the waterfall. The mill sits in a gully that stays quite cool in the hot months, and is situated over a creek. The creek flows through a wild garden area that leads to a huge rock waterfall. It's absolutely gorgeous, although I've added pictures to this review, I really think you have to go and see it for yourself. It's one of the more unique places I've ever been to, let alone slept in. I mean common an old mill, turned in to a bed and breakfast?! Super cool. PS. I heard recently that old Tom Cruise disappeared this past summer, and although he's done that before, they think this time it's for good. Maybe he went back to Hollywood. read more

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The best day of my life happened here. I thought I was meeting my girlfriend here for pictures, but when I arrived, she was standing by the waterfall in a beautiful wedding gown. I had asked her numerous times to marry me and she finally granted my wish. That vision of her lovely form framed by the beauty of the waterfall will forever be etched into my mind. We stayed the night in the establishment and it was quite comfortable. The antique mill equipment and decorations were very interesting. I will definitely stay here many more times in the future. Thank you so much for your hospitality and generosity. read more

You will not find two nicer or more hospitable hosts l. The phrase "make yourself at home" is exactly what John meant when he hands you the keys to their place. Cake, cookies, ice cream all there for you. You won't find cable or wifi here but you will be lulled to sleep by the sounds of a waterfall outside your window. Going "off the grid" for a night was refreshing for this city couple. Mildred's breakfast was by far, the best one we've had in our trip down south. Our main reason was the Jack distillery, which is 15 minutes away, but Ledford Mill soon became a highlight to our trip. read more