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Winter Wonderland

5.0 (1 review)
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11 years ago

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Ames Plantation - Small entrance house/building at the drive leading to the main house.

Ames Plantation

4.5(4 reviews)
97.7 mi

I was in West Tennessee for business and decided to take a detour over to Ames Plantation in…read moreFayette County to visit the graves of some family members. The Ames Plantation was originally named Cedar Grove by its original owner John W. Jones who had settled there in the 1820s. The large cotton plantation was one of the most productive in the area. I hadn't been to the plantation in years. I've never visited this Plantation as a tourist. I've only come here when a family member passes away and is buried here at the Old Jones Cemetery. But I will say, it amazes me how they have kept the plantation intact after all these years. When I was a child, I saw workers (sharecroppers or indentured servants) working those cotton fields and it was the strangest site. I didn't see any workers this trip, but one thing was clear during my drive to and from the Ames Plantation, cotton is still king in this part of the state.

Let me be the first to say how much we enjoyed the fall festival today. There are 18,500 acres…read morehere, and I'm guessing about 50 acres for the festival. There was such a large turnout today, but there was plenty of room for people to run around. You start off by parking in a large field where you are transported back and forth by school bus. There are police helping the traffic in and out and parking attendants to make the parking move smoothly. Then there are trucks and golf carts that will help people from their cars to and from the busses. The parking attendant recognised our handicap tag and directed us toward a designated parking field near the grounds. Then once in the field, there are golf carts and a tractor wagon to help people get around. I was disappointed to see that the canons were at another event, but the civil war guys were there doing stories, answering questions, demonstrating and firing the muzzel loaders. General Grant and Greirson were telling civil war stories. Lots of vendors. Everything homemade from quilts, clothes, bird houses, to jellies and honey. Lots of food trucks and plenty of room to eat in the fire station. Live music, demonstrations, history, and education for the kids to learn about daily life during the old days. Ames is owned by a trust from the family that owned it and is dedicated to preservation of its history. They have archaeology digs with colleges and study and manage the wildlife habitat. There are several cemeteries and much research has been done regarding those who occupied the area. There are programs for hunting deer, quail, and coyotes. At least that's what I gathered from their site. We live close by and go every year, and are no strangers to a rural setting, but it is great for kids who love to get away from the city for a day. Some of the vendors that return each year are kettle fried popcorn which I have not tried, fresh ice cream made as it is served, and fresh made pork rinds that they make while you wait. This is some advice, and not a complaint: the lines for any type of food tend to be really long and consume much of the day. All of the sales tents, however, have little to no wait to shop, browse, or buy, and all of the vendors are very friendly and more than willing to talk. Advise for the long lines: by using multiple people to wait in multiple lines, they can buy for each other simultaneously. Also, don't make the mistake we did by postponing purchases for the reason of not having to carry your goods around. They do sell out and you may leave empty handed. We did not arrive until noon because of cool morning weather and left almost five. That's five hours and we were only able to see about half of what was there. Another tip, it is to your advantage to go in a large group so that you can split into groups with different interests. I say this because there is not enough time to do everything, and if you are a family that sticks together the whole time, everyone will spend a lot of time doing something they didn't want to. The 2015 weather turned out great, but last year was muddy and wet from having rained so much. The turnout was less than half for the event, it was muddy, but they did waive the small entrance fee. It's impossible to expect the weather to cooperate every year on the same day without the ability to reschedule the day, so it is hit and miss. We will see you again next year, weather permitting.

Photos
Ames Plantation - The area of Ames Plantation were all the cabins are located.

The area of Ames Plantation were all the cabins are located.

Ames Plantation - If only this tree could talk. There would be so many stories to tell...

If only this tree could talk. There would be so many stories to tell...

Ames Plantation - Servant Cabins

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Servant Cabins

Winter Wonderland - festivals - Updated May 2026

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