West Tennessee Attractions: Green Frog Village

When you visit West Tennessee you may want to explore rural Southern history. To do that you need to visit Green Frog Village on Highway 412 in Crockett County, TN, 15 miles west of Jackson, TN. Green Frog Village is a historic village of restored buildings from the early 20^th century. The centerpiece of the village is a 1915 cotton gin that was moved from Alabama and restored as the Cotton Museum of the South.

Reason to visit Green Frog Village #1: Green Frog Village is unlike anything in the area. It is a collection of restored, turn-of-the-century pioneer buildings. The village has all the elements of a historic, rural Southern village. It began in 1991 with a donated country store and 1840-era log house. It includes a simple pioneer homestead, a country church, blacksmith's shop, and a 1915 cotton gin.

Reason to visit Green Frog Village #2: You will learn about life in the South a hundred years ago. When you visit Green Frog you will have an interactive experience that simulates the life of villagers in the past. You can read the schoolbook you would have used while sitting in the one room schoolhouse, you can walk to the general store and look at things you would have needed to buy, or you can even pick cotton and learn about the crop's history in the cotton museum.

Reason to visit Green Frog Village #3: One of Green Frog's regular attractions is the Louise Pearson Memorial Arboretum. Planted by the local Bell's Garden Club the arboretum consists of 75 varieties of trees indigenous to the area. Every tree species is labeled with a descriptive plaque. Take a few minutes to stroll around the grounds and look at a few of the different trees.

Reason to visit Green Frog Village #4: JaJa's restaurant sells homemade ice cream and gourmet coffee in addition to delicious food. Seasonal ice cream flavors may include blackberries or blueberries that are grown on premises at Green Frog Berry Farm. All ice cream is made with natural ingredients and natural cream from Rock Springs Dairy, a small family-owned dairy. Ice cream costs $2.25 for a single scoop. Fresh brewed coffee only costs $1.15.

Reason to visit Green Frog Village #5: Green Frog's Family Fall Festival during the month of September. The festival usually occurs during the third week of September. The corn maze, cotton field, and pumpkin patch at the village are open to visitors for the day so they can experience cotton and corn picking. Other events and activities at the festival include hayrides, crafts for kids, tours of the Cotton Museum, craft booths, food, music, and plenty of good family fun. The festival raises money for the continued preservation of the Cotton Museum of the South.

For more information about the village or the Cotton Museum of the South, call (731)663-3319 or visit www.greenfrogtn.com.