NIGHT NUMBER ONE, FOLLOWING THE INITIAL DAY OF OUR NATCHEZ TRACE JOURNEY, FOUND US IN A WINERY. Yes, a winery. The Amber Falls Winery & Cellars was just a few miles up the road from our stip at the Meriwether Lewis checkpoint. After checking into the Commodore Hotel in Linden, TN, we went back through Hoenwald, TN to the wine trail area of Hampshire for the Cajunfest event being held at Amber Falls. And that is where we dined on all of these we could hold:

And they were so spicy that I thought the corn and potatoes would be a mild break from the spice…WRONG! Of course the corn and potatoes had absorbed more of the spices so they almost made me cry. We are talking Scoville scale here. Dave enjoyed the crawfish and he deserved it after the long day of hill climbing.

My nephew, Richard, has this photo joke he has been playing for years…this face and the finger pointing creates a “Lt. Best” photo. Richard is pointing to the crawfish, but I had a good laugh at the man who is also being “Bested”. Later on that man had a server spill his wine and he created quite a scene. Let’s just say the crawfish was better behaved.

I was a mess, hot, sweaty, and up to my elbows in those red creatures. It was a fun new eating experience for me. I had to purchase a muscadine wine to quench the spiciness. My thanks to Renee, who taught us how to eat them properly. I had no idea where to even begin. Now I know how to enjoy some ‘good times’. (I did regret wearing my contacts later that night though!)

I loved the “Cajun Handwash” which was a great invention. Not sure if you can see the paper towels on the bottom of the photo, but everything you need is included.

Please take a moment to visit Amber Falls’ photo gallery and look at the grounds and music venue. We enjoyed some lovely zydeco music under the arbors, laughter with friends, and a wine tasting in the main building. It was an enchanting place and one I will return.