Prater’s, Falcon Manor voted best in state
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The awards were voted on by the magazine’s readers and included everything from best museum to best hamburger. The magazine is published by Caney Fork Electric Cooperative and, according to its Website, the current circulation is approximately 461,000.
Prater’s, known for its down-home cooking, down-home folks, and most important of all, down-home barbecue, was voted best in the state according to The Tennessee Magazine readers. Located in Morrison, Prater’s is a rambling, country-style restaurant filled with old-time memorabilia and photos of the establishment’s owners, Phyllis and Gary Prater, hobnobbing with some pretty heady celebrity types, including a former vice president. Proving that, to paraphrase the movie “Field of Dreams,” if you make good barbecue, they will come.
The Praters have been at their current location for 7-1/2 years, but Gary was making barbecue and doing catering well before that. Opening a restaurant was the next logical step for the local chef.
How did they feel about getting the award?
“We were not surprised, but we were honored,” said Gary with a big grin. “That we got placed up there with some of the great ones like Rendezvous, Bozo’s Barbecue, some of those. We were really honored.”
The other Warren County winner this year, Historic Falcon Manor, is a 10,000-square-foot Victorian mansion built in 1896 by entrepreneur and mill owner Clay Faulkner. Touted as “Tennessee’s Biltmore” in a PBS Radio program, the home is filled with museum-quality antiques and is a winner of the National Trust’s Great American Home Award for outstanding restoration. The mansion is a well-known local attraction and is gaining publicity around the rest of the state.
Owners George and Charlien McGlothin learned of the award in May when magazine representatives contacted them to make arrangements to take photos for the June issue.
“We were honored and we were really surprised,” said Charlien.
This is the second year The Tennessee Magazine has done the Readers’ Choice Awards feature. Historic Falcon Manor won third place in the 2001 poll.
The attraction is a mix of food, costume drama, vaudeville style performance and Victorian ambiance. George, whose official title is “The Victorian Gentleman”, fills that role admirably, regaling visitors with amusing tales of the history of the mansion, which over the years has seen service as a residence, hotel, and even a hospital. His staccato delivery, trademark tuxedo and Uncle Sam-style goatee and hair lends an air of nostalgic elegance to the tours.
A relatively new addition to the entertainment is an interactive murder mystery play and meal called “Murder at the Mansion” which brings audience members into the action along with the Falcon Manor actors.
Although Charlien pointed out Falcon Manor’s primary focus now is tour groups, some of them from as far away as Minnesota, they still maintain four guest suites which accounts for their inclusion in the Country Inn/Bed and Breakfast category.
And although they are very appreciative and pleased with their Bed and Breakfast win, they would like to let their fans know they would love to be considered in the Best Historic Site category in next year’s vote.
Anyone interested in visiting this award-winning historic attraction can contact them by phone at 668-4444 or visit their site on the Web at www.falconmanor.com.