Coon Dog Cemetery & Rattlesnake Saloon

I bundled these two bucket list items together because they are out in the middle of nowhere, so if you are going to one you might as well check out the other! Rattlesnake Saloon and Coon Dog Cemetery are about forty or so minutes from Florence, but are totally worth the drive.

The day Mom, Dani, and I procrastinated packing we went to the Rosenbaum House, Bunyan's BBQ, and Coon Dog Cemetery. Key Underwood Coon Dog Memorial Graveyard is said to be the only one of it's kind in the world. Only coon dogs are buried at the cemetery. The first dog to be buried there was Troop in 1937 on Labor Day.You may still bury coon hounds there but must meet certain requirements. People come from all over to do so. I saw a headstone from New York. There are more than 185 dogs buried there today.

We noticed that on the graves that people had left pennies and we had no idea what the reasoning was behind it. There are several different superstitions as to why coins are left. There is one based on Greek Mythology that says the coins are payment and one about a murdered family that would grant wishes. With military burials, each coin has a specific meaning that is a message to the family of the deceased that they visited. It seems that it is a symbol of remembrance and respect.

I have always heard about Rattlesnake Saloon but never wanted to make the drive out there, which I regret immensely now. It was seriously the coolest place. You park and take a ride in the back of a truck down this steep trail to the saloon. I think I was expecting less cave and more restaurant, but the cave area was huge. It had a stage for the live music and lots of tables for people to sit and enjoy. They are only open Thursday-Saturday 11-10 (February-November) and Sunday 11-3 (April-September). Thursday nights they have karaoke. Friday and Saturday nights they have a band.

I guess I was just too busy living in the moment and enjoying my experience at Rattlesnake that I failed to take many pictures..so that means I have to go back soon! Take an afternoon and drive out to check out both places. You will not regret it!

Time Management - 0, Bucket List - 3

Finals and graduation really had me busy the past couple of weeks so I have not been able to blog, but I have knocked some items off my list. One day last week my mom came up to help me start packing, but instead we spent our time adventuring with my friend, Dani. It was totally worth it though!

Our first stop was the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House. This house was built for the Rosenbaum family in 1939. Wright designed hundreds of structures, but the Rosenbaum House is the only Wright design open to the public in the southeastern region of the United States. He even designed all the furniture for his structures!

The home was originally 1,540 square feet but had 1,084 square feet added in 1948 when the couple had four sons. The addition included a bigger kitchen for Mrs. Rosenbaum and a dormitory for the boys.

The Rosenbaums were the only occupants and owners of the home until 1999 when the city took over the home for restoration. It took two years to complete before they could reopen the house as a museum to the public. It is now open Tuesday-Saturday 10-4 and Sunday 1-4! There is an admission fee, $8 Adults and $5 Seniors and Students.

After our tour of the Rosenbaum House, we were starving. So we headed down the road to Bunyan's BBQ! This was another item on my bucket list. I have always heard great things about Bunyan's but had never been. While hotdogs are my favorite food, I went with a BBQ sandwich. It was delicious! You can order family meals. You can also get their famous slaw by the gallon. They are open Monday-Saturday 10-5!

We actually also went to Coondog Cemetery but you can read about that one in my next post!