Exit 97 is probably most used as the hopping off point for a trip to the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg. While that is a fine destination, even closer to the interstate is the charming hamlet of Bell Buckle. Even better, if you’ve got time to kill, you can take Nolensville Rd. out of town and enjoy a trip through the country to Eagleville. Turn left on Highway 269 toward Christiana and wind through the hills full of ancient barns and long lines of white picket fences surrounding the stately farms of the area.
Perhaps best known as the home of Webb School or as the locale of the RC and Moon Pie Festival each June, Bell Buckle is worth a visit at any time of the year. The tiny downtown features quaint boutiques, a soda shop and its anchor tenant, Bell Buckle Cafe.
When Greg Heinike purchased the small cafe in 1984, there wasn’t much going on in the town of about 400 inhabitants. After a career in restaurant management and ownership, Heinike decided to settle down somewhere that offered the slower pace of a small town lifestyle. “Restaurants were the one thing I did well,” he recalls. “I’d planned just a little low-volume spot and pumped money into the place for six months.”
