What is a Quilt Trail?
Chances are you’ve noticed the large 8’ x 8’ hand painted quilt squares that adorn local barns, historic sites, rural mills, and other places of cultural significance either in a magazine or your travels in another part of Tennessee. These squares mark stops on a Quilt Trail and each stop has a special place in the patchwork of Tennessee life.
Follow the quilt squares and find the best that Middle Tennessee has to offer. Wander through a corn maze, stop in at the local grocer or farm stand and buy handmade pottery or jam, grab an inner tube or kayak and float down the river, explore the fascinating history of the local farms, or just stop in to say hello to the locals.
Why Does Rutherford County Have a Quilt Trail?
It is an economic development initiative designed to enhance the quality of life in rural Middle Tennessee by providing sustainable economic development opportunities to local businesses, artists, and farmers by encouraging the sale of produce, value-added farm products, handcrafted merchandise and other local items to visitors to this region. A Quilt Trail provides an attraction in rural areas that will assist with preservation of historic locations and increase the economic impact of environmentally friendly tourism (eco-tourism) in the region.
Contact Information
UT-TSU Rutherford County Extension
Phone: (615)898-7710
Artwork: Riverdale High School Art Department
Carrie Perkins, teacher
Volunteer artist: Billie Jean Summers
Quilt Trail Historian: Steve Cates
Extension Agent, Emerita – Pat Whitaker
