If you’re looking to spend your 12 days of Christmas this year, Tennessee’s Top Spot is a great place to reminisce about Christmases past and create new memories.

Clarksville has both a rich historic past and a thriving economic present that is sure to make your visit a success. Whether you’re seeking great shopping, fine dining, live entertainment or a walk through history, Clarksville has a variety of venues to herald the holiday season and electrify your senses for Christmases past and present. Here is our short list of opportunities for your own personal 12-day holiday adventure.

A Leisurely Stroll
1. Enjoy the decade-long tradition of “Christmas On the Cumberland” with a walk through dozens of whimsical displays on the Riverwalk at MacGregor Park. Generations of families and romancing couples stroll along the riverfront each year enjoying hot chocolate and viewing the brightly twinkling luminaries. Small vignettes of ice-skating animals, teddy bears on Ferris wheels and Santa’s elves are only a few of the dozens of displays to enjoy.

A custom-designed, lighted 25-foot 101st Airborne Screaming Eagle guards the entrance to the displays. Nearby Fort Campbell is home to the world’s only military air assault division Screaming Eagles. The replica of the mighty eagle is just one of the ways the residents give tribute to soldiers and their families.

2. While you’re on the riverfront, walk over to the Cumberland River Center and see the “As The River Flows” exhibit. It is a visual timeline of Clarksville’s vast and often-turbulent river history before Barkley Dam was built in 1950. The city is located on the confluence of the Red and Cumberland rivers, and for more than 100 years the waterways have provided trade and transportation links that supported economic growth. The rivers have also shown unrelenting fury, flooding the city and its bridges and railroad trestles, breaking those transportation links and isolating residents.

3. Walk just a few feet west of the Cumberland River Center to view an almost life-size statue of one of Clarksville’s native daughters ¬– Wilma Rudolph. In 1960, Rudolph became the first woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Rudolph was born and raised in Clarksville, where at the age of 4, she contracted polio and lost the use of her left leg. The statue is a tribute not only to her Olympic accomplishments, but also to her strength in overcoming adversity and becoming a role model for many young people in Clarksville and around the world.

4. While you are viewing the statue, look up toward the center of the city and count the numerous church spires that dot the landscape. Downtown Clarksville is home to 10 historic churches that date back to the early 1800s, most of which are still in use as houses of worship. A Downtown Walking Tour will take you past many of these and provide details of the churches’ rich histories.

Aromas of the Season
5. If you’re ready to tickle another one of your holiday senses, be sure to visit the Trees of Christmas exhibit at the Smith-Trahern Mansion. The mansion is one of Clarksville’s many fine examples of antebellum architecture – most are still private residences.

Tobacconist and riverboat captain Christopher Smith built Smith-Trahern in 1858. Its architectural style is a transition between Greek Revival and Italianate. It was handsomely restored in 1985 by the City of Clarksville, and is now on the National Parks List of Historic Places.

Each Christmas, groups of volunteers deck its halls in mid-19th century style decorations. A mixture of holly and cinnamon wafts through the air from the kitchen, which is decorated with holiday treats, some from centuries-old recipes.

If you look closely, you may catch a glimpse of the ghost of Mrs. Smith gazing out of her bedroom window facing the Cumberland River as she waits longingly for her husband’s return for the holiday festivities. Mr. Smith drowned one night while sailing in bad weather. It is said that Mrs. Smith refused to accept the news of his death, and that she waited vigilantly for him to return until her own death, and as legend has it, even beyond.

Remembrances Past
6. The Roxy Regional Theatre is just the place to face your own ghosts of Christmases past. We just hope you don’t encounter the same ghosts that face Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” as it is performed on the stage of the historic Roxy.

The Roxy’s history dates back to the early 1900s when The Lillian and later The Majestic theaters occupied the corner of Franklin and First streets. Two fires, one in 1913 and another in 1945, signaled the demise of the two movie houses, but not before thousands enjoyed many live and celluloid performances.

The Roxy opened as a cinematic theater in 1942. It closed in 1980, and was renovated and re-opened in 1983 as a live performance theater. The walls of its auditorium are ornately decorated with hand-painted murals and its film projection screen is made of Russian linen impregnated with gold, bronze and mercury amalgam. The theater’s neon marquee – still in use – is a reminder of days gone by when movies were a 10 cents and popcorn was a nickel.

Dining and Such
7. While in Clarksville, you will want to visit one of the local eateries. Whether you’re looking for a break from shopping, or a night of fine dining, Clarksville offers many choices, from ethnic fare to continental cuisine.

You may want to experience the spices of the orient at Tandoor Indian Bistro or authentic Japanese cuisine at Kohana. Both restaurants are located near Governor’s Square shopping mall, where you’ll find all the familiar stores and many unique local shops with wares to fill your Christmas stocking.

Or, if you are shopping in the renovated downtown district, Blondie’s Sandwich & Coffee Shop offers a quiet, casual retreat that is within walking distance from almost anywhere in the center of the city. Blondie’s opened in 2006, with the hard work and dreams of Paige King and Andrea Smith – both spouses of soldiers stationed at Fort Campbell Army base.

If you want a more lively location, try the Black Horse Pub just across the street. The Blackhorse is a 10-year favorite of locals, and still boasts a hundred or so brass pegs that line its walls and were once used for patrons to hang personalized beer mugs. Sorry, the “use your own mug” tradition is no longer upheld.

For Children of All Ages
8. Children of all ages will enjoy the Customs House Museum on South Second Street with its many opportunities to interact with the past and present. Youngsters can experience how things work in Aunt Alice’s Attic, McGregor’s Market and the Bubble Room. Holiday displays include both interactive and encased miniature train displays built by volunteers, including the “Huff & Puff” and “Snowflake Express.”

Customs House Museum is the second largest general museum in Tennessee. It was built in 1898 for use as a Federal Post Office and Custom House for the collection of tobacco taxes and to handle the large volume of foreign mail created by the city's booming international tobacco trade.

9. You can catch the Last Train to Clarksville – figuratively – at the corner of 10th and Commerce streets in downtown Clarksville. The depot was made famous by the 1960s hit song, recorded by The Monkees. The first depot was built a few blocks south in 1890 that stretched nearly a block long. During the Civil War ¬– and later World War II and the Vietnam conflict – the depot was the point of departure for soldiers going off to fight, and where families anxiously awaited their safe return. It was restored in 1996 for the city’s bicentennial celebration. Today, it houses the offices of the Montgomery County Historical Society.

10. “Bursting With Pride” is the name of the next spot on your tour list. It is a 10,000 sq. ft. mural painted by Ricky Deel. It was painted in 2000 on the side a historic building on Franklin Street, just south of The Roxy. The mural depicts many historic sites that are located within the city.

Walk just a few blocks farther south to Public Square, and view the vintage 1870s advertisement painted on the side of the historic Poston Building. The structure was erected in 1842 with three separate buildings under one roof, each containing four, engaged-wood columns. For many years, it served as a billboard that could be seen by river traffic and notified travelers of the price of tobacco and other products.

11. Strawberry Alley – the westerly portion of the former Legion Street – is the newest addition to the tour that you won’t want to miss. In the 1820s, then-mayor James Elder and his wife resided on the land. Mrs. Elder had a strawberry patch near her home, for which the street and its plaza were re-named.

The focal point of the alley is a fountain with children frolicking in the water. It was donated to the city at a cost of $125,000. In 2008, the project received the Project of the Year award from the Tennessee Chapter of American Public Works Association.

During the summer months, Strawberry Alley is used for Friday night “Jammin’ In the Alley” concerts and throughout the year for other community events that bring residents together.

12. To “wine down” your tour of Clarksville, take a short, 10-minute drive to the edge of town just off Dunbar Cave Road and visit Beachaven Winery. The winery is housed in a picturesque Tudor-style building overlooking the vineyards. They offer free tours and wine tasting of award-winning, locally produced wines and French-styled champagnes. Afterward you can purchase unique gifts from their wine shop to take home and enjoy with your friends.

Driving or Walking Tour
Clarksville has so much to offer, 12 days might not be enough to include everything. You might just need a baker’s dozen 13 nights, and then we’re not sure you’ll see all they have to offer. But don’t worry; you’re invited to return again and again to experience the magic of the holidays – or any season – at Tennessee’s Top Spot.

The City of Clarksville offers free information for both driving and walking tours of these and many other historic sites of interest in and around Clarksville. Pick up a brochure at the Customs House Museum or at the visitor’s center on I-24, north of Clarksville.

Clarksville is Tennessee’s fifth largest and third fastest growing city and is the ninth fastest growing city in the U.S. For more information about Clarksville and its many attractions, visit www.cityofclarksville.com or contact the Parks and Recreation department at 931-645-7476.