Middle Tennessee has a plethora of great eating establishments. Fortunately, for us bikers, it also has tons of awesome motorcycle roads. And us bikers are a unique breed. Very few people will ride 130 miles, round trip, for lunch. But that is exactly what your ever lovable Grey Beard Biker did today.
For those of us bikers fortunate enough to call middle Tennessee home, it is not uncommon to head out U.S. Hwy 79 to Stewart County – and the Paris Landing area. It is there that several good marinas/restaurants sit on the shores of beautiful Kentucky Lake. There are also several very scenic routes that will get you to Paris Landing including the Woodland Trace – which runs through Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area – and my favorite, Tennessee Highway 232 – lovingly called the Baby Dragon by us locals. Today, we rode the latter there and back.
Lunch at Fat Daddy’s
Our destination was Fat Daddy’s Resort. Sitting on the water of a bay on Kentucky Lake, this establishment has been a regular destination for old Grey Beard for quite some time. Having heard they had new owners, we decided to give it a try today.
Fat Daddy’s Resort is the perfect spot for bikers this time of year. It is a blast to ride to, with scenic winding roads scaling the steep bluffs along the Tennessee River and Ken-Lake. If you are coming from the north, on Hwy 79, or from the south, on Hwy 147, you will turn on Hwy 232. Take 232 to Lower Standing Rock Road and turn west. This road is quite narrow and winds through local farms. Bikers need to be careful as there is often loose gravel on this country road and you will cross a very narrow one-lane bridge before the road turns into Driftwood Shores Lane – which ends at Fat Daddy’s.
Arriving at Fat Daddy’s Resort at noon today, we walked out to the floating restaurant. It looked the same as in years past, but the atmosphere was totally different. You could tell the servers were glad you were there. Sitting down, we ordered some beers and lunch. I had their 1/3 pound burger. The burger was ver good and the beer was ice cold. Chasity was our server and she made sure we were never low on our beers and checked in often to make sure the food met our expectations.
At 1:30 PM on weekends there is live music. Today, it was the Memphis Yahoo’s. Unlike in years past, the music was loud enough to hear, but not so loud you could not talk with your friends. This makes it much more enjoyable to stay awhile, and if you are like Grey Beard Biker, you can enjoy a cigar and beer while enjoying the music. Besides great food, music, cold beer, wine coolers and soda, Fat Daddy’s Resort also has a marina, boat fuel and a campground.
The most impressive part of our visit today was when one of the co-owners, Mike, came by and introduced himself, making sure we were pleased with our visit. Mike and Mike (both owners are named Mike) will make sure you are pleased with Fat Daddy’s – which is not common in this day and age. Fat Daddy’s is definitely #GreyBeardBikerApproved!
The Grey Beard Biker™️
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@Biker4Life on Gab
For those of you who have never ridden the Baby Dragon, here is some GoPro video GBB shot in February 2016.
