Get hitched – and everything else – at the Mule Barn

Jane Creed, left, with Duane Grieve and Anna Ford at the first event to be held in the historic Mule Barn at the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.

The Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum is a 47-acre public garden in East Knoxville just two miles from downtown. If you’ve never been, you definitely need to go. Admission is free, and every visit is unique because of the sheer size and scope of the property.

The latest addition to the Garden is its newly restored 100-year-old Mule Barn, available now for party and event rentals. Last Saturday, Kenneth and Jane Creed and George and Stephanie Wallace cashed in on an auction item they purchased at last year’s Green Thumb Gala and held the first event in the newly available space. It was a casual dinner party for 20.

According to Larissa Orten, the Botanical Garden’s membership, marketing and sales manager, the Mule Barn was part of the original Howell Nursery. It literally was falling down prior to the recent renovation, which included replacing the roof and putting in a concrete floor to take the place of the dirt floor from when it literally was a barn for mules.

The new venue accommodates parties of between 100 and 150, depending on the setup. Contact the Garden at (865) 862-8717 for rental information.

The Mule Barn was set for a 20-person dinner party on Saturday. It actually can accommodate as many as 150.

The Early Morning String Dusters, a bluegrass band that’s been playing together for 40 years, provided perfect ambience for the gathering.

From left, Jay Maier, Alan Carmichael and John Geppi.

Marsha Grieve, left, with Finbarr Saunders and Ellen Bebb.

George Wallace, left, with Charles Glisson and Joyce Feld.

Kim Trent, center, with Tom and Anna Ford.

From left, Debbie Geppi, Julie Maier and Jane Creed.

Eric Kehoe, left, and Duane Grieve. Kehoe is president of the board of directors of Preservation Detroit. He was in town visiting Kim Trent, the former executive director of Knox Heritage.

You can’t beat a good sausage ball for an appetizer.

Nice little vignette.

Dinner time!

Dinner was good old country cooking. My husband loved it!

Two kinds of cobbler were dessert.

Kenneth Creed, left, and John Geppi.

Joyce Feld, left, with Stephanie Wallace.

An actual mule post.

Rustic barn door in the ladies’ room.

Cute idea for a wastepaper basket!

George Wallace made brief remarks.

How about a little Early Morning String Dusters?

video
play-sharp-fill
Filed under: Food, Historic preservation. Bookmark the permalink.

3 Responses to Get hitched – and everything else – at the Mule Barn

  1. Rusha Sams, on April 26th, 2018 at 6:37 pm said:

    What a great place for a party! I’ll have to check out this new venue. Thanks for posting great pics, as always!

  2. Cynthia Moxley, on April 26th, 2018 at 11:34 pm said:

    Rusha: You gotta check it out! I predict we’ll be there together at some great event soon.

  3. Marsha Grieve, on April 29th, 2018 at 5:46 pm said:

    Only you would find an original mule post and get a picture! (And the pottery wastebasket) Love how you get the best pix and interesting details of any event….keep it up!

Leave a Reply