5 day trips near Nashville that will wow you but go easy on your wallet

A little day trip never hurt anybody — and what a great way they are to explore Middle Tennessee, one day at a time.

I have selected five interesting (and yes, affordable) outings that offer a little history, some lovely Midstate scenery and informative tour opportunities — all within less than three hours of Nashville.

And because traveling always makes me hungry, I also have included some yummy, inexpensive lunch recommendations along the way.  

I'm calling my picks "Ms. Cheap Daycations." Hope you enjoy them, and feel free to suggest some other destinations that I should check out.  

1. Historic Rugby

What: This quaint village near Jamestown, which was established as a "new Garden of Eden" in the 1880s by a community of hopeful settlers, consists of the lovely, wooden 1887 Christ Church Episcopal (with original lamps, hand-carved pews and stained glass from Germany); its 1882 Thomas Hughes Library (with all of the original books); a two-story schoolhouse built in 1907; and Hughes' 1882 Kingstone Lisle English rural-style cottage, with mostly original furnishings. 

In its heyday, the village of Rugby consisted of 65 buildings, and, amazingly, 18 of them still stand in this out-of-the-way would-be Utopia that is maintained and promoted by the nonprofit Historic Rugby Inc. The National Trust calls it "one of the most authentically preserved historic villages" in America.

Where: Two-and-a-half hours from Nashville off state Highway 52, 16 miles southeast of Jamestown and 35 miles off Interstate 40 on the southern edge of the Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area.

Good to know: Although there are self-guided tour maps, I highly recommend the guided tours ($5-$7), which take you inside the buildings and are offered Thursday through Sunday. Wear good walking shoes because Rugby is best seen on foot.

If you want to take a hike, there are some nice trails in the area and there is a Big South Fork summer outpost in Rugby, with a national park ranger leading weekend morning hikes to the Gentleman's Swimming Hole.

You should also know that Rugby is on Eastern Standard Time.

Lunch: Two choices include the Harrow Road Cafe, which is open Thursday through Sunday, with lots of choices under $10, including the Coronation Chicken Salad, which was served at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. Another option (and a place you should stop even if you don't eat) is the R.M. Brooks General Store, which is another historic treasure and good for breakfast, lunch or a snack.

Details: www.historicrugby.com or call 423-628-2441 or follow Historic Rugby on Facebook.

2. Sewanee/Monteagle

What: Sewanee is the beautiful mountaintop home of the University of the South (my alma mater).

You can easily take your own tour, with highlights including: All Saints' Chapel (inside and out); Morgan's Steep overlook (where legend has it that a Confederate officer carrying important papers rode his horse off the cliff rather than surrender during the Civil War); the Memorial Cross, which was built in 1922 and memorializes the Sewanee residents and students who served in every war since World War I; the University Cemetery (history lovers love this); and Abbo's Alley, if you want to take a leisurely stroll.   

The university, situated on 13,000 acres, was started in 1857 by the clergy and lay people of the southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church and now has 1,750 students. The university has had 26 Rhodes Scholars — a number that puts Sewanee in the top four nationally among American liberal arts colleges. 

The architecture is described as "collegiate Gothic," and the buildings are almost all constructed of locally quarried Sewanee sandstone.    

Good to know: Stop by the Sewanee Inn for a brochure and campus map. Summer is a good time to visit because there are public readings, lectures and musical performances on the Sewanee campus as part of the School of Letters, Sewanee Summer Music Festival and Sewanee Writers’ Conference. www.sewanee.edu

Lunch: Shenanigan's, a popular sandwich shop where I worked back in my college days, still offers a good lunch. Other good bets are the Blue Chair and Tavern; Stirling's coffee house; and the university's McClurg Dining Hall, which welcomes the public for affordable meals whenever students are on campus. 

Nearby Monteagle offers a great day trip opportunity with its July 21 Annual Cottage Tour and Bazaar at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly Grounds. The Cottage Tour began in 1963 as a way for the Women's Association to raise funds and let folks take a peek at the cottages in this unique compound, where families have been summering for 135 years. 

The "Assembly," which dates back to 1882, has 161 homes, most of which are historic. The 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. tour gives you access to six of the charming and historic cottages, including three built in the 1890s. The tour, which also includes gardens and public buildings, is $15 in advance or $20 at the gate. Details and tickets: 931-924-2286. 

On tour day there is a $15 box lunch or a $12 buffet in the Assembly Dining Hall. mssa1882.net

Where: Sewanee/Monteagle is an hour and 15 minutes from Nashville. Take I-24 to Exit 134, the Monteagle/Sewanee exit. The Assembly is less than a mile up on the right, and Sewanee is seven miles to the left.

3. Granville

What: If you are interested in a fun Middle Tennessee day trip (or early evening jaunt) that will take you back in time, Historic Granville is the ticket. The 2017 Granville theme is "1940s: A Decade of Change." 

This old-fashioned little riverboat and farming town (population 300) on Cordell Hull Lake is fun to explore with its turn-of-the-century T.B. Sutton General Store and Granville Museum, which are free. There is also a $5 guided tour of the Homestead, Pioneer Village and Antique Car Museum. Most everything is open noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

One of the most popular year-round draws for Granville is the weekly Sutton Ole Time Music Hour, a live bluegrass radio show that takes place inside the General Store every Saturday night.

Good to know: Radio show admission is $3, and they also offer a full country meal and priority seating for $20. The warm-up is 6-7 p.m., and then the show itself, including live commercials, is 7-8 p.m. www.granvilletn.com or 931-653-4151.

Lunch: The T.B. Sutton General store serves lunch Wednesday through Saturday, with a choices for $10 or less, including sandwiches.

Where: Granville is about 65 miles northeast of Nashville (about an hour and 15 minutes from Nashville) at the intersection of Jackson, Putnam and Smith counties. 

4. Rock Island State Park

What: You could easily spend a wonderful day at Rock Island — checking out the falls, enjoying a hike and then swimming and relaxing on the beach. 

The must-sees for any visitor to Rock Island are the two giant waterfalls, the 30-foot Great Falls next to the historic Cotton Mill building and the 80-foot Twin Falls on the other side of the Caney Fork River, both of which will "wow" you from almost any vantage point.

Unlike many of the other standout waterfalls in the state, Rock Island's falls run constantly because of the dam. 

Another big plus is that you can view both of these big Rock Island falls from overlooks that are literally just a few steps from where you park your car.

Good to know: Weekdays are best because weekends get super crowded. Stop by the park office (82 Beach Road) to pick up maps and find out about any special activities that might be going on.

Safety first: Wear closed-toe shoes like tennis shoes (not water shoes or Tevas). Know that jumping off rocks or bluffs is discouraged. Rangers note that TVA Great Falls Dam is actively spilling water due to repairs at the powerhouse. During active spill mode, visitors are not allowed in the spillway gorge for obvious reasons. And if you go into the gorge by the dam and powerhouse where water is released, wear a life jacket, and pay attention to changes in water levels/currents, sirens and warning signs.

And be sure to take lots of pictures. You would be hard-pressed to find a more photogenic backdrop than those mighty waterfalls. Contact: 800-713-6065 or http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/rock-island.

Lunch: Taking a picnic is your best bet. 

Where: The park is 15 miles southwest of Sparta and can be accessed from Interstate 40 Exit 288 or I-24 Exit 111. The park itself is in Warren and White counties on the headwaters of Center Hill Lake, at the confluence of the Caney Fork, Collins and Rocky rivers.

Note: If you want to see other nearby falls, Burgess Falls State Park is 25 miles away, Fall Creek Falls is 30 miles, and Cummins Falls is about an hour away.

5. Lynchburg 

What: A typical day in Lynchburg would be spent touring the expanded and upgraded 150-plus-year-old Jack Daniel Distillery, browsing the shops around the courthouse square and packing in an old-fashioned home-cooked family-style lunch at the legendary Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Restaurant (295 Main St.), now in its 100th year of operation. 

Your Lynchburg day will not exactly be cheap — with lunch priced at $25, including tax, and the guided tours of Jack Daniel (the oldest registered distillery in the United States) ranging from $14 to $22 (depending on your "Jack" sampling preference).

But even though I remember when the tours were free, I maintain that $40 to $50 for the whole day could be worth it for a unique Middle Tennessee experience that gets high marks from reviewers. 

Where: Lynchburg is about 90 minutes from Nashville, south of Shelbyville.

Good to know: Distillery tours are offered daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and reservations are not required. There is a 70-minute "Dry County Tour" for $14, a 90-minute "Flight of Jack Tour" for $17 and a 90-minute "The Angel's Share Tour" for $22.  

Wear comfortable shoes because tours are outdoors and involve walking and stairs. There is an alternative distillery tour for those who would have difficulty participating in the tour and a bus tour option for those who are short on time or who "don't have a hankering" for stairs. Almost 300,000 people take the tours each year. www.jackdaniels.com/en-us/visit-us. Or call 888-551-5225. 

Reservations are required for the Miss Mary Bobo's lunch, which is served family style every day but Sunday at tables of 12 in a charming 1820s house just off the Lynchburg square. Lunch consists of two meats and six veggies, homemade bread, dessert and drink. 931-759-7394.

With that said, I recommend planning your trip with the distillery tour first and then the big Miss Mary Bobo's lunch afterward so that you won't be too full to enjoy the walking tour. 

Details: See www.facebook.com/Miss-Mary-Bobos-Boarding-House-145161592212541.

Happy trails! Stay cheap. 

Reach Ms. Cheap at 615-259-8282 or mscheap@tennessean.com. Follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/mscheap, and at Tennessean.com/mscheap, and on Twitter @Ms_Cheap, and catch her every Thursday at 11 a.m. on WTVF-Channel 5’s “Talk of the Town.”