MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – Like other tourist spots in Tennessee, Casey Jones Village in Jackson has taken a financial hit since nonessential businesses closed in March as part of the response to the new coronavirus outbreak.
The train museum dedicated to the legendary railroad engineer has been closed for a month and a half. The gift shop and ice cream parlor are also shut down, and the restaurant known for Southern staples like fried chicken, banana pudding and hot water cornbread is only filling carryout orders. Owner Clark Shaw says business is down 80% at the family-owned stopover, located off Interstate 40 between Nashville and Memphis.
“This has been a living nightmare,” Shaw said.
However, Shaw has hope. He secured a small business loan from the federal government’s coronavirus relief package to keep the place afloat. The restaurant could reopen Friday, and the museum could start hosting visitors in late May. Improvements such as deep-cleaning the restaurant, new lighting, and a fresh paint job for the historic train car stationed next to the museum will make the visitor experience more worthwhile, he said.
“We said to ourselves, ‘OK, how can we use this terrible crisis for good?'” said Shaw, whose father opened Casey Jones Village 55 years ago. “We began to think outside the box a little bit.”