Chattanoogans open distillery in former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary

Country artist Jamey Johnson plays at the former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary last year. Tickets are on sale now for the 2020 Live at Brushy concert series. / Photo contributed by Brushy Mountain Distillery
Country artist Jamey Johnson plays at the former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary last year. Tickets are on sale now for the 2020 Live at Brushy concert series. / Photo contributed by Brushy Mountain Distillery

A new destination for live music is emerging in Petros, Tennessee, where Chattanoogans Brian May and Pete Waddington have transformed the former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary into a distillery and concert venue.

The venue is located in the 10-acre exercise yard behind the former prison, which is surrounded on three sides by mountains that come to a point behind the venue.

"The sound is incredible," says May, explaining that the mountains and huge block walls of the exercise yard funnel the music in a way that makes the sound even better the farther one is from the stage.

Brushy Mountain hosted a handful of artists last year, such as Jamey Johnson and Dwight Yoakum, but 2020 will be the venue's first full concert season.

photo The former Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary is now a moonshine and vodka distillery and concert venue. / Photo contributed by Brushy Mountain Distillery

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band kicks off the Live at Brushy concert series on May 28, followed by Aaron Lewis on June 27 and Sawyer Brown on July 18. On Aug. 22, Bluegrass at Brushy features Del McCoury Band, Yonder Mountain String Band and Sam Bush. The final show is Whiskey Myers on Sept. 5.

Located just under two hours from Chattanooga, Brushy Mountain Distillery produces End of the Line Moonshine in nine flavors as well as Frozen Head Vodka and Struggle Bus Bloody Mary Mix. The distillery, which reopens April 2, welcomed just shy of 100,000 visitors in its first full season last year.

Visitors can choose to take an audio tour of the prison/distillery with either a former prisoner or guard as their host and eat a meal of traditional Southern food at The Warden's Table restaurant.

The semi-dri Morgan County allows the distillery to offer samples of its liquor, which can be purchased on-site to consume off the property. Brushy can also sell beer to be consumed during concerts.

Tickets for the 2020 Live at Brushy concert series are on sale now. For more information visit tourbrushy.com.

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