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----- Original Message -----
From: Demastus(a)aol.com
To: billnell(a)flash.net
Sent: Tuesday, December 31, 2002 8:47 PM
Subject: Rippavilla Plantation Finally Makes Profit This Year
Click here: Rippavilla Plantation Finally Makes Profit This Year
http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/rippbux.htm
Spring Hill's Rippavilla Plantation Finally Turns a Profit This Year
Dec. 13, 2002--It's hard to make money attracting visitors to a house with rich Civil War connections in a town where even the mayor tries to deny that anything Civil War related ever happened there.
Rippavilla Plantation, where Confederate officers spent the night before a battle they thought would annihilate a major Union force, has finally figured out a way. They did it with a corn maze.
"For the first time this place has been in existence, which is since 1996, we have retained earnings," said Mike Bennett, interim director of the antebellum mansion.
"We had $30,000 generated from the corn maze alone," Benett told the Nashville Tennessean. "Which is pretty good considering it rained nearly every weekend."
The total amount brought in was $15,000-$20,000 over and above its $190,000 operating budget, Bennett said.
"We want to be free of tax support in five to seven years," Bennett said. "And we're going to cut back next year and only ask the County Commission for $75,000."
The land on which Rippavilla sits is owned by Saturn Motor Co., which has a large assembly plant nearby. The company leases the property to Maury County, which in turn supports the historic site with $100,000 in tax money every year.
It wasn't just the corn maze that brought in the extra income this year, Bennett said, noting that the house was also rented for parties. Rippavilla's visitor count has remained steady this year, with about 5,100 touring the mansion through the end of November.
When the mansion opened to the public in 1997, there were 3,100 paying visitors; 1998 saw 5,500; 1999 had a high of 5,600 visitors; 2000 saw 5,000; and this year could end as high as 5,600, Bennett said.
"But we need to get to where Carnton is," Bennett said. "That's 20,000 visitors a year." Carnton Plantation is in Franklin, TN, about 15 miles north of Spring Hill.
Bennett said the group that operates the plantation is always looking at additional ways to bring in new revenue. One possible plan would involve building a stage on a hillside behind Rippavilla that would serve as "a natural amphitheater for musical events."
"With the contouring of the hillside, we could seat between 6,000 and 8,000 people," he said.
Rippavilla Plantation is at 5700 Main St. in Spring Hill. Tours are offered 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and $6 for groups of six or more. For more information, call (931) 486-9037 or see the plantation's website at http://www.rippavilla.org/index.htm .