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[♪♪] Five Magical waterfalls.

Four Tennessee state parks.

Three types of accessibility options.

Two drivable overlooks and one region in Middle Tennessee that is quickly becoming the most accessibility friendly outdoor vacation destination in the state.

[♪♪] Welcome to Waterfalls For All.

This documentary is made possible by a grant from the Cookeville, Putnam County Visitors Bureau and Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.

[♪♪] Waterfalls for All.

That's three very powerful words when you think about it.

That means that nobody gets left out of the adventure.

Five accessible waterfalls and anyone can come with your family as individuals, your pets, regardless of your mobility barriers.

Small children, we have answers for you in this initiative.

This started out as a project that was inspired by my grandfather.

He was injured on a farm at 16 and lost the use of his legs, and his world was set up where it was not accessible.

He didn't even think about what to do on vacation.

He thought about how to get from his car to the front door of a business, and how to get into his office.

So those sort of things in that world, we're making improvements, and the state of Tennessee is a part of this wonderful initiative.

[♪♪] Being able to enjoy all the great things we have in Putnam County.

We have to have accessibility.

We have to be able to get everyone in regardless of disabilities or impairments or whatever.

So it's very important to us in Putnam County, to make everything we have as accessible as possible.

So we're looking to do that more in the future.

Putnam County is a great place to live and work and raise our families, and we want everyone to be able to enjoy all the great things we have here in Putnam County and with that becomes accessibility is making sure that we make our resources and our events and our waterfalls, everything that we've got accessible to everyone.

As a nurse practitioner, I feel like I'm keenly aware of the physical limitations that so many of our members of our community have to adjust to.

And so if we as a government entity, can remove some of those barriers to make sure that people of all physicalities can enjoy the wonderful things that Cookeville has.

It's an honor and a privilege to be able to do that.

As a city, we're taking steps to make our sidewalks more accessible.

We've got buy in from the local businesses, restaurants to make sure that people can come in and enjoy everything that Cookeville has to offer.

No matter what your physical limitation or ability is, the Tennessee State Parks that are across the Upper Cumberland.

The nice thing about what they've done here, they've worked really, really hard to be some of the most accessible state parks in Tennessee.

We appreciate Tennessee Department of Tourism for helping with this initiative.

And now our job is to get the word out to these beautiful locations.

Now, understand that these are natural areas you are in nature.

You may not be able to get to every piece of it, depending on your mobility barriers or what you have going on in your life.

But we found a way that there is a way for anyone to be able to see these beautiful waterfalls, even if you see them simply from your car.

So we've removed all these barriers and Waterfalls for All is truly a place where you can find out how to be a part of the magic and the natural journey with your family, regardless of what mobility barriers that you face.

Everyone is included on the journey.

[♪♪] It has taken since we opened the park in 2012 to get where we are today.

It's been kind of a slow road and a lot of ways, but to get our overlook built with us just last year and we even the idea came that first year that we needed that.

And so it's taken a while.

We had to go through the grant process through our friends group and, and and then realizing too took a little time to realize everything that we needed.

So initially, it was it was important to, to the state of Tennessee to get this park established and get it open.

And so we opened up, really not knowing everything that we needed here, honestly.

And as visitors came and we saw some needs and some some obstacles that people were facing to get to do what they wanted to do and see the waterfall, for instance.

Then we started realizing, okay, we we need to add an overlook.

We need to add a trail that can be easily navigated.

And it was more of that experience and seeing what visitors were doing and what they needed as they arrived, or know what or what they couldn't do.

[♪One, two, three.

Go.♪] We live right up the road.

He hadn't been to this waterfall since before the state bought it, I'm new to the area and new to wheelchairs.

I had not been able to hike.

I haven't seen a wheelchair or, a waterfall in years and saw this online, and I showed up and said, hey, do you have one?

And they said, sign this piece of paper.

And they just gave it to me.

And I've been running around in the woods.

It's amazing.

I highly recommend.

[♪♪] This is great!

This is crazy.

So good.

[♪♪] I had a stroke and a traumatic brain injury back when I had my wreck.

And I like coming down here because now I can actually get out and walk down here without without using, with, like, with a cane.

And I don't need anybody to walk with me like I used to be.

And I really enjoy that.

And going down to seeing the waterfalls is so beautiful, knowing that the state of Tennessee has created this infrastructure in it's state parks for our special needs community means so much, our families, our children, our young people want to get out and do things just as much as everybody else.

And this opens it up so much for us.

We can camp, we can picnic, we can come just for a day and, you know, view the beautiful falls that everybody else gets to hear about and and loves and gets to come see.

And now we have access to that.

And it means so much to our families, to our community.

You know, people don't have to think anymore.

Oh, I want to invite this family, but they have accessibility issues.

You know, that's a big thing.

We're included more in our communities this way, too.

And the state of Tennessee has made that even more possible.

And it means so much.

Initially, as I mentioned, we we didn't have an a place for people where everybody could get to to view the waterfall.

If somebody had to use a wheelchair to get around or even if they just had mobility issues.

He relaxes so much in nature.

He loves to be outside.

He loves to fish with his dad and go to the parks.

He does a lot of running here in the Upper Cumberland, in the races and the Cummins Falls Marathon.

He does that every year.

And so getting out, he'll he'll notice the squirrels.

He'll notice the little animals he loves water.

So to be able to stand at that overlook with that railing and know my child is safe, and being able for him to see that water and be so excited by it.

Don't you love the water?

You got the high five?

Thumbs up.

Yeah.

It's really been wonderful.

I would I would witness people come in here and not be able to get to those places that they hope to when they came.

So once we got that in place and they were able to get out there and see that we they were so much positive feedback tells how much they loved, being able to get out there and see that and how much they love the state of Tennessee, offering those things.

And I can remember out being out there, and it was an individual who lives close to here who has to use a wheelchair to get around.

And he was out looking for waterfalls.

He had never been able to get there in his whole life of living here.

And he truly had tears in his eyes.

He he just he was just over overcome with joy.

I can't say that it changed my perspective, actually, because I've loved being able to, be part of providing these spaces for people to enjoy.

But it added to that, being able to extend that to, to, populations of people who didn't normally get out in, into the parks and, and do the things they're able to now.

We've constructed a trail that people can use a wheelchair to get out to the overlook and other means that people with some, some obstacles can get there and do that.

And, you know, we're hoping to add some more trail that they can experience here.

We're also looking to, to add some property that will have another access to the water, because right now it's still kind of kind of rugged and still tough for some people to get to, to the water.

It wouldn't be the waterfall, but there'd be places people could get to the water, maybe go fishing and experience some of those other things.

So yes, I did have two hiking poles before to help me navigate certain trails and national parks, and it was pretty good, but some of the trails were a little harder.

Then you know, using my cane.

Now, whenever I'm on these paved paths pathways, I can use my cane instead of using a lot of these very hard trails.

I actually feel really, really good about using these pathways and about using my cane on these pathways.

We believe so much in what we provide and preserving these areas for people to, to experience and enjoy that we truly want everybody to have the opportunity, regardless of what their obstacles might be in life, to come out and experience this place.

We find we see that there's so much Valjean to every individual to have this and be able to come out and experience it.

And the waterfall it says up here, it's a rock [inaudible] It's like a big bowl.

It's like we were in a a big cereal bowl.

Yeah.

So the the water is in the bottom of the falls or coming down the side of the bowl.

[inaudible] Sound has really been important to me throughout my life.

Very.

213 00:13:35,714 --> 00:13:36,649 [♪♪] What I've seen in the past, is they have a little bit of a wheelchair access, but you can't get to the main event where this one here, you get to the main event, look over the falls, which is really nice.

It's, really good that, the main event covered under special needs too, as well.

And, Bradley, since he's been here before and has introduced this area, he's they're wanting to have me come out.

This was my first time to be able to go down and see the falls, on my own without driving down and with the walking a long ways.

So it's it's a wonderful, very wonderful.

Like my grandson.

He's a\says grandma.

You're going to come see the falls with me.

He gets very emotional, gets emotional.

He's a very loving boy.

And he's told everybody about it.

Tell them how you're telling people to come out here.

Yeah.

I have been telling a lot of people to come out here.

Some of your friends were out here today, right?

Yeah.

Yeah, right.

Who do you have down there?

You have Heather, Yeah.

Heather and Katy.

Who else?

Ben.

Kim.

There's a lot of people that he's been telling to come down here, and it's also, it's also it's nice nicely wide.

A lot of a lot of, a lot of, cement like this, the sidewalks, are a lot narrower and this is extra wide, which you needed it to be.

This guy sometimes gets turned a litle bit.

A little bit off his thing.

Yes, I do too.

I think he's a he's a little crazy driver sometimes.

[♪♪] We have five of the most accessible waterfalls already in our area.

So what we're trying to do is to make everything else input and Kenny accessible to all those that have barriers or disabilities.

We want everyone to have a great time when it comes to our events and everything we do here in Putnam County, when everybody to enjoy living in Putnam County and enjoy everything we have.

So we're going to continue to work and try to make Putnam County as accessible as possible.

Cummins Falls State Park offers stunning overlook views accessible by all terrain wheelchairs, available for rental on site.

Sitting on 306 acres, the expansive recreational grounds includes a 75ft high waterfall, the eighth largest by water volume in the state, and a swimming area that's been in use for more than 100 years.

The conveniently located day use park sits on Blackburn Fork State scenic river just nine miles north of Cookeville, making it an easy addition to any itinerary when traveling through or to the area with wheelchair friendly restrooms and accessible Overlook point, designated wheelchair parking, a handicapped vehicle accessible road, and free, rentable all terrain wheelchairs designed to empower individuals with mobility challenges.

Cummins falls is a shining example of Tennessee's commitment to accessibility.

[♪♪] Whether visitors are coming to our state parks, our downtown businesses, our restaurants, or even bringing their pets, all of the questions we were receiving were about access.

Are your state parks pet friendly?

Access.

Can my children hike this trail?

Access.

I want to bring my grandmother along for our vacation, but she's had a knee replacement.

Can she have level ways to access the waterfall?

All of these questions were something that we needed an answer to.

It started out simple with a mat and now it is a movement.

We have businesses across our region in the Upper Cumberland that have come together to even make that experience more accessible.

It's really a beautiful project.

I've known Heather since the Exceptional Bean opened probably about three years ago, and she originally came from Mississippi, and the thing that's kind of special about her is she was very determined to want to live by herself.

And so she has her own apartment, and she lives close enough to the Exceptional Bean at, the original one and the one that's at the hospital that she can walk to work.

And in both places she can walk around and go to some of the, like Meg's bread and some of the different shops in the downtown area.

And she's she's definitely a go getter, and she likes to be able to get out and do things.

And so doing something like this, this is the first time I think she's seen a waterfall since she came up to Tennessee from Mississippi.

So this has been really special today.

[♪light music♪] We love coming to Cookeville to explore the downtown West side area.

We're at the Cookeville Depot right now, which is a great train museum.

They even have some accessibility for children where you can step up and watch the trains go by and get some idea of what it was like back 150 years ago in Cookeville.

As a family, we like coming to the Cookeville area because of the accessibility.

I'm extremely impressed with Cookeville because they have made it accessible to wheelchair people to follow the streets and the sidewalks.

So I'm very impressed with Cookeville.

You can also walk from downtown West Side, which is where we're at right now, and really visit some really unique stores.

A lot of heart and soul in these stores with entrepreneurs.

And you can walk down to Dogwood Park where there is an amphitheater and the splash pad for the children.

So it's not only wheelchair accessible, but it's family friendly.

And this is a great time to be here on a Saturday.

Today we left from Proffitt Street for a walk to the train.

And this was the first time he went with us.

We didn't know if he'd be able to make it on this or not, but we tried and he had no problem.

All the way to the train and back.

This is a good thing to go around because it's plenty of sidewalks you can ride on.

[♪♪] When we travel, everywhere we travel, he goes with us.

Vacations, out for the day, day trips, anywhere.

He is with us.

Bicycling...yes.

So it's really nice to have places to visit that are nice place, nice shops, nice eateries and pet friendly to where your pets welcome.

It's okay.

You bring them in.

It makes us feel like our child could go along with us.

He feels welcomed in the majority of places that we've been into especially here in Cookeville.

Soul Craft, across the street, we've had him in there several times, and he loves it.

Plus he loves coffee.

So that's a plus.

Just makes it nice when a town does include the pets.

Yes.

We love towns like this.

Cookeville has got something really special.

Everybody's so friendly.

And it's even though it's growing, it still has that small town home feel.

Yeah.

Downtown.

That's that's great.

We love it.

And we're about 45 minutes from here.

So if we want to get out in plenty of shops and so forth.

This is usually where we come.

Great place to visit.

It's important that our business is pet friendly because that's a lot of our customers, honestly.

And a lot of people down here as well, a lot of the shop owners have their own pets that are kind of their store mascots and ours is Elsa the shop dog, and she's got her own Instagram account, her own like, fan, cult following and it's really important for us because not only is it fun, it's like a big reason a lot of people come in here, especially kids with families that are like, 'hey, is Elsa in today?'

and we love it.

I mean, it gets people in here.

It's just really sweet and wholesome also.

And most people will bring their pets and they're like, I know we've been in before, but we just got a puppy.

We wanted to bring it to meet Elsa, and it's just really sweet all together, and it's a nice way to include everyone.

And I mean, it just uplifts everyone's spirit.

Like seeing a dog come and greet you.

It's it's just sweet.

We visited other towns before that are not pet friendly.

It's frustrating and it's a whole lot less enjoyable because one person has to take care of the other member of the family while the other member goes in.

So it does make it frustrating when your pet, our baby is not included.

Cookeville is definitely not that way.

We always, enjoy it.

I mean, we go in shops and we everybody seems to be happy to have us come in and have our dog with us as well.

So that said, it's comforting and a relief too.

There's plenty of shops here that are like that.

And so we can come to restaurants and sit outside or, or in some cases go inside and, have coffee and, we all three get to really enjoy it.

And, so it means a lot to have a someplace close to us that we can enjoy that.

And, just kind of feel like we're home.

We love Cookeville.

[♪upbeat music♪] Now, as this project has grown and turned into an initiative, and now a movement, we're not doing this alone.

We've got a wonderful group on an advisory council who have different levels of mobility issues, caregivers, professionals in the special needs community.

We even have accessible sports in our area.

And they are on board.

And so we're listening to the experts and what challenges that they face, so that every day something else is being added or done toward accessibility.

So that our goal is to be the most accessibility friendly region in the whole state of Tennessee.

Businesses have gotten on board to make their businesses have wider aisle ways, or even have Braille menus in restaurants.

We have everyone coming together to say, how can we make our place more accessible?

How can we make our streets more accessible?

We have county and city leadership on board and really it's it's a team effort.

And with our state parks and the state of Tennessee, we just can't wait to see what's going to happen in our future with this project.

Waterfalls for All celebrates the beauty of accessible waterfalls in Middle Tennessee, ensuring everyone can enjoy these natural wonders.

No matter your age or physical challenges, there are stunning cascades waiting for you to explore.

These four locations highlight waterfalls that prioritize multiple types of inclusivity while also being pet friendly, making it easy for everyone to experience the joy of nature.

Join us in discovering the serenity and splendor of waterfalls designed for all.

Well, I personally would like to dedicate the Waterfalls for All documentary in memory of my grandfather, and to anyone who's ever been left out for any reason, we see you, we hear you, and we want you to be a part of the journey.

Enjoy your adventure with Waterfalls for All.

{♪♪] This program was made possible by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you.

Thank you.