Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy Barry.
Hi Stacy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Before entering the travel industry, I was a school counselor. My husband served in the military for 20 years, which gave me the opportunity to live and work in different states, schools, and communities. Those experiences taught me to adapt, connect with people from different backgrounds, and understand what they need—skills I use every day as a business owner.
My mom, Sharon, started Sharin the South Tours 30 years ago, and the company’s name is a nod to her. After my husband retired from the military and we moved back home, I began working alongside her. I worked for her for seven years before purchasing the company two and a half years ago. Today, we remain family owned, and I’m proud to continue what she built while bringing my own ideas and vision to its next chapter.
We plan group travel throughout Tennessee and select destinations across the Southeast. We work with tour operators, student groups, and adult groups, handling everything from local guides to complete itineraries with hotels, attractions, meals, and entertainment. We also have a dedicated step-on guide operation, providing local tour guides for many companies bringing guests to Tennessee, including Mississippi River cruise operators such as American Cruise Lines and Viking River Cruises.
One of my favorite parts of this business is creating experiences that people couldn’t easily put together themselves. That might be exploring Nashville with a singing tour guide, enjoying a private dinner show, or hearing personal family stories from Johnny Cash’s nephew, Mark Cash. I want our guests to feel connected to the places they visit and the people who make those places special.
Getting to where I am today has meant learning from my mom, building relationships, and paying attention to the details that make a trip run smoothly. I also have a wonderful team whose talents and dedication are a huge part of what we do.
My counseling background still shapes my work, especially with student travel. I understand the responsibility educators carry when they take students beyond the classroom, and I know how meaningful those experiences can be. Whether we’re welcoming students or senior adults, the most rewarding part is knowing we helped create memories they’ll carry home with them.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. Working in the business for seven years gave me a strong foundation, but becoming the owner brought a whole new level of responsibility. Suddenly, the big financial decisions, sales, proposals, and responsibility for the company’s future were on my shoulders.
One of the biggest challenges has been balancing the day-to-day work with building a business that can thrive without everything depending on me personally. I have a wonderful team, but learning to delegate, make time for training, and get what’s in my head into processes other people can follow is an ongoing journey.
Group travel also involves a lot of moving pieces. Schedules change, weather interrupts plans, and sometimes an itinerary that looks great on paper needs adjustments to work in real life. A big part of our job is working through those challenges while helping our clients feel confident and cared for.
There’s also a personal responsibility that comes with taking over a business your mom built over three decades. I want to honor what she created while giving myself room to grow it in my own way. I’m still learning, but I’ve learned that I don’t have to carry every piece alone—and that the relationships and team around me are essential to moving forward.
We’ve been impressed with Sharin the South Tours LLC, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I talked about most of this in the first question. But to elaborate, Sharin the South Tours is a family-owned group travel company with 30 years of history. We specialize in Tennessee and select destinations across the Southeast, helping tour operators, student groups, and adult groups experience the places we know and love. We can arrange a complete trip—including hotels, attractions, meals, guides, and entertainment—or provide local support for a group that already has its travel plans in place.
Our step-on guide service is a major part of our business. We provide local guides for companies bringing groups into Tennessee, including Mississippi River cruise operators such as American Cruise Lines and Viking River Cruises. Our guides bring a destination to life through its stories, history, and people. In Nashville, we even offer singing tour guides, making music part of the journey itself.
What sets us apart is the combination of local knowledge, personal relationships, and experiences that go beyond a standard sightseeing itinerary. We offer private dinner shows with talented performers such as Dave & Daphne, song writers, Dolly exclusive tours and an exclusive “Man in Black” experience with Johnny Cash’s nephew, Mark Cash, who shares family stories and music that give guests a personal connection to Johnny Cash’s life.
We also understand that a successful group trip takes much more than choosing attractions. Timing, motorcoach access, meal arrangements, hotel selection, and smooth transitions all matter. For student groups, we can arrange performances and workshops for bands, choirs, and dance groups, and my background as a school counselor helps me understand the needs of educators and chaperones.
I’m most proud that we’ve carried my mom’s legacy forward while continuing to develop new experiences and build a wonderful team. The personal attention behind this business matters to me. We want our clients to feel that they have someone here who knows the area, understands their group, and cares about how their trip turns out.
Whether readers need a guide for a few hours or someone to plan an entire group itinerary, I want them to know they can come to us for both the memorable experiences and the details that make everything work.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
For me, taking a risk doesn’t mean having no fear. It means doing your homework, understanding the responsibility, and being willing to move forward without knowing exactly how everything will turn out.
Buying the business from my mom two and a half years ago was a major risk. Even after working alongside her for seven years, becoming the owner was a very different commitment. I was taking financial responsibility for the company, its future, and a business she had spent decades building. Knowing the business well gave me confidence, but it couldn’t remove all the uncertainty.
There’s also risk in putting your own ideas into an established business. Developing new tour experiences and building partnerships takes time and effort before you know how clients will respond. I think it’s important to listen to what clients need, use what you know, and give an idea a thoughtful chance.
Being a military spouse taught me a lot about navigating change. We moved, started over, and adapted to new communities throughout my husband’s career. That experience helped me understand that you can handle uncertainty without having every answer at the beginning.
I try to weigh the opportunity against the possible consequences—for my family, my team, and our clients. I take those responsibilities seriously, but I also recognize that staying comfortable has a cost. Sometimes growth means trusting your preparation, making the decision, and being willing to learn as you go.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sharinthesouth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharinthesouth
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SharintheSouthTours/
- LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/SharintheSouthTours/
