An easy drive from Jackson gets us to Nashville Tennessee. By 2 PM we were all set up and booking tours and shows at the office. There's lots to see here.
Because we haven't been here before and there are so many things to see we decided to sign up for a guided tour of the town just so we could get oriented and get background info. First stop on the tour is the Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry. The back part of the structure is the original Union Gospel Tabernacle built in 1892. In 1943 the building became know as "Mother Church of Country Music" as the Grand Ole Opry began broadcasting a live radio program from here. In 1974 the GOO moved to its new digs. Due to its excellent acoustics, the Ryman is still used for world class concerts.
The hall holds about 2500 people and has excellent seating. Normally you can get your picture taken on stage but a school group was putting on a concert later. The school group on stage is from Kitchener, how weird is that?
We drove down Music Row where all the recording studios are located. These were outside Sun Records, the major recording studio which started with Elvis and The Carter Family.
Next stop was the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Three storys of costumes and pictures. I was ready to leave after 30 minutes, not too exciting I'm afraid.
You can only look at so many of these.
The Hall of Fame rotunda had plaques for every inductee. It was interesting to look up the oldtimers we grew up with. Roy Rogers is the only double inductee, bet you didn't know that.
There were other spots we visited but I'll cover those later because we went back on our own. After the tour, we went to a dinner show. Both the food and the show were great.
Next day we went for a walk through the Opryland Hotel. It's the biggest hotel east of the Mississippi and has 2881 rooms and 4 separate indoor green areas.
Fountains, ponds and streams make the hotel interior a beautiful oasis. Never seen anything like it.
At night we took a river boat cruise on the Cumberland River aboard the General Jackson paddle wheeler.
It was a lovely evening with an elegant meal and entertainment both before and after eating.
New day and a trip to the Parthenon. It is a full size replica of the original in Greece. It was built in 1897 for the Tennessee Centennial and Exposition. It was rebuilt in 1920 as a permanent structure.
A full size statue of Athena is housed in the structure, just the same as in Greece in 5th Century BC. It's 42'10" high and gilded with 8 pounds of gold. The winged statue of Nike in her hand is 6'4". That should give you a feel for the size. Amazing isn't it!
An interesting fact. If you look past Grammie to the far opening, the columns are designed so the opening between columns look like a Grecian urn. Cool Huh.
The grounds are lovely and the trees are blooming. A great place for a long walk.
Tonight's our visit to the Grand Ole Opry. This is the Mecca for Country Music fans and is the main reason we came to Nashville.
Sorry we can't let you hear the great music, but trust me it was a fun time. I probably enjoyed it more than Grammie because it was mostly older music which I like and not as much current music which Grammie prefers. It's a live radio broadcast so we got commercials and station breaks. Live radio, whoda thought.
Today we're walking around downtown Nashville to see the sights. Broadway St. in the downtown area is known as The District and is one saloon after another. Each has live music and the musicians get paid by tips only. I guess they hope they'll get discovered as well. Most saloons don't have food, just music and booze. Great fun for pub crawling. These go on for blocks and are all busy.
One of the back streets is called Printers Alley and is famous for its music since the 20's. The venues are more intimate with more blues and jazz.
I ran into Chet Atkins and we jammed a bit. My only musical talent is sitting still, and I'm pretty good at it.
This is the State Capitol Building in Nashville. As you know we like to visit them. Unfortunately it was closed for renovation. I guess it needed it, its the oldest original Capitol Building still in use in the States.
We stopped for lunch at the Wildhorse saloon. One of the few saloons with food. Probably the best BBQ shredded pork I've eaten. And great atmosphere, not to mention friendly horses.
These look like fun. Everybody piles on and pedals. When they get tired they pull over and have a beer then off they go again. They don't go very far. It takes an hour to go a couple of blocks and back. I guess it's not about the exercise.
They have a lovely river walk with lots of blooming trees. It was a warm breezy day, perfect for walking.
Just across the street from the Country Hall of Fame is the Music City Walk of Fame with celebrity names in the sidewalk. This town is music central for sure. I guess that's why one of it's nicknames is Music City USA.
We even managed to find time for a tourist trap or two. One called Cooters Garage has everything Dukes of Hazzard including all the original cars such as the General Lee and Boss Hoggs caddy. Didn't see Daisy Duke though, rats.
Right next door is the Willie Nelson Museum. There is a pile of memorabilia from his life as well as most of his friends. If you recall, a few years ago the IRS seized all his property for back taxes and sold them at auction. Most of the items on display, such as this lounge set were bought at the auction by his friends and donated to the museum. It seem unfair that he did all those Farm aid concerts to help farmers and then lost everything himself. He's still earning so I guess he'll be OK.
Of all his friends, I guess this is my favourite. Isn't she just cuddly! A real Dolly. Well, not real but you know what I mean. I think we've done Nashville up well and now its time for our final run for the border. Perhaps a short stop along the way but this is our last real break. Keep posted.
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