Holidays in the Music City
We
spent the months of November and December workamping at the KOA Nashville campground. Our
daughter Mary and our son Matt and his wife and daughter live in the
area; therefore we were able to spend Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New
Year's with them. This was our granddaughter's second
Christmas and she really got into it in a big way. We thought
that after a few presents she would get bored with it but not so.
She opened all of her gifts (and there were many) as well as
lending a hand to assist others in opening theirs. It certainly
was a lot of fun and an experience that we wouldn't have wanted to miss. Nashville is one of our favorite cities so while in the area we did some sightseeing and a couple of tours. One tour was that of country music stars homes. The tour guide took us past many homes and would stop at several of the homes and give brief information about the stars and / or their home. This tour was alright but lasted way too long. It is not something that we would do again. The pictures are not that good being that we took them from inside a moving tour bus but at least you can get some idea as to how the other half lives.    The other tour that we took was that of the city of Nashville. With this tour we visited the Pantheon, Music Row, the State Capitol, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. Also, included with this tour was a stop at Legends Bar on Broadway Street. We had a soda here while we enjoyed the music of a "wanna be" musician. He may have been a "wanna be" but he was very good, as good as any you hear on the radio today.       There were several other places that we drove by including the Bi-Centennial Capitol Mall State Park which is right downtown behind the Capitol building. There are several war memorials, the Court of Three Stars with ninety-five bell carillons, the River Wall with thirty-one fountains representing Tennessee rivers and waterways, the Tennessee History Wall, and the Volunteer Walkway. The Bi-Centennial Park is something that we went back to visit and spend some time reading and seeing all of the history that is there. We feel it is a "must see" and plan to go again when we are in Nashville.   There are several entrances into the park which are just beautiful in themselves. The World War II Memorial is only one of many. All of the wars are represented up to the Vietnam War. If you look closely you can see the globe of the world which turns as water cascades over it. Very nicely done.   The Tennessee History Wall has the history engraved in the wall on the right while the columns on the left indicate ten year increments. The wall is broken during the Civil War Period and comes back together again in 1864.   The thirty-one fountains erupt randomly in front of the wall which provides information on the thirty-one rivers and waterways in Tennessee. There are ninety-five bell towers (carillons) standing at the north end of the park. The picture above is only the left side, there is a mirror image on the other side. The bells are beautiful to listen to as a musician plays on the keyboard located in a small "house" that you can barely see just left of the tree.   The Volunteer Walkway has bricks engraved with the names of Tennessee's many volunteers throughout history (the Volunteer State). There is an Amphitheater in which performances are conducted. You can see the Capital Building on the hill in the background. This park is very nicely done and there are many more things to see. If you are a history "buff" then put this on the top of your list for the next time you are in Nashville. In December we attended the Nashville Nite Life Dinner Theater for a dinner buffet and show which is located on Music Valley Drive. Our friends Ruth and Shelby Aucoin went with us and we all had a great time. The food was very good, for a buffet, and the show was excellent with good music and funny comedy. We would definitely visit Nashville Nite Dinner Life Theater again when we are in Nashville. We attended the Two Rivers
Baptist Church while we were here. They have two different
services, one at 9:30 which is more traditional with a large choir with
an orchestra. We attended the 11:01 service which is more
contemporary music. The same message was
presented at both services. The church's music team presented a
Christmas Celebration one Sunday evening which was very well done (as
well as any television presentation). They performed at the Orpy
Land Mall on a Friday night and the crowd loved it. Nashville is
just loaded with lots of very talented musicians.
Speaking of the Orpy Land Mall it is located right next to the Grand Ole Opry House and the Opryland Hotel. Also, just to the right of the Grand Ole Opry House is the Grand Ole Opry Museum which has free admission. The museum is very well done and we would recommend you take time to visit. It may not be as big as the Country Music Hall of Fame but it is just as good with very informative displays.  We toured the Grand Ole Opry Hotel while it was decorated for Christmas. The Hotel has three different areas that you can visit and walk through. The Garden Conservatory is the largest and consist of a tropical garden with walkways, fountains, waterfalls, and restaurants. The Magnolia Lobby is the main entrance to the Hotel and is decorated in southern style with grand stairways and balconies. The Cascades lobby houses restaurants and shops. This is a fun place to visit and just walk hand-in-hand through the tropical foliage with your "significant other".       Return to Travelogues |