Back to last weekend. We decided to keep our travels to a minimum so as not to burn out the kids (although I’m sure the anticipation of returning home to their friends will sustain them….) so we picked Nashville as our main destination. Nashville is the country music capital of the world and there’s no shortage of things to do, so we set off to see what we could see. Here are a few things we saw along the road between Kentucky and Tennessee...
Corn fields (I wonder how much of this will become whiskey?)
Amish farmers
Tobacco fields
Once we arrived in Tennessee and set our eyes on Nashville, we were overwhelmed by the sleek, shiny buildings glistening in the sun.
Sculptures and murals decorate the city and are woven among the modern and historic buildings.
The smells of barbecue and smoke hover in the air.
CMT- Country Music Television
Music floats through doorways and winds its way through the traffic on the streets. Musicians stand on street corners and play their instruments for no one in particular, while others stroll along with guitars on their back, nodding to each other in solidarity.
Groups of women in matching tops rode along on what looked like pedal-powered bars, hollering, laughing, and toasting the bride as they went. No one fell off.... that I saw.
Tennessee treats were sold at just about every venue and we got to try Goo Goo Clusters where they've been made since 1912. They were gooooooood!
Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline Museums are downtown, not far from the original site of the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Shops line the streets selling every western themed item you could imagine, including my personal favorite, boots!
We were only in town for the one night and we wanted to make it extra special, so we got all gussied up and treated our kids to their very first concert ever....at the Grand Ole Opry!! It was even better than I had imagined!!
All the seats were church pews
Of course, I had my fancy boots on- and I wasn't the only one! The Opry is boot heaven. :-)
The whole show was broadcast on the air and included several hosts and musical acts. We saw everything from newer groups like Locash, to classic bluegrass favorites like the Osborne Brothers.
We watched the Grand Ole Opry Square Dancers, and some of the musical acts got in on the fun and joined them. We had a great time and one day I hope to return.
On Sunday we left Nashville and headed for eastern Tennessee to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was amazed by all the kudzu vines everywhere! It seemed to swallow entire hillsides.
Barn quilt!
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is part of the larger Appalachian range and also includes part of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
It was a beautiful drive.
Moonshine (or white lightening/white dog/hooch/home brew/corn liquor, etc.) distilling has always been big business in these parts, but now you can get a permit to make and sell it lawfully. It's basically whiskey straight off the still, which means it's still clear and looks like water.
We drove through Pigeon Forge but didn't have time for Dollywood this time, sadly. I was really surprised by all the attractions! Friends tell me it's very much like Branson, Missouri, but since I haven't been to Branson, I can't verify that. If you have then take a look at the pictures below and let me know.
The Tennessee barbecue was tender, smoky, and delicious!
Wonderworks is actually a science museum/center. According to their story, this building was originally a top secret research laboratory on a remote island in the Bermuda Triangle. An experiment went awry and the resulting tornado brought them to this location, with all the experiments still intact... It look like a fun place to visit!
AND we drove by the real Rocky Top, Tennessee! That song has been stuck in my head ever since we saw the Osborne Brothers at the Opry!
...and yes, it really was rocky. :-) I missed the shot as we were passing but this is what the roads looked like for a lot of the drive.
Now to start prepping for the journey back home...... Hope y'all have a great week!
- Jen
No comments:
Post a Comment