While we’ve been living in North Carolina, we’ve been trying to check out interesting places within our vicinity during our annual family vacations. This year we picked Nashville, Tennessee. We contemplated driving, but it would have been about eight hours of driving, including mountains, so we decided to take a plane. It was rainy when we arrived, but guess what we found just around the corner from our hotel?
The actual General Lee! It was raining, but that didn’t stop us from posing with the Dukes of Hazzard TV star. We ventured inside to Cooter’s shop and got to see more cool cars in the museum behind the store. They sold all kinds of show memorabilia. So much fun! I got the kids fake Daisy and Luke Duke driver’s licenses. We came back a few days later and posed again when it was sunny out.
Of course, we really came to Nashville to check out all of the music history in the area. To that end, we decided to check out the Country Music Hall of Fame. After all, where else can you go to see things like Taylor Swift’s bejeweled guitar, or Carl Perkin’s Blue Suede shoes? The displays were excellent and even included Elvis Presley’s gold car!
And of course, if you go to Nashville, you have to go see the Grand Ole Opry!
The Opry was fantastic. There was a great variety of music: Connie Smith, Luke Combs, Smithfield, Kristian Bush, Ricky Skaggs, Chris Janson, and Trace Adkins. My personal favorite was Bar with a Pool in It, but then I did always like funny songs. And that Chris Janson guy has a huge amount of energy on stage.
Another aspect to our trip was exploring local historical sites and museums, like Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage and the Carnton Plantation. They seem big on columns, don’t they?
Andrew Jackson was born in 1767 and became a war hero in the War of 1812. He was the seventh president of the United States. The Hermitage was built in a secluded menu chosen by Rachel Jackson, Andrew Jackson’s wife. They started out living in a log cabin in 1804, and eventually moved into a more refined mansion that was built between 1819 and 1821.
Carnton was built in 1826 by former Nashville mayor Randal McGavock. In 1864, the Confederate Army of Tennessee assaulted the Federal army entrenched along the southern edge of Franklin, resulting in terrible, bloody battle involving a massive frontal assault larger than Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg. The site is famous for becoming the largest field hospital in the area for hundreds of wounded and dying confederate solders. The floors still have bloodstains, and there is a large cemetery.
We also toured the Lotz and Carter Houses. During the Battle of Franklin, the Lotz family hid in the basement of the Carter house because their own house had no shelter. When they emerged after the battle, there were dead and wounded everywhere. There are lots of bullet holes.
Belle Meade Plantation finished off our historic tour. This beautiful site also saw some Union-Confederate skirmishes but came through without as much damage as the grisly scene in Franklin.
We needed a break from the sad Civil War historical tour, so we also went to see the lovely Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. They were very scenic.
We also walked around Nashville, looking for things like Music Row, which was entirely unimpressive to see from the outside. However, there were some cool sites along the way. At the end of our walk, we had a hard time finding a place to get a cold, non-alcoholic drink. We passed lots of bars with live music, but very little was suitable for a family.
One of the amazing things to see in Nashville is a full scale replica of the Parthenon, complete with a 42 foot (13 m) statue of Athena. The museum also contains an art gallery. I’d love to see the original Parthenon in Greece someday. The one in Nashville is certainly beautiful and inspiring, even knowing it’s a modern replica.
We also toured the Lane Motor Museum. We always manage to find cool car museums on our trips. This one was no exception. It had an excellent collection, especially focused on European models. There were MGs, Austins, Jaguars, Fiats, and a host of cars with less familiar names and funny shapes like the three-wheel microcars. They also had a handful of airplanes, a replica Dymaxion, and even a very large amphibious vehicle.
To appeal to the kids, we also checked out the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere. The temperatures were good, so we saw plenty of animals. One of the highlights was the kangaroo petting zoo. If they walked up to you on the path, you could pet them. But you couldn’t go near them if they were on the grass. The kids also loved the playground. They never get enough playgrounds when we go on vacation.
Links to all of the galleries: