The Love's Travel Stop where we'd parked overnight was a hive of activity the following morning, and our plan ahead of arriving in Nashville was to get a few important errands done. It included printing off a few documents (luckily we had printer), and sending them via FedEx overseas...we got there and the price to post was exorbitant (over $100), so we decided to check another postal service. Unfortunately once we got back to the RV, the already tight parking lot was teeming with more cars wanting to enter, which meant that Michael had to do a 1,000-point turn (ok, we're exaggerating, but not by too much!) to exit. This, and the hassle of posting, added to a few other things, was like a boiling kettle for Michael. Time out! Fortunately there was a US post office on the other side of the road, so we got that errand done, and chilled outside under a tree for a while (Sheila seemed to also be happy to just relax next to us, and Lisette got to de-fur her--she is a never-ending shedder)!
Gaylord Opryland and The Grand Ole Opry
North of downtown Nashville is the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, one of the largest hotels in the country. It opened in 1977, and is now a massive resort, with indoor gardens, waterways, restaurants, bars, cafes, and shops. There's even a water park within the resort. Lisette had been here a few years ago for a work conference, but we didn't realize that it cost over $40(!) to park at the complex, so we left pretty quickly.
Not far from this is the Grand Ole Opry House, which plays live country music, and is one of the preeminent venues to perform as a country music singer or band. While we didn't watch a performance while there, there was an outdoor stage set up, and it was cool to see some of the photos of who'd performed, and pose with the giant guitars outside.
Touring with Martynas
Our friend Martynas had arrived in Nashville ahead of us for his conference, and we caught up again in the afternoon to check out some sights around the city. Our first stop was to the Old Tennessee State Prison, which looks like a medieval castle. A number of movies, including "The Green Mile" with Tom Hanks, and several other movies were filmed here. Apparently the old prison is no longer operational, but when we drove in, there was an ominous sign along the lines of trespassers or unwelcome visitors risk getting shot(!) if they drive onwards, and the entrance, including the barbed wire and looked intimidating!
So we looked at the prison from afar, before heading to the more welcoming Centennial Park in Nashville, which has the world's only exact-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. The Parthenon in Nashville houses an art collection, and the surroundings are perfect for sitting around--which was what many people were doing when we were there. It also has the nicest, softest green grass, which Sheila was in love with!
We drove to Belmont University next, seeing the stunning architecture and grounds of Belmont Mansion, also known as Acklen Hall, the largest house built in Tennessee prior to the Civil War. Not far from Vanderbilt University is Sarabha's Creamery, Nashville's first homemade Indian-style ice cream shop. It's tucked away on the second story of a block of stores, and while there were no other customers there when we arrived, it's a charming shop and worth the visit! Unfortunately they didn't have any kulfi (a traditional Indian ice cream), but the ice cream flavors were delicious (they have both Western and Indian flavors, including saffron, chai spice and others). They also have treats like falooda, a dessert drink made with layers of sweet basil seeds, vermicelli, milk, rose syrup, topped with a scoop of ice cream (Lisette ordered this and recommends it)!
A stone's throw from Sarabha's Creamery is Music Row, filled with recording studios where musicians including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and Roy Orbison recorded some of their biggest hits. One of the most famous studios is RCA Studio B, known as the “Home of 1,000 Hits,” where Elvis recorded more than 200 songs. The studios continue to be used today, with more contemporary artists like the Foo Fighters recording here, and it's a mix of record labels, publishing houses, and artist management offices in these blocks.
A Night Out in Nashville
As the sun was setting, we found somewhere to park (for free!), and headed downtown. We walked past the impressive Tennessee State Capitol building (a grand structure that beamed in the dusk glow, which first opened in 1859), before arriving at the Hermitage Hotel, an upscale hotel constructed in the Beaux-Arts architecture style that emerged in 19th century France. One of its most popular attractions, however, are the men's restrooms, an award-winning restroom that is designed in the Art Deco style, with lime green and black fixtures, a shoeshine area, and even an old rotary phone that could be used to call into the lobby! One of the doormen was more than happy to guide us over there, and luckily there was nobody using it so that we could all check it out. Not to be undone, we also peeked into the (also empty) women's restroom, decorated in bright pink, and just as iconic.
From here, we wandered to where the nightlife was getting started, checking out the World Famous Printer's Alley, a historic entertainment district between Third and Fourth Avenues that started as the center of the city's printing and publishing industry. Today, it's filled with restaurants, bars, live music venues, and "secret" entrances. One of the popular places in Printer's Alley is the Bourbon Street Blues & Boogie Bar, a New Orleans-themed bar that serves Creole and Cajun cuisine, and where James Brown, B.B. King, and other famous musicians have performed.
By the time we got to Nashville's busiest street--Broadway (otherwise known as "Honky Tonk Highway"), the night was in full swing, and buzzing with party energy. People were squeezing past each other on every single block, exploring all the entertainment that Broadway had to offer. Many women were glammed up for the night in Nashville-appropriate garb: cowboy boots and sparkly cowboy hats. Cars were lined up every street, filled with people eager for a night out. And the air was filled with the cacophony of live music, with windows open in all venues so everyone could hear the performances while walking past, with bouncers outside beckoning people to come in. It was crowded and hectic, but it was Nashville ready for a summer Friday night!
Our friend Martynas had found a dinner spot to try--Hattie B's Chicken, fast food restaurant chain from Nashville that's known for its fried chicken, which can be ordered at varying degrees of spiciness, and its southern side dishes. There's a restaurant right on Broadway, and the line was, unsurprisingly, long, but moved efficiently. We ordered the fried chicken (Lisette got hers as a fried chicken sandwich, while Martynas and Michael got theirs as fried chicken wings, with a couple of sides). Medium heat for Martynas and Lisette was just the right level of spiciness, while Michael got his hot--there's several more levels of heat after this, so they can be cooked with a lot of kick! The chicken was perfectly crispy, and the sides were delicious. Michael got a quarter chicken which, with the 2 sides and a drink, was a lot--so we took some leftovers, which Michael could have the next day and share with Sheila. Portion sizes in the US can be enormous, but there's always the option to take the rest to go!
We explored Broadway a bit more, walking around the busy, neon-lit streets, past the sounds of cars honking, live country music playing, and excited folks out and about for the night. We saw the cool "Legends" mural of country music performers from the past and present (Aussie Keith Urban was right in the center), and marveled at Chief's, a six-story music venue, bar, and restaurant complex with a rooftop BBQ joint--with its stained glass windows, the building gleamed in the night sky.
The night was getting incredibly hectic for us and particularly for Sheila, so we called it an evening, leaving the bustle of Broadway to our hotel and our RV respectively, to sleep in a much quieter part of town.
Route Map
