Weekend Adventure No. 102: Nashville, TN

I spent the past weekend wandering around Nashville with K as he was there for work for two weeks. We ate lots of great food, attended the Grand Ole Opry, took way too many pictures, and just enjoyed perusing the city.

Just a couple of the great shots that K got of the hotel gardens

Friday night was spent at the Grand Ole Opry which is currently residing in the Ryman Auditorium. The building is gorgeous, and the music was a wonderful mix of old bluegrass with contemporary country. Although my country music taste is somewhat limited to Johnny Cash, June Carter, and a few others, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The auditorium is filled with historical memorabilia such as records, dresses, and microphones of some of the great performers like Loretta Lynn, Minnie Pearl, and Mr. Cash himself. At one point I closed my eyes to imagine Johnny and June onstage singing to an audience in a completely different decade. It was a lovely, historical experience.

Enjoying the likes of Chuck Wicks, John Conlee, George Hamilton V (and VI), Ray Pillow, and Montgomery Gentry, just to name a few!

Check out that jacket! Sequins and sparkles and diamonds, oh my!

Saturday we wandered around downtown Nashville. After a scrumptious lunch at the local Panera, we went to take some pictures outside of the Ryman Auditorium. It was cold and windy, so our excursion was cut short. (That and the one hour time limit in the parking lot.) Unfortunately, Nashville mostly consists of independent bars instead of the small cafes and bakeries that I am accustomed to in towns like Athens and Decatur. The town was definitely geared toward tourists, but I was kind of hoping to find a small deli or cafe somewhere in the midst.

Saturday night we explored the hotel a bit, stopping in every garden and gazebo to take pictures. The hotel was absolutely beautiful at night, with Christmas lights and flowers scattered about and the stars shining through the glass roof.

Sunday was a lazy day at the bookstore, drinking soy lattes and reading fashion (me) and photography (K) magazines. We ate dinner at a local Italian place, and it was delicioso. Grilled chicken, asparagus, rich Chianti, bread with seasoned olive oil, and a yummy, chocolatey dessert. Who could ask for more?

For my last day in Nashville, I decided to pay tribute to the extensive amount of sparkly blazers and hats that I saw on the Grand Ole Opry stage with this t-shirt. It's a bit hard to tell from these images, but the stripes on the shirt are actually gold sequins.

As for the hotel, to say it was huge would be an understatement. The Gaylord Opryland hotel consists of five different sections, each one with extensive gardens and waterfalls. The balconies face inward toward the gardens and restaurants, and the hotel bar sits on a rotating circle that provides a wonderful view of the "natural" surroundings. Despite the fact that you are inside of a hotel, the view is really quite lovely.

The "lobby" of our section at night, overlooking one of the restaurants and the revolving bar.

I look so tiny sitting beneath that HUGE plant!

Overall, the weekend vacation was a definite success. It was fun to see a different city and experience music history that we would never have done on our own. Although I'm not sure I'd return to Nashville for a vacation in the near future, it will always have a special part of my little heart.

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