Opryland Resort and the Hermitage

Our last two stops in Nashville were an enormous resort and a presidential estate.  The Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center has a manmade river complete with waterfalls flowing indoors among restaurants and gift shops.  We were told we couldn't leave Nashville without seeing it and it was an impressive sight. 

Next we visited Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage.  Admission was free for military and the audio tour was excellent.  Our twenty minute drive from Nashville would have been a four hour commute by horse and carriage in the 1830s!  The founding fathers liked to mimic Greek architecture because they saw themselves as descendants of that republican society. Jackson was elected as a war hero from humble origins on the frontier, but he upgraded to a large plantation estate for his retirement.   We walked the grounds, visited Jackson's tomb, and learned from the docents about day to day operations on the plantation.

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

We saw and heard some interesting displays describing the growth of country music. Some of them include Webb Pierce's silver dollar convertible, Lee Greenwood's belt buckles, custom jackets, and numerous guitars and outfits from big name artists. Sean and I listened to artists we both haven't heard before, but want to explore further during our time in the deep south. It was a great museum that the Music City is certainly proud to claim as its own.

Nashville Nightlife

Our night got off to a great start when we found a perfectly located free parking spot on Broadway Street. As soon as we sat down to order burgers, we could tell Nashville was special because the duet playing acoustic guitar was fantastic.  We could have stayed there and listened to them all night but we needed to see what other bands were playing.  Since none of the bars had a cover charge, we could literally run across the street and into a new place when we heard our favorite songs.  Even though it was a Wednesday night, most venues were packed with people dancing and singing along.

We entered one of the few places without live music to watch the end of the Stanley Cup Finals game.  Naturally we gravitated towards the other Chicago fans and got to know a family from Hinsdale.  For those not familiar with the Chicago suburbs, Hinsdale is near Downers Grove where Joe lives, so it was fun to cheer on the Hawks with fellow Chicagoans.  The Hawks won in the third overtime on an incredible goal.  Go Hawks!

After the game we went back to hopping from venue to venue before finally retiring to our hotel.  If you're a fan of country, rock, or live music in general, Nashville's nightlife blows away most of the major cities in my opinion.  I'm glad I didn't go to school there.  I would never have gotten anything done!