This segment took us through North Little Rock, Arkansas for one night and then on to Nashville the next day. We stayed in Nashville for 3 nights, and fortunately enjoyed a very nice campsite and campground – Two Rivers Campground. This location is less than a mile from Opry Mills Outlet Mall and the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Resort. We were about 20 minutes from downtown Nashville, and chose to use Lyft and Shuttle services instead of parking in downtown Nashville, which would have been a virtual nightmare!
Bob and I had visited Nashville about 20 years ago, and remember it quite differently. We actually drove into town, parked on Broadway at the time, and walked around to a small number of music venues and lounges. It seemed pretty mellow then, and so we went into a little culture shock when we arrived this time. It’s become quite the party town, and most of the big clubs are now owed and operated by the big stars who have taken over old bank and business buildings to house their music and food venues.
We did a tour of the Ryman Auditorium, the home of the original Grand Ole Opry – that was 100% worth it as it was a behind the scenes tour and a wonderful way to reminisce about the talent that became who they are today in this very location. We then took a double decker bus tour to see the Nashville highlights up top, also a worthwhile trip despite the very hot temperatures! When we got done with the tour, we had hoped to grab a bite at the Acme Feed Store, a very old and famous venue that now houses a restaurant on 4 levels and music everywhere. But too many bodies, nowhere to sit, and just too much crowd for us at that point. We ended up on the rooftop of Blake Shelton’s Ole Red venue on Broadway, and that gave us a chance to escape the crowds and have a chill meal and some wine.
Nashville is the capitol of bachelor and bachelerotte parties, and there are umpteen ways these groups celebrate on peddle party bars, open air buses, and the like. It’s a plethora of party animals and craziness – kind of a cross between New Orleans and Las Vegas if you can imagine.
Our last night in Nashville we chose to wind down at the Gaylord Opryland – it’s a magnificent property and we enjoyed some awesome wings at their sports bar, and then concluded the evening with wine at the Falls Lounge.
On our way out of Nashville, we connected with Trellis Sinclair, Joy Lynn’s sister, and we met her at a super nice Monteagle Rest Area at the top of the Cumberland Plateau and mountains south of Nashville. This area was referred to in the song “The Legend”, which was the opening song of “Smokey and the Bandit”. The bandit, Burt Reynolds, miraculously survived brake failure on the “Monteagle Grade”. Rosa Parks also attended workshops there shortly before the Montgomery Bus boycott. We also learned that Al Capone was a regular visitor here prior to his arrest in 1931. What a beautiful drive that was – yep, another mountain to climb, but so pretty in that part of Tennessee. Wish we had time to get into Tullahoma to visit Bob’s old stomping grounds, but we had to keep moving. Trellis met us there with a bucket of Kentucky Fried which was so good! Haven’t had that for so long and loved it! What a fun time for Bob and Trellis especially after not having seen each other for literally decades, and for me, to finally meet her too! I can’t believe we totally forgot to take a picture – we were so consumed with just catching up that we spaced it! She’s a friend of ours on FB so we stay connected in that way for now.
Another trip to Tennessee and Oklahoma is on our bucket list to spend a little more time, reconnect with friends, and see more of both states, and of course Tullahoma, where Bob grew up.