NASHVILLE: MUSIC CITY
BY CLAY
LARROY
When you choose to travel, whether it is for business
or pleasure, it is important to plan your trip well before hand. Here are some
tips to help you. Don't be afraid to cash in your airline miles. Many travelers
let their miles accumulate and never bother using them. Reap the rewards of
your traveling and spend the miles you've earned! Miles have expiration dates,
so be sure to use them before they expire. Travelling is a great way to use
your airline miles. When you need to plan a vacation contact me!
NASHVILLE: MUSIC CITY
It's impossible to spend any time in Nashville without getting
your groove back: music made this city, music runs this city, music is this
city.
A friendly Southern metropolis that beats to its own drum, line
dances to its own fiddle and wigs out to its own steel guitar, Nashville has
thrown up or welcomed in everyone from the Kings of Leon and Miley Cyrus to
Little Richard and Johnny Cash.
Despite a reputation for country music, Nashville (or Nash Vegas
as locals have taken to calling it) is far from rural. It's a stylish cityscape
with skyscrapers, architecturally attractive civic spaces, high-end hotels and
on-trend dining options.
Located in the center of Tennessee, with Memphis to the west and
Chattanooga to the south, Nashville is the boom city of the southern states,
attracting visitors from across the USA with its easy-going lifestyle, great
BBQ and sweet treats like momma used to make.
Since becoming the state capital in 1843, Nashville has
transformed itself from wild hunting outpost to the nation's music heartlands.
The Grand Ole Opry started its weekly radio broadcast here in 1925 and the city
hasn't looked back since.
It is now a cornerstone of country music. On any night of the
week, the state-of-the-art music venues in Downtown Nashville attract devoted
live music fans in their thousands. It doesn't matter if it's an international
superstar stopping off on their stadium tour, or an unknown songwriter trying
their luck in the dark bars of Honky Tonk Alley, Nashville lives up to its
nickname as the Music City.
These days, it's got more strings to its banjo than just the music
though. Its restaurants are first class, its art scene is blossoming and it
even has a replica of Greece's Parthenon as an art museum.
So what are you waiting for? Let the unofficial mayor and mayoress
of Nashville, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, sweep you off your feet for a
feet-stompin', hand-clappin', bottom-wigglin' adventure of a lifetime.
Things
to do in Nashville
Activities
Canoe down the Harpeth River
In the summer, explore the
gorgeous Percy Priest Lake by canoe, paddleboat or pontoon boat from Four
Corners Marina (tel: +1 615 641 9523; www.fourcornersmarina.com).
If you want a little more adventure, head to Kingston Springs, around 20 miles
west of Nashville, where you can rent canoes from Foggy Bottom Canoe and Kayak
Rentals (tel: +1 615-952-4062;www.foggybottomcanoe.com).
Rates include a shuttle upstream to your chosen starting point. The Harpeth
River is incredibly scenic, and not too challenging, though some points call
for intermediate skills.
Horseback ride through the
Tennessee hills
The Tennessee hills are
more than welcoming for anyone who wants to saddle up for the day and explore
them. There are a few places to rent horses, including Juro Stables (tel: +1
615 773 7433; www.jurostables.com),
around 15 minutes from central Nashville on the I-40 east. If you're a little
saddle-shy, you can take an hours' lesson before you hit the trails.
Hike the trails around
Fontanel Mansion
The trails at Fontanel
Mansion (tel: +1 615 876 4618; www.fontanelmansion.com)
wind for 4km (2.5 miles) under gorgeous canopies of native trees. Hikers can
expect to bump into a plethora of local creatures including raccoons, rabbits,
squirrels, chipmunks, deer and even an owl or two. Dogs on leashes are warmly
welcomed too and the paths are well-maintained but unpaved.
Discover lost underground
caves by boat
Float your way through a
grand natural entrance and into an awe-inspiring cave system at Lost River Cave
(tel: +1 270 393 0077; www.lostrivercave.com),
just an hour from Nashville. Glide the peaceful green waters as centuries of
natural history arches overhead, including impressive red limestone domes.
Leave time to visit the surrounding hiking trails and butterfly enclosure too.
Wear sensible shoes.
Go cultural coalmining
When Loretta Lynn went
from being a coal miner's daughter to a country legend, she upped roots from
the Kentucky countryside and settled on a fabulous country estate, now
eponymously named Loretta Lynn's Ranch (tel: +1 931 296 7700;www.lorettalynn.com).
A pretty hours’ drive from Nashville, Loretta lovers can walk the well-kept
grounds, tour a pretend coal mine, see the singer's doll and fan collections,
and (if timing allows) stop for a concert by the songstress herself. The Ranch
also has a campsite with an outdoor pool, canoes and paddle boats if you fancy
staying a while.
Try animal spotting at
Nashville Zoo
Nashville Zoo (tel: +1 615
833 1534; www.nashvillezoo.org)
offers the perfect environment to unleash your inner animal - although you'll
be competing with 400 other species that call it home. The park hosts meet and
greets with everything from cuddly red pandas and exotic clouded leopards to
perennial zoological must-sees like elephants and giraffes. Younger visitors
will love getting their faces painted as their favorite creature or taking a
whirl on the Wild Animal Carousel.
Brave Tennessee’s quantum
leap
Whoosh your way through Tennessee, whatever your age or
experience, with Adventure works (tel: +1 615 297 2250;www.adventureworks.com),
a well-regarded zip-wiring company providing airy thrills for the brave at
heart. Zoom over 16 hectares (40 acres) of stunning forest, feet dangling over
treetops, or try aerial trekking, an obstacle course in the sky. If you're
feeling very courageous, how about taking the quantum leap (a 9m (30ft) jump)
or swaying 18m (60ft) to and fro on a giant swing.
Go caving in the Cumberland
Caverns
Forget exploring Tennessee's largest show cave, the Cumberland
Caverns (tel: +1 931 668 4396;www.cumberlandcaverns.com),
on its daily scenic walking tour and pump up your adventure gauge by trying
your hand at some spelunking, with overnight cave camping included. There are
some 43km (27 miles) of mapped underground passages to survey and several
routes to choose from.
Swing from the Tennessee
trees
Unleash your inner Tarzan at the Treetop Adventure Park (tel: +1
615 889 7050; www.nashvilleshores.com),
an aerial adventure course set in the beautiful woods of Nashville Shores
Lakeside Resort. It features 100 exciting and challenging obstacles including
suspended bridges, zip lines, cargo nets, ladders and Tarzan jumps.
Try some wild swimming
Escape your hotel swimming pool and splash around in some
wonderful wild swimming holes instead. Percy Priest Lake (www.tennesseelakeinfo.com)
is a lovely spot - a man-made reservoir not far from the city with safe,
designated swimming areas. There's an information center on shore that has maps
showing the best areas for a plunge.
REFERENCE SITES:
Dolly Parton made me chicken and dumplings. That Tennessee
woman can burn some pots! And we know that I am not necessarily shy to a fork!
Queen Latifah
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