Almost Finished Visiting Nashville and Light Display Beyond Great.

Our Location today is Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. 

As our bodies continue to operate on Daylight Savings Time in the EST Zone we are finding ways to cope with the problem. By the end of the days we are so worn out that we are in bed early which then causes us to wake early. Now this early I’m referring to only applies to the Time Zone that we are presently in when in fact we are still going to bed and rising at the same time we would have back in Ontario. 

Nashville straight ahead.

We slept in until 6:20 CST this morning so at breakfast we discussed what we were going to do today. Then we took the time to check out E-mails and the blogs we read every morning before we got ready to leave.  

It was only 8:35 when we left Jellystone Park headed in the direction of downtown Nashville. With Kathy and our GPS Navigating and my Driving we managed to stay between the lines and not receive any death-threats from people racing to get to WORK. Yes, we braved the morning rush hour and even though we only hoped to get to see at least one of the Historic Sites we’d come here to see we really got Lucky. 

We found a parking lot that cost as much as parking for an entire day in Key West on 5^th Avenue. The location was quite open but it had been an uphill climb to get there. When we left the Parking Lot at 8:50 this morning it took everything Kathy could muster not to start running downhill. Needing to rest her legs we were suddenly faced with a sign that read “Tour the Ryman”. What a shock this was because it was one of the places on our list. 

Kathy on the front steps to the right.

For those of you that are not familiar with the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville or are not in our age category, it was the birthplace of what became known as Bluegrass Music. After the invention of Television, it was used to broadcast weekly the show called the Grand Ole Opry throughout North America. The performers sang mostly Country-Western Music but with time even that changed.

Ryman Auditorium looking at the Stage from the Balcony.

After buying our tickets there was a short ten-minute video giving the history of how this magnificent building came to be and how it became the known as the Grand Ole Opry. Afterwards we were let loose to explore this restored building that many performers of different venues over the years called Home. We spent nearly an hour walking around the balcony, the back hallways and the lower seating area. We had the chance to see firsthand artifacts and testimonials from the many greats that had performed on the stage. Before leaving to explore more of Downtown Nashville we heard that there was going to be a Grand Ole Opry performance tomorrow evening. The tickets were pricey but we may never be back to this area so we’ll be back in town again tomorrow night for possibly a “Once in a Lifetime” show for us. 

Looking at the Balcony from the Main Floor.

The next place we wanted to see was the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum so letting gravity help guide the way the next thing we knew we were standing outside this gigantic building. After buying our tickets at 10:15 we spent nearly three hours seeing the thousands of artifacts from the thousands of performers that came to Nashville to establish their careers. Kathy and I grew up in households that were tuned into Country Music but what many people don’t realize is that Nashville was credited for helping the careers of Boxers, Comedians, Politicians, Rock Bands as well as Country Artists. It was nearly 1:00 when we stopped to have our lunch.  

Foyer to Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

We were hoping to cross one more visit off our list while in town but didn’t know where it was so we walked an entire block uphill to the Visitors Information Center where we asked. We then had to walk back downhill to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to buy our tickets. The place we wanted to tour was the Historic RCA Studio B where many of the performers of our time recorded their hit records. We had thought that we could simply show up at the door and tour the building but we would have been turned away. The only way to tour the Studio B was to take a tour and we managed to book the last two seats on the last bus of the day. 

One of many walls of Gold and Platinum Albums produced in Nashville

Our Tour Guide George was a wealth of information about all the Stars who had and had not made it big recording their songs at this location. He was also well informed about the musical instruments that are fixtures in the Studio itself, even demonstrating the sounds that were produced. Finally, the icing on the cake was taking our pictures sitting on the Piano Bench that many stars, such as Elvis, had sat on while playing the Ivories. 

George our guide to Studio B

I was glad that our driver Kevin knew his way around that section on Nashville getting us there and back Safely. 

Audio Control Board in Studio B

Sitting where Elvis once sat.

We managed see all three of the things we had wanted to see and still escaped the grasp of the city unscathed and stopped for supper at Bob Evans just down the street from our Park just as the sun was setting at 4:43 CST. It had been such an exhausting day neither of us felt like cooking. We left satisfied but not stuffed. The serviced was fast, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. 

As we got back to the Park we were greeted by the Dancing Lights of Christmas that started as soon as the sun set. Since we are staying at the park it didn’t cost us anything to tour this Computer Controlled Animation of Lights that was Synchronized to a local radio station that is already playing Christmas Songs for the season. Earnings from this display goes to support local charities. 

In the next hour we managed to double our picture output for the day taking pictures of the lights as neither of us have ever seen such a large display as this. There was easily over a million lights. Something we both saw that there just wasn’t enough light for it to show in pictures. While driving the last two rows we spotted a Young Buck Deer checking out what all the lights were about. By the time we drove to the back row he had disappeared back into the trees.  

We may have plans for tomorrow night but we’re not sure what the day holds for us yet. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Krackers 

Ask a silly question 

Why don't you ever see the headline 

"Psychic Wins Lottery"?