We noticed yesterday that there was a hop on/hop off tour going around Nashville and when we are in a city that has one, we usually try to take it so that's what we decided to do first thing this morning.
We got the hotel shuttle to drop us off at stop #1 and we got there just as the first shuttle of the day was leaving so perfect timing.
The first place we went to was a park and there was an exact replica of the Greek Parthenon in it.
Weird but cool.
It's a beautiful building.
The bus driver stopped at the top of the road for us to get a really good view/picture of it.
Pretty every city we go to now we see murals and I love them.
The hearts up the side of the building 💕💖💗
Next up was Music Row which I'd heard of before but I didn't really know what it was and I wasn't expecting it to be just a bunch of houses on a residential street - it was neat to see.
Music Row - Nashville.
Music Row - Continued
We've only been here a day or so and I am LOVING the weather.
They are basically in full fledged summer here and our trees back home haven't even starting budding their spring leaves yet.
I do love a good tree and these ones were beautiful.
A statue we passed.
The driver/guide told us that it was controversial when it was put up because the subjects are not wearing any clothes and it continues to be controversial today.
He said people sometimes still put clothes on it and other things to cover the nudeness.
Love the windows.
We stayed on the trolley tour for pretty much the whole route just to kind of treat it like a tour then we did get off at the Farmers Market which was the second last stop to where we started mostly because we were hungry.
First thing we did was get coffees and they had a strawberries and cream biscuit so you know I had to try that.
It was moist and a little sweet and so delicious.
We walked around and checked out all the places they had to eat.
I 💖 NASH
This saying is kind of funny to us because back home we have a local trucking company called Nash so that's what we think of first when we see this instead of Nashville.
Ultimately we decided on this pizza place, Bella Nashville.
Jason put together this TikTok of them preparing our pizza.
After they cooked it, they put fresh arugula and prosciutto on top and it looked great.
Tasted great too - that prosciutto added a nice saltiness to it.
We found a table outside to eat at - when we have weather like this you know we are absolutely going to take advantage of it.
This is the back side of the Farmer's Market.
There were these giant vegetable art installations in the back like this corn.
And this sliced tomato - this looked so neat.
The Farmers Market backed on to this park and you can see the downtown area of Nashville just off in the distance there.
We decided to head over in that direction.
It was a smaller park but it was pretty.
We came upon this amphitheater, I like that the seats are grass.
There was this long wall with a bunch of quotes on it to do with water because Tennessee has over 50,000 miles of rivers and streams.
We walked along and read a bunch of them.
There was also a giant map of Tennessee on the ground that led to these set of stairs - that was kind of neat.
There are the stairs.
There was this giant set of stairs that went up this hill - we of course had to go climb them.
There was a path going up the hill too that I think has just been created over time from people running up and down the hill.
Made it to the top and looked back at the view.
The cicadas were out in full force.
The bus driver from the tour this morning told us that the cicadas just go on the trunks of the trees and eat the sap and I didn't really notice that prior.
I did know that they were more prevalent around the trees but when you really look, you can see that for sure they are hanging around all over the tree trunk and branches.
Jason got this great picture of one - their red buggy eyes are so weird looking - we also learned this morning that they are blind.
We found another set of stairs that we went up and the stairs were lined with trees and were just covered in dead cicadas - there were sooooo many of them.
Made it to the top of the stairs.
Random things we saw as we were walking around and exploring.
Horse and rider statue.
Giant bell.
Love the puppy mural peeking through the trees.
Seen in a garden.
Window washers.
We just happened upon the famous Woolworth's counter.
The Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Nashville garnered national attention in February 1960 when a peaceful sit-in which included Rep. John Lewis turned violent leading to dozens of protester arrests.
The Woolworth Theatre put together a window display featuring original pieces such as the lunch counter stools from the Woolworth of the 1960s.
This is a picture of the original counter.
Kind of neat to see something from a significant event in history.
I was wanting another coffee so we found a little cafe and I was feeling a little adventurous so I tried the Golden Monkey Latte.
It tasted good - it was interesting, but I don't think it's something I would want to drink on a regular basis.
More murals.
This one was cool.
We made our way to the Ryman Auditorium.
You can do a tours of it which we knew we wanted to do and they were open so we figured there's no time like the present!
The lobby area.
Love the podium.
The tour starts off with a little video about the history of the Ryman which was so interesting.
I think what surprised me the most was all the different genres of musicians that have performed here - I've always thought of the Ryman as a strictly country/blue grass venue but that isn't the case at all.
Over the years Cold Play, Bruce Springsteen, Lizzo, Harry Styles, Joan Jett and Foo Fighters have all performed here and that's just naming a few.
Then we were on our own to go and explore the rest of the place.
There just happened to be an Elvis display there so of course being a huge Elvis fan, I had to check that out.
This was a suit that belonged to Hank Snow.
Elvis was so handsome when he was young
Elvis actually performed here once.
The auditorium itself.
It seems like it would be a nice, intimate place to see a concert - it's not too big so I think every seat in the house would be a good one.
I loved the costumes/clothing they had on display.
This was one that Brenda Lee wore.
This one belonged to Diana Ross.
Just some of the performers from over the years.
This company Hatch has been making these hand made show posters for the Ryman for years - you can actually do a tour with them and make a poster of your own which we didn't have time for but the posters are really cool.
This is just a very small sample of them.
These old signs are pretty neat too.
The windows in there were beautiful.
This is looking out into the audience from the stage and look at all those gorgeous windows all along the back wall.
I love them.
The famous microphone.
They were setting up for a show in there tonight.
One of Minnie Pearl's costumes.
Kitty Wells - my mom is a fan of hers and even used to sing one of her songs with a boyfriend she used to have that was a singer who performed at small venues.
Marty Robbins - my dad was always a big Marty Robbins fan.
This was a dress that Carrie Underwood wore.
Keith Urban's coat and I love the Dolly shirt underneath.
A costume Miley Cyrus wore.
A dress Taylor Swift wore.
Carol Burnett wore this.
This totally looks like a Dolly dress, it has her signature butterfly design at the bust line - I love it.
Look at how cool the sleeves are.
This dress belonged to Hayden Panettiere.
She was in the show Nashville which I LOVED!
This was on the wall on the way out - all entertainers that performed here at one time or another.
I would have loved to have been able to seen The Grand Ole Opry when it was here.
I think that would have been amazing.
Minnie Pearl contributed a lot to the community here in Nashville so she is a very beloved person.
Of course we checked out the gift shop.
I think Jason rocks this 'country' style shirt but he wasn't sure.
I tried on several tops because I wanted to get a souvenir.
I liked this black one because it had the stained glass windows on it but it was too big.
I wasn't really feeling this one either so I ended up not getting anything at all.
Jason did get a hat.
He also got a few different varieties of the Goo Goo bar which is famous here in Nashville.
We were feeling hungry so we went back to the food court we went to last night to get a bite to eat.
There was a Banh Mi spot.
Jason and I shared one.
They are painting a mural onto the stairs that go up to the food court.
We tried Jeni's Ice Cream for a sweet snack.
They make their own ice cream in house.
They will let you try samples - as many as you want.
My faves were Gooey Butter Cake
and Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks.
Jason picked Wildberry Lavendar
and Hot Toddy.
You could get a 'flight' which was four small scoops which was a great way to try several different flavors.
We both like neon signs - this one was neat.
Next up we decided to check out the Country Music Hall of fame.
We passed Bridgestone Arena on the way.
We are just a street up from Broadway and you can see that it is nowhere near as busy.
We walked over there and passed this guy and gal who were giving out free samples of Celcius.
We each got a different flavor.
The drinks were nice and cold so that was good because it was a very hot day but honestly, I didn't really like either flavor and I would never buy one.
Country Music Hall of Fame.
The entrance.
Maybe I can find a souvenir in here on the way out.
This is the lobby inside - It was so nice and light and big and airy.
I liked it.
We purchased our tickets and headed in.
Taylor Swift got her start in Nashville and country music and she gives back a lot to the community so they have a whole section just dedicated to her.
This is a dress and boots she wore and her guitar.
A picture of her wearing and holding all of the above.
A banjo that belonged to her.
Art created by kids that come to some of the programs here.
Taylor Swift album covers.
There was so much memorabilia to see.
This was the Patty Loveless display - outfits, boots, album covers.
I really liked seeing the hand-written lyrics to one of her songs.
They had these for lots of different performers and songs.
Just neat to see that it's just a piece of foolscap and there are scribbles and cross outs and I just found that really interesting.
All the old signs are really great.
Love old sewing machines.
The fringe on that shirt though.
Three necked guitar - how would a person even play that thing?
Another favorite of my dad - Hank Snow.
He used to call into the radio station when we lived in Germany and dedicate Hank Snow songs (and others) to my siblings and I.
It was so sweet - a memory I cherish.
Jim Reeves was another of his favorites and growing up Jim Reeves Christmas album was a staple.
My dad said that his song "An Old Christmas Card" was his mom's (my Meme's) favorite Christmas carol of all time and I think of her (and him) every time I hear it.
I now love it as well - it is a beautiful song - the lyrics are so touching.
Some of these old costumes were very plain and others had just simple embellishments.
Check out that set of horns - they are huge.
Just a different view of them.
They had Elvis's gold plated Cadillac.
As if just having a Cadillac wasn't enough, it needed to be gold plated as well.
All the gold accessories.
Looking into the back seat.
It was all decked out, can you see the old tv?
The other side - look how long that car is.
Also looking into the backseat but from an open door.
It had gold carpeting on the floor and even a telephone - so awesome.
There were tons of gold records on display and they had this interactive station where you could look up old pictures and videos of old performances.
Another wall full of old records.
An outfit that Dwight Yokam wore.
Lots of my faves.
Starting from left to right these costumes were worn by Tammy Wynette, Tanya Tucker, Dolly Parton and George Jones.
Dottie West paraphernalia - I love the glitzy, glamourous western look.
I bet they were fun to wear.
Reba McIntyre's dress.
The Smokey and the Bandit II car.
How cool is that?
The back view.
More hand written songs/lyrics.
I like seeing the hand-writing.
Tim McGraw by Taylor Swift and Liz Rose.
Where Were You by Alan Jackson.
Swingin' by John Anderson and Lionel Delmore.
I forgot about this song but I used to love it.
Another song I used to love but forgot all about.
Mama's Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys.
Shania Twain display.
Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood.
Martina McBride's outfit - you can see she was quite pregnant when she wore it.
Then Mary Chapin Carpenter's guitar.
Carrie Underwood's outfit - check out those fabulous shoes.
I could never wear them but they are still beautiful.
Another Taylor Swift costume.
I don't know if I'm of Swiftie status but I am totally a Taylor fan.
I can't remember who these outfits belonged to, but I like the corn themed outfit - it's fun.
I think this dress was Martina McBride's.
This was a costume from the Broadway show 'Shucked' - I'm thinking the corn themed costume was likely from that as well.
These puppets are so awesome.
Another display with Taylor Swift memorabilia.
It's kind of hard to see this costume but Lainey Wilson must be tiny.
I like the leopard print guitar.
This is a giant record player on the wall.
And a giant guitar.
A dress worn by Kacey Musgraves - She has a few songs that I really like.
Patty Loveless
Tanya Tucker
I remember growing up listening to her music and singing along to her iconic song my own lyrics, 'April Dawn' instead of 'Delta Dawn' .
Some of my favorite inductees into the country music hall of fame.
Tanya Tucker.
Kenny Rogers.
His and Dolly Parton's Christmas album is my all time number one favorite Christmas album.
Dolly Parton.
I love everything about her - she is such a great story teller and she has the best 'Dollyisms'.
A shot of a bunch of the inductees.
We loved checking it out and we did stop by the gift shop on the way out but I didn't get anything.
I'm kind of over buying souvenirs just to buy souvenirs.
We did stop at a souvenir store afterwards and I got a Christmas tree ornament as a memento of our trip, it's a guitar for Nashville which I think is fitting.
Our trolley tour guide told us this morning that this is called the Batman building and I totally get it!
Random sculpture.
This is the door to a parking garage - I love it.
We decided to walk back to our hotel and we passed a cookie place on the way.
You know we had to try one (or two).
We tried both of these flavor and they were fantastic cookies - soft and chewy, just the way I love them.
I wanted to go to the Bluebird Cafe today as well but when I looked it up I discovered that they are actually closed right now due to some roof repairs that need to be completed and it doesn't look like they'll be open before our vacation ends.
It sounds like I likely wouldn't have gotten in anyway because you have to buy tickets in advance - so good to know for next time if we ever come back.
We went back to the room and got ready to go out for a run.
Jason wants to run a half marathon in every province and state we go to so he figured he'd get the Tennessee one done tonight.
We found a park that looked good and it just happened to be the one where the Parthenon is that we saw this morning.
I haven't really been running lately but I wanted to try to run at least 5k so off I went.
IT WAS SO HARD.
I don't know if it was the weather or me being out of shape or what but I had a hard time.
I could only run .6k then I just had to stop and walk.
I decided to just continue on and get 5k in anyway with a combo of running and walking so that's what I did.
I'd run as far as I could, walk for a bit then run again.
It was a gorgeous day and it's a really pretty park so I really enjoyed it.
I got to see the Parthenon up close.
I liked the paths that went through the trees.
The white blooms that you see on the tree to the right gave off this scent that was so fragrant.
This is one of the trolley's we were on for the tour this morning - they were just finishing up for the day.
I followed this loop around the park, one section of it took you onto the sidewalk of this road with this pretty old building on it.
Also passed by this statue.
The sun was starting to set and it was pretty.
It was a smaller park so I ended up just doing a bunch of loops and I did manage to get 6k done between running and walking - it felt good.
I passed by Jason several times as well.
My exercise details.
My average pace and splits.
Jason was going to be running for quite a bit longer so I decided to leave and go do a bit of shopping then I planned to come back and pick him up when he was done.
It was dark when I went back to pick Jason up - the Parthenon was all lit up and it looked really pretty.
The park was really dark and Jason's phone was dead so I couldn't call him and he wasn't right where we planned to meet when I got there so I was starting to get nervous but he eventually showed up.
He ran 22k and I was so proud of him because I know it was tough.
We went to get some supper at this little Mexican spot - Calle Taco.
It looked like a small spot but it had a big patio area and when we got inside it was surprisingly much bigger than it initially looked.
Of course if we can sit outside we are going to.
We got guac and chips and the guac was very good.
I love Mexican street corn so I got a cob of that.
Then I thought I'd ordered a quesadilla but apparently I said burrito which is not something I would ever order so I have no idea why that came out of my mouth.
I didn't even realize until they brought it to me but I just ate it anyway and it was really good.
Jason had the tacos - he said they were just ok.
They had tres leches so you know we had to try that and it was so moist and delicious - two thumbs up from us!
Then it was back to our hotel to pack up.
We are heading out tomorrow to East Tennessee to do some exploring there and to hit up Dollywood of course.
Jason made a TikTok video of our day in Nashville I thought I'd share here:
That's all for today, until next time, be happy!
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