Bradley didn't have a specific destination in mind, but he did have two requests: he didn't want to spend a lot of time in a big city, and he wanted to go to a brand new place that no one in our family had been to before.
Mike suggested splitting our time between urban and rural with a trip to Nashville and the Great Smoky Mountains. Although we are not huge country music fans, we all love music in general and felt like we could embrace the country genre for a few days. My brother has visited many national parks and claims the Smokies as one of his personal favorites, and we knew we would hit it at one of its most beautiful times of year.
The more we planned, the more excited we became with all that Tennessee could offer. And now that we're back, I think we would all unanimously agree that it was a winner.
I have gotten a little carried away of late with trip recaps (looking at you, unfinished Hawaii posts), so I'm going to try to reign it in this time and keep it fairly succinct. (The photos, on the other hand, might be another matter!)
Music
We ended up doing three things related to music. First, Bluebird Cafe. Second, General Jackson Riverboat tour. And third, Grand Ole Opry. Mike said it ended up being the perfect tour through country music: the songwriters followed by a history of classics followed by the country artists themselves.
Bluebird Cafe
The reservations at Bluebird Cafe are released a week ahead of time. Mike was ready and waiting at exactly 7:00am and was able to secure three spots. The reservations were completely gone in five minutes.
I think I'd heard of Bluebird Cafe before but didn't really know what it was or why it was so famous. We all watched this documentary on our way to Nashville, and that really helped us understand its history and significance.
It is the most unassuming little restaurant, tucked in a dumpy little strip mall next to a dry cleaners. But the moment I stepped foot inside of it, I was struck by something special. Maybe it was the documentary that made me feel that way, but I think it had more to do with the songwriters who have performed there in the past, the love of music that pervades, and the intimate connection you feel with those around you. I loved it.
We had four songwriters. They sat in the middle of the room, bumping shoulders with the patrons next to them, and took turns singing and sharing stories. It felt very much like we could have been a fly on the wall listening to a session in a back garage.
General Jackson River Cruise
The next day we booked a show on a boat. This was a change in plans for us. Originally, we were supposed to spend the day in downtown Nashville, but the night before we decided to walk down Broadway to experience the stream of music everyone talks about. It was an assault on the senses in the worst possible way. Bradley had specifically asked not to do a trip with a lot of city stuff, and then we threw him in the lion's den--a mix between Las Vegas and Times Square. So yeah, that half hour glimpse was enough of downtown for us, so we decided to pivot and go on the General Jackson River Cruise.
We're so glad we did! Even though Bradley was the youngest person in attendance (and Mike and I were the next youngest, haha), we had so much fun. Our ticket included, lunch, a show, and then time to relax on the boat.
I can't speak much to the quality of the food since the three of us arrived stuffed from breakfast and could barely make an attempt to eat. We sat at a big round table with seven other people and enjoyed getting to know them.
The show itself was fast paced and lively. It took us through the classics of country music from its inception to the present. It was the perfect thing for people like us who were acquainted with very little country music.
After the show, we had about an hour and half left to roam around the boat (the attendees were divided into two groups and the second group was at lunch and the show during this time). This part of it was too long in Bradley's opinion, but I found it really nice.
Grand Ole Opry
And finally, the crowning jewel in our country music tour: a performance at the beloved Grand Ole Opry. When Mike bought the tickets a couple of months ago, he said, "Guess who we get to see at the Grand Ole Opry?" I don't know country music stars at all, so there was literally only one person that came to mind, and it was because we were big American Idol fans for a few years and diligently watched Season 10 in 2011, so I said, "Scotty McCreery." And amazingly, that's who it was!
Besides Scotty, there were seven other performers that night, and from start to finish (with one exception), it was a fantastic night. I especially loved hearing from Don Schlitz, a well-known songwriter for such hits as "The Gambler" and "When You Say Nothing at All." He had a gracious, self-deprecating attitude that was endearing. He wasn't the most amazing singer of the night, but one of the things I really loved about Nashville was the way they celebrated and honored the songwriters, not just the artists.
It was a night full of soul-pumping music, and I went home a (tentative) country music fan.
Meeting People
The Ramsey Show
This trip checked off a bucket list item for Mike. Financial expert and radio show host, Dave Ramsey, is headquartered in Nashville. Mike has been a long-time, dedicated listener of The Ramsey Show (although
I might have him beat since I was listening to him in the car with my dad decades ago). He found out that we could go to a taping of the show, and Dave happened to be there on the day we had open for it. (This is becoming increasingly more rare as his co-hosts often run the show without him.)
Even though this outing was really for Mike, all three of us enjoyed it immensely. It had a much more casual feel than I was expecting: we were warmly greeted when we walked through the door; tables and chairs were scattered around outside the recording studio; people were chatting and eating and listening and watching while the show was being recorded live; at the breaks, Dave and Ken Coleman (his co-host for the day) came out to meet people; and there were a couple of debt-free screams that made it especially fun.
Someone asked me, "What does Vacation Mike do at Dave Ramsey's?" Answer: he buys two books and a T-shirt (but doesn't go into debt for them)!
Bliss Yarns
Visiting a local yarn store has become a vacation ritual for me. It is so fun to chat with the owner and/or employees, browse all the yarn (especially when they have local or exclusive offerings), and pick something to bring home to remember the trip by. I had heard about Bliss Yarns from watching the Knitty Natty YouTube channel. When I arrived, it happened to be their weekly knit night and everyone was so friendly, asking me about what I was wearing and where I was from, etc. And then, who should also happen to be there but Natalie (Knitty Natty) herself! That was such a fun surprise, and I loved meeting her in person. I also bought three skeins of yarn: two for a jacket for Silas and one for a pair of socks.
Paula Deen Restaurant
I bet since this section is called "Meeting People," you think I'm going to say we met Paula Deen at her own restaurant. Nope, someone even better (at least for us), but it happened at Paula Deen's. We had ordered our food when Mike glanced up and said, "Is that Jim Gilson?" I said, "It definitely looks like him." So we walked over, and sure enough, it was Jim and Pat from our neighborhood! There's something about finding a little slice of home when you're in a completely different part of the country that just feels magical. I love it when it happens.
Historical Sites
Civil War
A few things of historical significance happened in or around Nashville during the Civil War. Mike asked if I wanted to watch a Civil War documentary about them on the flight. I did not, so he ended up watching two different documentaries himself.
Armed with that knowledge, he acted as our tour guide as we went to a couple of historical sites. We started at Eastern Flank Battlefield Park and Cemetery where we walked a big loop around the park. I was maybe a little more interested in the walk itself than the battle facts, but to each his own.
Then we went over to the Battle of Franklin Civil War Museum. We didn't have time to take the tour, but we were still able to walk around and see the original homes and buildings that were there, some with bullet holes (and even a cannon hole!) still in them.
Parthenon
This exact replica of the Parthenon in Greece was originally commissioned to celebrate Tennessee's centennial in 1897. Apparently, Nashville was (and maybe still is?) known as the Athens of the South. Although it was meant to be just a temporary structure as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Nashville citizens fell in love with it, and so it was rebuilt and finished in 1931.
It's set in a beautiful green space, and we had a lovely morning walk through the trees and by a stream. Bradley and Mike spotted a hawk on the grass and when they approached it, they could see that it had a squirrel caught under its talons. We didn't end up going inside the Parthenon but walked around the outside of it.
Gaylord Opryland Hotel
Because we were going to the Grand Ole Opry, we decided to stay for one night at the expansive Opryland Hotel. It was built in 1977 and is one of the largest hotels in the United States, and we were all a little mesmerized by all that was inside. Upon arrival, Mike and I immediately set out on a little walking tour and practically got lost in an atrium filled with multiple paths, trees, plants, a pond, gazebo, waterfalls, and bridges. Because of the vastness of the space, Christmas decorating was already in full swing, which made the space feel even more magical. We didn't even take advantage of the restaurants, shopping, water park, and pool that were also a part of the hotel.
Food
We definitely indulged in southern classics while we were in Tennessee, and by the end, we had reached our limit on that comforting, but heavy, food.
Biscuit Love had been highly recommended to us by multiple people, so we went there for lunch on our first full day in Nashville, and then, we loved it so much that we went to a different location and ordered different items off the menu the very next day. (But both times, we ordered the bonuts because they were so good!)
Other food highlights included: a food tour in the Austin airport because we missed our connecting flight, Paula Deen's for a homey, country feel, yummy brussels sprouts in the Great Smokeys, and hot chicken from the Nashville airport at the very end. Not going to lie, there were also some food duds (lookin' at you, Slow Hand Bakehouse), but overall, we came home with happy stomachs.
Great Smoky Mountains
For the second half of our trip, we drove three-and-a-half hours to Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The closer we got to the park, the more congested the traffic became, which made us consider ditching our plans, but we persevered, and I'm so glad we did; the roads were slow sometimes and we often had to wait for parking, but we were still able to see and do everything we wanted to.
We used the Great Smoky Mountains Shaka Guide, which helped us navigate in real time what was worth seeing and what we felt okay to skip.
On our first day, we did several shorter hikes including one that was on the Appalachian Trail and another that wound up a large ramp to a tall overlook (Kuwohi--formerly Clingman's Dome).
That night we stayed just outside the park in Gatlinburg. We were just about to walk across the parking lot of the hotel to a restaurant when a black bear lumbered up out of a little gulch and meandered his way across the very parking lot we were about to walk through. It was equal parts awesome and frightening.
The next day we got up bright and early and made it into the park before sunrise. The sky was a beautiful shade of pink through the trees. We did the Grotto Falls Hike, and it was my favorite of the trip. It helped that it was a quiet morning with just enough light rain to make the woods smell divine and heighten all of the colors. When we got to the falls, Mike and Bradley found a salamander.
We got back to the hotel with enough time to shower, pack up, and eat breakfast before checking out. We explored the rest of the park until about mid-afternoon, mostly from the car because it was rainy. The Smokies are unique because they have a lot of old homes and buildings from the communities that lived there before it became a national park in 1940. We finished up our driving tour and then headed back to Nashville and the airport.
It was a joy to take this vacation with Bradley. As an easy-going middle child, he doesn't demand the same attention as some of the other children in our family. I loved getting to focus on only his needs and wants during this trip without the competition of more vocal and opinionated brothers. He is so kind and fun, and I love all the shared memories we now have of our awesome time in Tennessee.
I always love your trip recaps, Amy!
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