Nashville

View from our trailer at Nashville Shores.  This would be a great family destination because it also has a water park with huge slides, lazy river, and wave pool, Treetop Adventure Park with 10 zip lines and over 100 obstacles like rope bridges and Tarzan jumps, plus all the water activities on the lake!  

Grand Ole Opry

Yep, that's me at the Grand Ole Opry!  Can't quite believe it!

Inside the auditorium, we went to the Grand Ole Opry on two different nights.  This picture is from the mezzanine, Tuesday night we were in the nose-bled section!

The stage is set up 3 huge screens on either side and in the middle.  That's how we got the close-ups below - screen shots!

Charlie Daniels; Friday, March 21 we saw Jim Ed Brown, Kim Richey, The Whites, Jeannie Seely, Caitlyn Rose, The Grascals, Oak Ridge Boys, Greg Bates, Kathy Mattea, Connie Smith, and the Charlie Daniels Band.  At 77, Charlie Daniels can still play a mean guitar not to mention his fiddle playing on "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".  Fantastic night!

Easton Corbin sang "A Little More Country Than That and Clockwork; Tuesday night we saw Owen Sebastian, Jesse McReynolds, Chase Rice, John Conlee, Parmalee, Connie Smith, Easton Corbin, and Craig Morgan.  Many of these young singers have songs on the Top 40 right now.  Parmalee sang "Feels Like Carolina" - great night! 

Downtown Nashville

Many of the Honky Tonk bars with live music can be found on Broadway.  

Ryman Auditorium

Scott waiting in front of the Ryman.  Tonight we'll see Opry Country Classics featuring Larry Gatling, Sarah Darling, Jan Howard, Chuck Mead, Riders in the Sky, and Marty Stewart.  Opry Country Classics is all about celebrating the classic songs that have defined country music for generations.  

 

In 1943 the Opry moved into the Ryman Auditorium, also know as "The Mother Church of Country Music" because of its origins as a house of worship.  It still has oak pews and stained glass windows.

Stage before the show begins...

Larry Gatlin sang "All the Gold in California" with one of his brothers and his daughter.

Riders in the Sky, one of my all time favorite groups because they play old classic western songs.  If you've gone to the Pendleton Round-Up with me, you've listened to Riders in the Sky!  It was really fun to hear them in person!  

Music Row

Music Row is considered the heart of Nashville's entertainment industry.  It is home to numerous record labels, recording studios, video production houses, radio networks and stations; hundreds of businesses that serve the music industry.

"Mic Check" bike rack

Tennessee State Capitol

Loveless Cafe

This was a yummy destination, we waited an hour to be seated but there was lots to do in this rural setting while we waited.  This restaurant sits at the end of the Natchez Trace so unless you are traveling the Trace, you must seek it out!  Worth the trip - all about the biscuits!

It was very interesting to go to Antique Archaeology in the old Marathon Automobile car factory.  I was surprised how small the shop was; I was expecting a warehouse!  On our way out of Nashville, the  American Pickers van passed us on Interstate 40 as we headed towards Pigeon Forge.

We saw this license plate at Nashville Shores and thought it was fun because it had Cambria's name and supported education!

Country Music Hall of Fame

Lobby of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum

Lobby wall

Hall of Fame Rotunda

Country Hall of Fame Members are placed around the rotunda in random order so that they are all of equal importance.  The new members are placed next to the Thomas Hart Benton painting below.

The Sources of Country Music

Museum displays with Frith Library and Archives on the right.

130 Gold Records are displayed on this wall.  

Reba McEntire Exhibit "All the Woman I Am"

Red dress Reba wore to the 1993 CMA Awards that caused Kris Kristofferson to exclaim, "Holy cow!"  And her Daddy to ask if she had it on backwards!

Wall of memorabilia; love the picture of Reba with her horse!

Sing Me Back Home: The Journey Begins 

Folk Roots to the 1960s

Costumes worn by The Maddox Brothers and Rose, America's most colorful hillbilly band.

Suits designed by Nathan Turk for Buck Owens.

Buck Owen's guitar

Hee-hee-hee-hee-Hee-Haw!  Original cornfield set from Hee-Haw which began in 1969 and ran for 25 years.

Hank Williams' Martin D-28 guitar 

Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Patsy Cline, and Don Gibson.

Hank Snow

Carl Perkins' Blue Suede Shoes

Roy Rogers is the only person inducted two times into the Hall of Fame.  The first time was with the Original Sons of the Pioneers, the second was as a solo artist.

Cowboy boots worn by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

Roy Acuff's Flour and fiddle, Minnie Pearl's famous hat, and Eddy Arnold's guitar.

Webb Pierce's Silver Dolar Convertible, notice the door handles and the saddle added for kids!  A gigantic set of steer horns are mounted on the hood and a silver rifle to the trunk.  Nudie Cohn, country western tailor, designed this car and others to promote his business, Nudie's Rodeo Tailors.

Elvis Presley's Diamond Dust and Gold Cadillac

Shoes worn by Elvis.

Dreaming My Dreams: The Journey Continues

1960s to the Present

Johnny Cash, the Man in Black.

Smokey and the Bandit II, 1980 Pontiac Trans-Am 

Garth Brooks guitar and awards

Brad Paisley's guitar, he had it built to create the "Bakersfield sound".  He liked it so much he had a second one made for Buck Owens, including the guitar strap in the photo.

Taylor Swift's sparkle guitar

Hatch Show Print Shop was established in 1879 and is one of the oldest letter print shops in America.  The shops vibrant poster served as a leading advertising medium for Southern entertainment including members of the Grand Ole Opry.  Today, entertainers still call Hatch to design and print eye-catching, iconic posters.