Wheelin' and Rockin' with DIanE

We’re back to nice, quiet sites. 😉

I knew I would like Nashville. I was looking forward to it for the same reasons as New Orleans: music and food! Both cities do each well, but in completely different ways.

First up was the three-hour, Cumberland River tour to Nashville and back via the General Jackson paddle-wheel steamship. This tour included lunch with some local dishes, and a musical show highlighting country musicians from Tennessee.

That night, we headed to Broadway Street (a.k.a. “Honky Tonk Highway“) for live music. We stopped in a few bars, but the best was Layla’s. Here, we found a new favourite group: David Graham and The Eskimos.

The next day, we started with a tour of the original opry house, the Ryman Auditorium.

We followed it up with the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame.

That night, we went to a show at the new Grand Old Opry, featuring Larry Gatlin and brothers, Shenandoah, and some tribute groups to Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty. A highlight was the performance by Don Schlitz, who, like me, you may never have heard of, only to be surprised by the number of songs recognized.

After the show (yes, busy day), we did the backstage tour, where we saw the themed dressing rooms, lots of artifacts related to the inductees, and the stage itself. We did get a pic taken of us on stage here by the tour photographer, but forgot to get one with our own cameras. 😯

On our last day, we headed out of town for a tour of the Jack Daniel’s distillery. Again, we had a great guide and a new respect for the amount of charcoal it takes to make a great drink.

Last stop coming up: Cleveland and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

– Stay posted, Di