Monday, Oct 31

Today was another relaxing day spent mainly on the Natchez Trace Parkway as I traveled from Tupelo, MS to Nashville, TN. Much more of this section of the parkway was a “corridor of trees” so it was somewhat less interesting to drive but the fall colors were more evident here. The visitor center is in Tupelo so this was my first stop and their displays and video helped me understand the importance of the Trace over a period of nearly 500 years. I stopped at many points along the route and the photos (below) give an idea of what there is to see.

Just as I reached my last planned stop I was diverted off the Parkway for road construction and so I decided to follow “normal” highways to get to Nashville. One reason was that I wanted to make sure I could get a tour at the Grand Ole Opry. This is the longest running radio show in the US that many credit with popularizing country music and turning Nashville into “Music City”. The Opry House holds 4,500 and sells out for every broadcast but each year, from November to January, the show moves to the Ryman Auditorium in the city center and so there were no tours available on Tuesday or Wednesday as they made the move.

The map and video are here.

The Old Trace was used by everyone. At this spot are 13 graves of Confederate soldiers killed in the Civil War.

One major barrier along the Trace was the Tennessee River which is fast moving and wide. Before the bridge was built this was the location of several ferries.

Predating the Trace was this burial mound, one of eight found in the area, dating back to the second century.
The Opry House is home to The Grand Ole Opry radio show that is broadcast twice a week. I wasn’t able to get tickets to Tuesday’s show.

but I did stand on the same stage as all of the country greats since the show moved here in 1974. The show began in 1925.

Tuesday, Nov 1

This was the first day of the trip where the car got a full day of rest as I used the Opryland shuttle to go to downtown Nashville and see the sights. Most cities have a carefully crafted image that they don’t really live up to. Nashville’s image is that music of all types is respected and is everywhere and, from what I could see (and hear), this is not hype. I visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum as well as the Musician’s Hall of Fame, spent some time walking around the city center and grabbed a quick beer at Alan Jackson’s Good Times Bar. Every experience impressed me and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Many of the top names in country are in town as the Country Music Association has it’s annual awards show Wednesday night but I did not spot anyone I recognized.

The Ryman Auditorium was originally a church and is said to have the second best acoustics of any concert hall in the US (best is the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City). The tower in the background is the AT & T building and was designed to look like an old rotary phone but most people are reminded of Batman.
Elvis Presley’s gold piano at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Tennessee State Capitol building.

This is a view of Broadway which is full of bars and restaurants with incredibly good live music. I walked down the street about 100 feet from here recording video and you can hear the music change five times as I go.