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Nashville trip report
Started it by attaching it to the reply, but thought I ought to start a new thread, so the first part is above.
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Fri: Loveless Cafe & jaunt into the countryside
Cheri (teachingherown from OY) picked us up promptly at 11. It was so good to see her again and she looked fabulous, like she had had a makeover or something. She had had her long straight hair cut & lightened and looked like a different person!! Just as sweet & thoughtful as always and of course we just took up where we let up and seemed like it was yesterday instead of 5 yrs ago.
We drove out to the middle of knowwhere to have lunch at the Loveless Cafe. The food was better than I remembered. Cheri had chicken salad, Kelli had meatloaf & I had fried chicken. All were just delicious and the sides were fabuloso!! Afterwards we were going to tour the former mansion of Barbara Mandrell's but we arrived to late and missed the last tour so instead we went to the cemetary to see where a lot of famous country stars were buried such as Hank Snow, Floyd Cramer, Bill Monroe & Keith Whitley. We had a dickens of a time finding Keith Whitley so Cheri & I split up. I saw a lot of really interesting tombstones with guitars, harleys, all shapes, but no Keith. I had wondered way away and here comes Cheri with the car saying she found it!! ( 10 ft away from where we originally parked) lol Someone had left a Elvis Presley guitar pick on his grave, who knows it could have been Elvis himself
Very interesting.
After dropping us off we got some Mexican food and called it a night. -
Sat & Sunday THE BIG EVENT!!!
Kelli's main reason for this trip was to go to TNA Lockdown (payperview) & the fan interaction on Sat. It was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and parking was $18 self park, so deceided to valet park which was suppose to be $25
but since I had a handicapped sticker it was $18, same as self park. Still high but somewhat of a pleasant surprise. Kelli got me a wheelchair and that cost $25 to rent for the day
what the hel-? Do you say rip off?
We got a really pleasant surprise. Kelli was headed to get my wheelchair when I heard Kelli let out a scream of surprise. I figured it was some wrestler but instead it was a friend from Dallas who we have kown for a couple of years and his cohort who did the documentary a couple of years ago in Charlotte that I was in. One is from England & one from Dallas. It was so great to see them again. See, I'm not so crazy afterall. Dave flew all the way from England just to see this. They split the $1900 package, staying at Gaylord and front row seats. I told you wrestling fans are NUTS!!!
Anyway , we got over 30 autographs including Ric Flair & Hulk Hogan. Hulk was really, really nice and you could tell Ric Flair just didn't want to be there. It was nice to see a few wrestlers act happy to see Kelli again and called her by name & gave her big hugs!! They just call me Mom. Velvet Sky told me that she has always thought that Kelli was just so precious and has never forgotten her. SoCal Val gave her a big hug as did Jeff Hardy who said something about her face not being painted up this time and of course Gunner. He's the one who came into her grocery store back home so he knows her well. I guess it was worth $200 a piece to see her so happy and it was all day.
Afterwards we checked into Wyndham Nashville and went out to eat at Johnny A's which is just up the street. We had the best chicken nachos I've ever had in my life!!! OMG . You have to try them.
Sun: Got up and headed to the Country Music Hall of Fame where we spent many hours looking at all the exhibits and watching old commercials and such. On Sunday you can park free on metered parking so we lucked out. Afterwards we went to more honky tonks and then drove to the municaple auditorium to watch the match. Lucked up again with a parking meter. The show was awesome and we had great seats. Montgomery Gentry showed up and Kelli went nuts and ran got their autographs.
Afterwards we went to Waffle House near the condo but who should come in but Gunner & Mr Anderson. Gunner sat down and then he saw us and he was proably thinking oh shit, Kelli's here and I'm gonna have to have another pic with her. All the places to eat in Nashville and I chose this one!! Kelli was good, didn't bother him ( I did tho) and asked for another pic after he was done. It's not like we don't have any of them together. He said OK Kelli, come here. It was really late and we were the only ones in there. The waitresses and cooks got their pics made also. Kelli was on cloud 9, what a way to end the night!!Comment
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It sounds like a lot of fun. It's nice that you and your daughter get along so well. Your post also took me back to when my son was really really into wrestling (11 or 12 yo), and he used to make me watch the video of the Hardy boys and how they started out in their backyard. We watched that video over and over and over. Of course, once he got us very interested in wrestling, he started getting over it and now is not into it at all. It was like a flash back seeing you post about Jeff Hardy and the boys.Comment
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Glad you had a nice trip and sustained no injuries!!!Jacki
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Wrestlers and country music too, perfect!Comment
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Shaggy can you tell me more about the hotel and area? Also does the hotel have free parking and would you say go here if you have never been to Tennessee or pick another area? I do want to do Graceland and I have wanted to go to Dolly world ever since they were on the food network. Can you believe they have 25 Lb desert piesTimeshareforums Shirts and Mugs on sale now! http://www.cafepress.com/ts4msComment
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Shaggy, did you post somewhere or did I see it somewhere else, that a day pass to Dollyworld is like $60, but a seasonal pass is only $80? We've never been to Nashville, but it is on the list and when I saw that posting somewhere, it caught my eye.Originally posted by bigfrank
LisaComment
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I love reading your travel tales. They are always full of your excitement and fun and joy at seeing your daughter happy. I hope Kelli appreciates what a loving mum she has.Comment
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Originally posted by bigfrank
Nashville, Memphis, & Dollywood area are all different type of areas There are 3 sections. Western, (Memphis) middle,( Nashville) & eastern ( Gatl & PF area)
Memphis is known for the blues on Bealle St, bbq & Graceland. It is apx 3 hrs from Nashville. Everytime I go to Nashville I say I'm going to Graceland but I never have but I really want to go. Knowing you Frank, you either need to go to Tunica (gambling on the river) & about 45 mins to Graceland or stay at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. That is where theworld famous ducks march down a red carpet and hop in the fountain and march back on he red carpet to their living quarters ( I kid you not.
Nashville, my very fav has so much to do you can't get it all done. It is not all about country so you could go to the symphony , the Hermatige (Andrew Jackson's home) Belle Meade Mansion (thoroughbreds) Cheekwood (gardens & museum) etc. Of course there is the Ryman, the Goo, Broadway , with all the honkey tonks and no cover charge. You can go from place to place, listen to the music ( all talented) grab a beer and soak in the atmosphere. They have world class restaurants, such as The Palms, The Stockyard, Ruth Chris, & the Capital Grille. Then there are the home cooking such as Monell's, Loveless Cafe , etc.
I think you would like Nashville best.
Gatlinburg/Pigeon FOrge/Seiverville area. Dollywood is fun. It's fun with lots of music & rides, plus good food. They also have crafts & special events throughout the year. I love this area in the fall or spring but not in summer as it is overrun with kids. Think of this area as Myrtle Beach w/o the beach or the strip of Branson. Fortunatly you can get away to nature such as Cades Cove or Roaring Forks Nature Trail & the GSMNP. Lots of craft areas. I could personally outline you a vacation in any of the areas ( except Memphis)
If you wanted to do all 3 you could go to Memphis for a couple of days then drive to Nashville for a week, then Gat for a week. You can't rush the last two and do it justice. You have to savor the atmosphere.
The ts in Nashville is absolutely wonderful. I stayed in a 2br deluxe which was really nice. Granite countertops, black appliances, comfortable furniture & good mattresses. Whirlpool in master bath. They have lots of amenities & activities & tours that leave right from the front door. The Sunday night welcome party is just that, lots of music , etc. They shuttle you to the Ernest Tubb Troubadour Theater , it's a big to do but I missed it this time as I was at the wrestling match.
Parking is FREE (we're in the country Frank) but they do have parking garages in downtown that aren't too bad. I just found out they have a free bus that leaves from the farmer's market so you could park there for free and ride the bus. I would suggest just park downtown and walk around. On Sunday you can park in metered areas for free.
Ask away if you have more questions. shaggyComment
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Mon: Redneck Tour & General Jackson
The Redneck Tour picks up at the resort at 10:45. They take you downtown & show some sights but mostly it's a pretty raunchy, double entendre type show. If you get offended easily, don't go.It is definitly not for children and they love to pick on the "foreigners" from up north. I can see Frank on this tour and having a blast. I liked it better than Nash Trash which I had taken the last trip . I really enjoyed it They had originally come to Nashville to get a record deal but as Earlene said they didn't have "it" The other guy's name isTater. They teach you to talk" southern" When you get done with the tour you are certified redneck. Me? I was just recertified
They do country trivia which I won , didn't have much competition but they told me I was better than they had seen in a long time. Yeah, I know my country trivia.
Tonight we went to the General Jackson showboat. If you have the all access pass it's half price so $50 instead of$100. If I had paid full boat I would have been po'ed. The show was really, really , good but the food was horrible!! 2 pieces of bbq brisket , something that was supposed to be mashed potatoes & green peas and cold bread. NOT GOOD!!! Everyone was complaining and even the workers there had heard it a million times and told us to complain. For that amount of money you should get prime rib or something edible. To say it was bad -- just let me say I took Kelli to McDonalds to get something to eat.
Worth it if you have the access pass just for the show and to see downtown at night. I had met the lead singer at Johnny A's the night before when he got on stage and sang. They have some very , very talented people in Nashville. I heard they have the most talented homeless society in the nation. They come to Nashville with a dream and don't make it and the rest is history.Comment
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When I stayed in Nashville, we did a day trip to Graceland. I think we spent the night in Tunica which was more reasonably priced than Memphis. We also did a day trip to Lynchburg and toured Jack Daniel's. We got lucky cause we were able to have lunch at Miss Mary Bobo's because they had a couple of cancellations. They are always booked months in advance. It's somewhat similar to Mrs. Wilkes in Savannah.
Originally posted by bigfrankComment
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Tues: Hop On/Off / GOO (again)
Woke up to a cloudy day but deceided to go back to Loveless & on to Cheekwood. It started raining so scratched those plans. Instead went to Monell's which was good but not as good as Loveless. Then on to the HOHO bus but since it was raining stayed on. Lucked up with a good tour guide who really knew his stuff and was a musician and did this on the side. I think everyone in Nashville is a musician. We did trivia again , ok, yes, I won, I have a bunch of useless info in my head.
Went back to the room to relax b4 going back to the Opry. I went to the tour person to see if somebody needed some cheep Opry tix. She made a call to someone who just checked in and he was delighted when he got the 2 tix, the access passes with one good one remaining on each plus all the other freebies I didn't use , plus I gave him a groupon that I had paid $20 for that I didn't use for the grand sum of $50. That paid for the backstage tour of the Opry after the show and the picture I bought of us seated on a couch in one of the dressing rooms. It was a great tour and I wanted to see the redo after the flood. Also stood on the circle and took tons of pics.
The Opry show was the best of the 3 with the appearance of Darius RUcker ( added at the last minute as a sub for Little Jimmy Dickens who was not feeling well) Also had Aaron Tippen & Martina McBride . Also had Jason Abbott Band, The Whites, & Bill Anderson. Quite a lineup. )Comment
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Glad you had fun Shaggy.Originally posted by bigfrank
It's so nice to have a goal while also enjoying the vacation.
All these wrestling shows are a plus and I see you're really breaking in those Wyndham points. Isn't Wyndham great.
Frank,
The Gaylord is a beautiful hotel. Definitely worth staying if you get a good rate. We went at Christmas time and it was absolutely gorgeous. Almost as good as Disney.
They have a huge glass atrium where they have a river running thru with lush vegitation and they decorate from ceiling to floor with beautiful huge ornaments of all kinds. The restaurants are nice. All with views of the atrium and river.
They had some kind of country radio show going while we were there but I'm not too into country. I think it was something to do with the Opryland theater. Might have been the same show we saw. Not sure.
They also have the ICE show in the winter also which was very interesting. They do it in Orlando at the other Gaylord Palms too.
There is an outlet mall very close by with all the usual stores plus a few country themed stores. Worth visiting IMO.
And of course no trip to Nashville would be complete without a trip to the Grand Ol Opry. Think Yee Haw type show.
The General Jackson River boat was worth doing as well. They had a dixieland band playing and they give you dinner as you cruise the Mississippi.
A few days is enough to see most everything. You could combine it with a trip to Gatlinburg and do a split stay. It's not that close to do a day trip.
It's about 4 hours from Nashville to Gatlinburg.Comment
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