Gray Line Tours of Nashville will be picking us up at 8:30am. Anytime we have done a Grey Line Tour we have been very satisfied. These tours are a great way to get an overview and then you can go back on your own to further check things out.
We started our Discover Nashville tour by driving past the statue commemorating the Founding of Nashville.
Drove past the Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators.
We got off the bus at the Ryman Auditorium for a tour inside. The Grand Ole Opry was broadcast from the Ryman between the years of 1934 to 1974.
The Ryman Auditorium was built by Thomas Ryman (a riverboat captain) and first opened in 1892 as the Union Gospel Tabernacle.
The name was changed to the Ryman Auditorium to honour Thomas Ryman after his death in 1904.
There is a lot of country music memorabilia in the Ryman, including this collection from Johnny Cash.
Outside the Ryman is a statue of Thomas Ryman.
Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff share some laughs at the Ryman.
The AT&T “Batman” Building and the US Bank Building.
Back on the bus we drove past the State Capitol Building.
We then drove through Centennial Park where there is a full size replica of the original Greek Parthenon.
The next stop is the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. You could spend all day here, we were allowed 1 hour. I will just post a few photos here, you know where to go to find all the photos.
Back on the bus, we headed to our last stop of the day. Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. A popular “Honky Tonk” bar in Nashville. This place is small, and over crowded, we walked in and walked back out, too busy for us.
Back out on the street, I took some photos of the colourful neon signs that are along Broadway Street.
Karen posed with Elvis.
We headed back to our hotel and got ready for dinner. This evening we dined at Johnny A’s, it was highly recommended, but we were disappointed. I will write a review on this restaurant and post it.
So that concludes our day. There are many photos on FLICKR for your viewing enjoyment.
Great post, guys! I really like the "Batman Building."
ReplyDeleteLooks like you're getting a very nice overview of Nashville. Yes, Tootsie's can sometimes be too busy for anyone. Yogi's, "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." seems apt. But I'm glad you got a look. The Honky Tonks and their Ryman connection are an important part of Nashville. Today you can still see some incredible talent playing for tips along Broadway. I guess the tours and it's own success have often make Tootsie's too crowded even in the afternoon but other Honky Tonks, like The Stage, Roberts, and Second Fiddle, can be very comfortable places for some great free music before the night shift of partiers shows up.
ReplyDelete