Readers will know that we just returned from a week in Nashville for Turdstock2024 and some sightseeing. Here are some highlights.

See what welcomed us at the hotel front desk!

Friday started out with a short walk near our hotel, which was right across from the campus of Vanderbilt University. Its buildings are from a classical period of college architecture.

That tower on the left is lighted up at night. Next, we headed downtown to meet up with some Littermates at Kid Rock’s bar. It was 85 and sunny, and I think I got a bit of a sunburn!

After meeting with the Littermates, we took a walk around the neighborhood. Many places had live music, which you can always hear through open doors. They don’t call it Music City for nothing!

Hubby has always been interested in the bombing that took place on Christmas in 2020, and we tagged along with a tour group going around the site. The city is now in the process of rebuilding.

One thing we learned about Nashville is that parking in downtown is plentiful in garages, but very expensive. You also need a smartphone and app. I concluded that the reason for the expense is the lack of competition. All the garages have the same management. Nashville has been governed by Democrats for 150 years, so it figures.

That was about the end of our Friday activities. We headed back to the hotel for a rest, and had sandwiches from Jersey Mike’s for dinner.

Saturday was a day of rest for us, until dinner time. We met a small group of Littermates for dinner at a nice place called 60 Vines. Yes, their specialty is a large wine list from around the world, all of which you could buy by the glass. Their food was very good too, as was the conversation. After dinner, we took a walk around the little mall where the restaurant was.

Sunday was Turdstock day, and I wrote about that in a previous post. Here again is my favorite photo from the event.

Monday was a day for sightseeing, so we got in the car and headed out into the countryside. We decided to go to Clarksville, with a fuel stop at Costco first. This is what we found there.

Clarksville is rural, with a waterfront park on the Cumberland River. Here are some photos of the area.

There were a couple of boats tied up at the little dock, and we only saw one other boat on the river that day.

Tuesday was a busy day. In the early afternoon, we visited Cheekwood, a 1920s stately mansion with extensive gardens that had become a beautiful park. It’s being October, there were autumn and Halloween decorations everywhere. We first toured the gardens, including a little Japanese garden and walk.

I learned about a superpower that my phone has, in the gardens. The little information icon under a photo can sometimes identify a plant or animal.

My phone identified that bee!

Next was the Japanese garden area.

The gardens did some fun Halloween decor and activities for families.

Ideal for taking family photos, and we saw many.

Farther along, a little brook ran through a leafy glade on a number of levels.

A bit further on, we came to a very old staircase leading up to the mansion. It was a strenuous climb, but we were rewarded with little pockets of beauty.

My Merlin Bird ID app helped me add another new bird to my life list!

We then entered the mansion itself. The Cheek Family who owned the mansion were enamored of the Classical ancient world, and the mansion shows this influence. They were also collectors of silver vessels from Europe and early America. We saw these influences.

After we toured the house, we headed outside to take a breather. We sat on a bench in a portico where vehicles would drop off guests, where we could see the back courtyard as well as entrances to the house. Hubby said he could imagine all the Model T cars carrying visitors, lined up at the door! I took pictures through all the openings.

That was enough exercise for the day, so we headed home to prepare to go out for dinner. We have Ricochet friends who live near Nashville and we had dinner with them to celebrate their anniversary.

The Indian food was good, but I was uncomfortable in their metal chairs!

Wednesday was another sightseeing day. I told Hubby I wanted to see Kentucky, so we took a drive north to visit the little town of Franklin.

I admired the 19th Century County Courthouse.

One more thing from Franklin, Kentucky. This piece of public art was unexpected but delightful. Made from horseshoes!

Thursday was our last day, and after we checked out of our hotel and loaded up the car, we headed down to Franklin, Tennessee to have lunch at the Tupelo Honey restaurant where we had gone in 2021. Hubby insisted, since he was anxious to have their fried chicken.

Last comment on Nashville. The only thing that disappointed me about the city, whose people are so welcoming, was all the Harris/Walz signs we saw in front yards. I know that Nashville has been owned by DemocRats forever, but I still marvel at how so many people will support an airhead with literally nothing between her ears, and a communist who encouraged the burning of his state’s largest city. Are Nashville residents really that stupid? I would move to Tennessee in a heartbeat, but I would sure not live in the city proper.

Last sight from the airplane home.