Augusta to Franklin and Nashville, Traveling Sisters, Part 2, May 2013

Part 2 of the Traveling Sisters 2013 trip.  See previous post about Atlanta and Augusta.

Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast at the Augusta hotel before heading up to Nashville which was about a 6 hour drive.  Our plan was to stop in Chattanooga and have lunch because it was about ½ way.  The weather was threatening rain even though it was warm.  The previous few weeks there had been having rains and flooding in the Nashville area.  Our drive would take us over the Appalachians which we heard was a beautiful drive.

As we were approaching Chattanooga it started to rain heavily, and thunder.  We were hoping to be able to explore the city a little as well as have lunch.  No such luck. By the time we got into the city limits it was raining very hard.  We drove down by the Riverwalk which would have been fun on a nice day.  We settled on having lunch at the Blue Plate which appeared to be fun, modern place. The location was good, right next to the Aquarium near the Riverwalk.   The décor was nice and the menu had a lot to offer.  Maybe it was because we were there after 2pm or maybe due to the storm, but we were not impressed.  The fries were served at best warm and other food was not hot either.  Since we were the only ones there it made us wonder how long the food had been sitting.  We had the experience and if we ever get back that way which I hope to do, we will know to pick another location.

On the road again we climbed the Appalachians, all the way fighting the rain and thunder.  Unfortunately we were not able to do the site-seeing we had hoped to do.

Our next stop was to see Isaac who is living is Murfreesboro which is a small town outside of Nashville.  We were actually planning to stay in Franklin, which is another suburb town shortly beyond Murfreesboro.  We got to Ike’s after 5pm and visited for a while then made plans to meet up later at the house we were renting in Franklin. 

We got to the house that we had rented through VRBO.  It was a cute little 2 bedroom house with a front porch about 2 blocks from downtown Franklin.  The décor was great and it was comfortable and welcoming. 

Shortly after getting settled in Ike showed up with a few of his friends and we headed over to
J Alexanders for dinner.  It was an upscale restaurant /bar with excellent food.  After dinner we went back to the house and decided to turn in for the night and get an early start in the morning.

Monday morning we walked over to Merridees for breakfast and coffee then to the Visitors center to make a few plans for the week.  We purchased a 3 tickets each for tours of houses that played an integral role in Civil War history.  The staff member was very helpful and told us exactly how to get to the first place we should tour.  Because it was threatening rain we decided to go back to the house and get the car, even though the walk would be less than a mile or so.  We drove to the first place which was the Carter House.  The Battle of Franklin took place literally on the grounds of the Carter’s property and was one of the worst and bloodiest battles of the Civil War.  Circumstances leading up to the battle were mostly due to some strategic errors by the Confederate Generals. It was fascinating to hear all about it and stand on the grounds of such a historical place.  Many of the original buildings are still standing today.    Our next stop was the Lotz House which was turned into a make-shift hospital the evening of the battle, and again held a lot of history.  We decided to leave the last tour stop for another day.   As we left the Lotz house we stopped at the Bunganut Pig for lunch.  This was one of the places that was recommended.   The food was good and since the drizzling had stopped we sat outside in the garden area to eat.

Ike had asked his friend Danielle to gives us a list of “must sees” prior to our trip.  She had listed some favorite music spots, dining and other things to see and do.  Monday afternoon we got a call from Ike l that Danielle had discovered that there was a free concert in Nashville that evening in celebration of their new Convention Center.  Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow and others were singing.  We quickly made plans to have Ike and Danielle come to the house and we all headed to Nashville.

Arriving in downtown Nashville we first drove down Broadway.  When we got to Honky Tonk Row, Danielle told us to roll down the windows so we could hear the music.  It was so fun. Each little place had their own music coming out so we got a mixture of sounds as we drove those first few blocks.   We parked our car in one of the city garages and walked over to the Convention Center.  There was a stage and huge monitors set up and lots of people around.  We were able to go into the Convention Center and look around. It is a magnificent new venue with huge banquet rooms and ballrooms, ready to host events, tradeshows, etc.   Outside we stayed and watched Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow sing along with a few other singers, then headed back to town to get some dinner. 

We ate dinner at the Rockbottom Brewery on Broadway in the heart of Nashville.  We have RB restaurants at home but this had a little different menu.  I recommend the Bourbonzola Burger- it was great!    After dinner as we were walking back to the parking garage we walked down Printers Alley and found Ms. Kelli’sbar.  Some of the staff was outside the bar enticing people to come in and do Karaoke.   Danielle convinced Ike to do it so we all went in to watch.  They both are heavily involved in music both instrumentally and vocally so they did great as they sang “Endless Love”.  Next Danielle convinced Ruth to sing also… not quite as good but fun to watch.  We had a great night and had some ideas of things to see when we came back into town.

On Tuesday we stopped at Frothy Monkey for coffee then headed to Nashville to go on a scheduled walking tour.  Walkin’Nashville is owned by Bill DeMain, who was very informative as we went from place to place, telling us stories along the way.  We got the back history of country music, its singers and songwriters, as well local honky-tonks, merchants, music venues, etc.  We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and highly recommend it as a first stop if you are new to Nashville.  He even followed up with an email with links to many of the things that he talked about.

After our tour we ate lunch at the Merchant’s Café then headed for the Grand Ole’ Opry which we planned to tour next.  The Grand Ole Opry used to be in downtown Nashville where the Ryman Auditorium is today.  It was rebuilt and is now next to the Opryland Hotel.   We took a backstage tour of the theatre and got to see the dressing rooms for the singers, hear all about its history and walk out on to the stage.  In the middle of the stage is a circle that was taken from the original theatre and incorporated into the stage when they moved. 

After the tour we went to Opryland Hotel and Resort and Convention Center.  It was like going to one of the huge hotels in Vegas.  There were shops, restaurants, a river with boat rides all in a beautiful garden like setting.   Plan to spend some time if you go because there is a lot to see and do.  That evening it was back in Franklin we went to the Red Pony for dinner. 

On Wednesday morning we met up with Ike and went to the Loveless Café for breakfast.  In its day it was a motel and still has the old sign out front, which in itself is landmark.  Some of the former motel cottages have turned into little shops and galleries.  Come for an awesome breakfast but stay and look around.  A lot to see.  After we left the Loveless Café we went to the Factory at Franklin which is a collection of shops and restaurants in the renovated buildings that were at one time home to Dortch Stove Works and Master Chef.  That evening we met up again with Danielle and Ike and a few of their friends and went to McCreary’s Irish Pub for dinner in Franklin.   We had a full day and chose to head back to the house and turn in early.

Thursday morning we went back to Merridees for breakfast then went up to Carnton Plantation which was our third stop on the Battle of Franklin tour.  This building also was used as a hospital.  The tour included the cemetery which is next to the house.  So many confederate soldiers died during the battle that at the time they were buried where they fell.  A couple years later they were moved to the cemetery and buried in sections by their hometown State.  Each section had a tall marker with the State name and the number of dead.  There is a section for unknowns.  History tells us that Carrie McGavock took it upon herself to keep a create a logbook of each soldier that was buried so if ever their loved ones wanted to pay respect they would know where they were buried.  The book Widow of the South is a novel however it is loosely based on the historical facts about Carrie McGavock.

After our tour we came back into town and walked around the shops for a while then decided to drive to Murfreesboro to see the church where Ike works .  The drive was beautiful along country roads, winding our way. Several places had historical markers.  Ike works for the World Outreach Church in the music department.  He showed us his office and how he is responsible for coordinating the mixing and mashup of the music for various music programs. 

Thursday evening we went to Leiper’s Fork Village to Puckett’s Grocery andRestaurant.  Every Thursday is open mic and we were told that we could hear some great music and might even run into Wynonna Judd.  She had actually come in the week before and sang for the crowd.  We had their BBQ dinner and enjoyed the music.  Wynonna didn’t stop in but Ashley Judd did along with Wynonna’s daughter and Naomi’s husband.  Playing the piano for any one needed the piano back up was Wynonna’s piano player.  Several people sang including locals and others that heard it was a great place to get some recognition.  Johnny Keyser who was a runner up on American Idol was there and sang a few songs.  We had a fun evening, which was our last.

Friday – our time is nearly up.  We drove to Hillsboro Village, a local suburb to have breakfast at the Pancake Pantry.  They don’t take reservations and the line was out the door, around the corner and down the street.  Ike met us there and was in line when we got there.  We actually only waited about 45 minutes.  Our breakfast was great so we were glad to have waited for it.  From there Ruth had to leave and Ike took her to the airport. 

Carol and I did not leave until later so we went back to Nashville to the Country Music Hall of Fame.  This was a great place to end our sister’s trip.  The few days in Nashville gave us a new perspective on country music, the Civil War and the opportunity to spend time with family.  I must say this every time, but it’s true – I would love to come back to Nashville.   There is a lot to see and do and only have a few days gave us a little taste of it – so much more we could do/see if we only had the time!