Nashville- City of Dreams

The history of Nashville began on Christmas Eve 1779 when a band of pioneers arrived on the future site of Fort Nashborough. Among them was Colonel John Donelson, the father of Rachel Donelson Jackson, the wife of Andrew Jackson. Within 10 years, the name was changed to Nashville, but you can still visit a reconstruction of Fort Nashborough along the Cumberland River on First Avenue.

Andrew and Rachel Jackson purchased the Hermitage in 1804. It was a modest farm, which they developed into a successful cotton plantation. The current home was constructed in 1819, a more appropriate home for a future president.

There are several pre–Civil War homes left that can be visited in Nashville. Among the best are the Belmont Mansion, Belle Meade , and the oldest home in Nashville open to the public, Travelers Rest. All three are worthy of a visit but require that you have a car.

In 1892, Captain Thomas Ryman was converted by a powerful sermon from the Rev. Sam Jones. His conversion resulted in one of the premier music venues in the world, The Ryman Auditorium. This former tabernacle is renowned for its near-perfect acoustics. It was the home of the Grand Ole Opry for many years and has been voted one of the top ten live music venues in the world.

"Good to the last drop" is not just an advertising slogan—it is a real comment made by President Theodore Roosevelt, referring to the coffee at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville. Founded by the Cheek family, Maxwell House Coffee was and is a Nashville favorite. The family home of the Cheek family, Cheekwood, is now a botanical garden and art museum. The 55-acre estate offers several different walking tours through the gardens, as well as audio tours of their collections.

Nashville is never boring. There are things to do both day and night. Be warned, however, that many of the city’s museums close early, so plan accordingly.

Quick Tips:

Begin your visit by stopping by the Visitor Center at 5th Avenue and Broadway. If you are like me, you may even want to call before you go to receive a Visitor’s Guide (800/657-6910). Or request one online at Nashville Visitor and Convention Center.

Unless you plan to spend a week, there is no way you can visit all the attractions. Pick up a copy of Frommers Nashville and Memphis or another guidebook of your choice and try to pick the things that interest you the most. I recommend the one-hour orientation trolley tour. This will help you to familiarize yourself with the city.

Walking in Bicentennial Park is a must. Not only does it give you a striking view of the State Capitol Building, but it is organized to give you the history and geography of Tennessee in a beautiful and relaxing way. You can stop and listen to the carillon play "The Tennessee Waltz" while you watch the Rivers of Tennessee Fountain. A short walk will take you to the Farmers Market, where you can grab a bite to eat or buy some fresh produce. On the weekend, there is a flea market.

Best Way To Get Around:

Nashville International Airport is only 8 miles and a taxicab ride from downtown. There is an airport shuttle if you are traveling solo, but if there are two or more traveling together, a cab will be a better buy.

Usually, a car is more of a hindrance than a help in a city, but in the case of Nashville, if you don’t have a car, it will be expensive to visit many of the outlying areas. Unless you can afford to take a cab, you will have to rent a car or take an organized bus tour.

There are many things to see in downtown that can be visited on foot. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Ryman Auditorium, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, and the Nashville Public Library are all within a few blocks of each other. Fort Nashborough and Bicentennial Park are also within a walkable area, depending on where your hotel is. Certainly Broadway is right in the middle of downtown, and it is a great street to visit the small clubs and cafes, both day and night.

If there is a hotel in Nashville with a better location, I can't think where it could be. Check out the photos and see what the view from my room was.

The Ryman Auditorium is right around the corner, and just about everything else worth seeing in downtown Nashville is within walking distance.

As soon as you enter the lobby, you know this is going to be a special stay. To get to the reception desk, you walk through what appears to be a small temple on the Nile, with columns and palm trees. But then you look at the wonderful stairway going up to the mezzanine and wonder if you have entered an antebellum mansion—Tara, perhaps? The interior of the hotel is an atrium with a light and airy feeling. The elevators have a glass back so that you don’t miss the view as you zoom up to your room.

This is an all-suite hotel, and as far as I’m concerned, you should spell it "sweet." You get two very nice-sized rooms and a bathroom connected to both. There’s a desk, sleeper sofa, chair and ottoman, and two tables in the parlor. The TV, microwave, coffeepot and refrigerator are all located within the wall unit. In the bedroom is a king-size bed facing a wall unit with a built-in dresser and TV. The closet is positively cavernous and holds an iron, ironing board, extra bedding, and a luggage rack. Both rooms have large windows, and there is even crown molding framing the ceiling.

Every effort has been made to see to your comfort. In the bathroom, you’ll find small-size Neutrogena shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. Hand lotion, mouthwash, and hand-milled French soap finish off the amenities. Plenty of towels and a big fluffy robe guarantee a comfortable stay.

If you want to eat in the hotel, you can choose between the Palm Restaurant, Eddie’s Grill, and room service. I had room-service breakfast twice, and I ate the buffet breakfast on the other morning. The food was good, but expensive. If I had not been alone, I would have walked out and found somewhere else to eat.

Parking is valet. There is a 24-hour business center that offers free Internet access. There is a very nice store near the elevator that offers snacks and souvenirs. I was surprised by the very reasonable prices. There are ice machines and vending on every floor. There is also an indoor pool, hot tub, and exercise room. If you need a shoeshine, there is a shoeshine stand right off the elevator. I never saw a concierge, but there was a rack with a good selection of brochures. This hotel has everything going for it—style, location, comfort, location, and beauty, and did I mention location?

We are going to have a meat and three for lunch, I was told. It’s a tradition in Nashville. A meat and what? I asked. Three—three side dishes. Okay, that sounds interesting, I thought. Not only was it interesting, it was downright delicious.

Monells has two locations in Nashville, one on 6th Ave. and one at the Hermitage. There are a few basic differences between the two locations. Downtown, the food is served family style, and you will be sharing your table with people you don’t necessarily know. A great way to make some new friends while eating some great Southern food.

At the Hermitage, the food is served cafeteria style. You get your tray and decide which of the meats you would like. On the Saturday that I was there, the choices were fried or baked chicken, meatloaf, country steak, or pork chops. I chose the meatloaf. It was thick cut, meaty, and covered with a thick, sweet tomato sauce. There were three cold vegetable choices: coleslaw, cucumber and onion pickles, and broccoli and raisins in a mayo-based dressing. I chose the cucumber and onion pickles. For warm vegetables, there were field peas, cabbage, green beans with bacon, potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and stuffing. I chose the green beans and a corn muffin. They also offered biscuits.

You have to decide on your drink. They offer some very good iced tea, both sweetened and unsweetened. If you crave something more exotic, try the fruit tea, a combination of iced tea and fruit juice. There was pie (cherry and pecan), bread pudding with caramel sauce, and peach cobbler for dessert. Unfortunately for us, a large busload of visitors had wiped out the peach cobbler. I had the bread pudding, and I can say in all honesty that I totally forgot about the peach cobbler after one bite.

All the food was very good; it had that homemade taste that can’t be manufactured. The meatloaf was more meat than filler; the beans had great taste and were not cooked to death. For me, the real winner was the cucumber pickles, fresh and crispy with a sweet-and-sour vinegar-based dressing. The pickles were the real winner, but not the only one. That bread pudding was as sticky and sweet as all get go and just as satisfying. I didn’t waste a bite.

At this location, there really is no atmosphere, just comfortable tables and delicious food. Believe me, it’s enough. Besides the meat and two or three, you can choose to order a combo—you can combine a hot dog, Italian sausage or cheeseburger with a drink and chips for a set price. For vegetarians, there is a three-vegetable plate.

Located in an attractive Victorian house in East Nashville, this trendy café offers up tasty eats in a funky modern atmosphere. The walls are lime green and the furniture is best described as mod. One of the booths had a church pew with cushions for seating.

We arrived after 12:30 on a Friday for lunch, and it was a good thing we had reservations, because they were quite busy. The lunch menu offers sandwiches, salads, a stir-fry, a pasta dish, and a noodle bowl. Meg Guiffrida, the owner/chef, offers mostly organically grown produce and has several dishes that are perfect for vegetarians.

Oh, the many temptations that called to me on this menu. Should I try the grilled eggplant pan bagna, a combination of grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, and feta with herbal vinaigrette on artisan bread? Or should I have the penne with roasted tomato sauce, artichokes, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives and feta? I watched one of the women in our group get a fabulous-looking nicoise salad. Finally, I decided. I would have the roasted chicken, which is usually served on the artisan bread, made into a salad. It was wonderful. Chunks of roasted chicken with avocado, goat cheese, and dried cherries. I didn't get to taste the herbed mayo that goes on the sandwich, but I did have a delicious vinaigrette. The variety of textures and tastes is inspired. The dried cherries add a touch of sweetness, the creamy avocado is piquant, and the pungent cheese over the field greens—it was exquisite. Just when you think it can’t get better, you try your dish of picked grapes. Pickled grapes, you say? Yes, I know it sounds strange, but it is strangely delicious, even addictive.

This is the sort of restaurant you want to return to time and again until you have sampled everything they offer. We were too rushed to have dessert, but they are well known for the quality of what they offer. It is inevitable now; I will have to return to Nashville.

Service was efficient, and they offer the fruit tea that seems to be a staple here in Nashville. I had regular iced tea and it was perfect. Everyone seemed to be delighted with their choices; I wish I could have sampled then all!

I have admired Andrew Jackson and his wife, Rachel Donelson, ever since I read the Irving Stone novel The President’s Lady. Theirs is a love story that transcends the ages. You have to love a man who would say, "Heaven would be no heaven to me if Rachel isn’t there." Visiting the Hermitage was, for me, a dream come true. This is the second largest presidential site in the country, but it is also very much a family home. It is unique in that it has almost all its original furnishings, right down to the wallpaper, which dates to the early 1800s. The Jacksons had many guests visit them during their lifetimes, and that tradition is still carried on today. There are costumed guides who take you through the house on tours. They will give you details of the lives of the Jacksons, their adopted sons Andrew and Lyncoya, their granddaughter Rachel, and Alfred, one of their slaves. There is a 15-minute video that you can watch in the visitor center to familiarize yourself with the history of the Hermitage.

The Hermitage is not a static property, even though history stopped being made here 150 years ago. There is ongoing site development. Every summer, an archeological site is developed; they are trying to piece together the lives of the slaves, who have been for the most part neglected in the historical records. Visitors are allowed to sift through the dirt looking for artifacts and to question the archeologists. One of the newer additions is a wagon tour highlighting slave life at the Hermitage.

There is a construction project as well. The original Hermitage, which was a log cabin, is being restored to the way it was during the slave era, 1820 to 1865, when it was used as housing. HGTV will be doing a program about it.

The house is not large, but it has been beautifully maintained. All the rooms are behind glass and you have to view them from the halls. There is a man who greatly resembles the General (what President Jackson preferred to be called) and who entertains visitors with anecdotes and will pose for pictures. We spent quite a long time talking to him.

You will want to allow at least an hour to tour the grounds. Alfred’s cabin still stands on the property, and I walked out to the original Hermitage site. Lastly, you will want to walk in the garden and visit the graves of Andrew and Rachel. There is a small family cemetery on one side. You will also notice Alfred’s grave alongside the Jacksons’ tomb. He gave back all the household artifacts that he had accumulated in his many years there in exchange for this privilege—a testimony to his love for the General.

Finish your visit with a stop at their store and a snack at Monell’s. The store is a very nice one, and Monell’s will teach you what meat and three means.

Known as "The Mother Church of Country Music," the Ryman Auditorium did begin its life, if not as a church, as a tabernacle. The dream of Southern Evangelist Rev. Samuel Jones and the reformed riverboat captain Thomas Green Ryman, the auditorium has a career that spans over a hundred years of Nashville history. This unique partnership began when the Rev. Jones brought his tent to town to preach a mission. All the saloons were closed down, and with nothing to do, Captain Ryman and his cronies went down to heckle the Reverend. The wily Reverend preached about the love of a mother, and his message found fertile ground in Captain Ryman, much to his and everyone else’s surprise. The Captain promised Rev. Jones that he would never have to preach in a tent again and then began raising the money to build his tabernacle. Seven years later, in 1897, the tabernacle was completed, and on the Reverend’s insistence, became the Ryman Auditorium.

You will notice that the exterior looks more like a church than an auditorium, with its red brick and colored windows. Begin your tour by sitting down (in a church pew) and listening to an 8-minute video narrated by Trisha Yearwood. It gives you the background of the Ryman and its place in the history of country music.

After the video, you can walk around the auditorium and look at all the displays of memorabilia related to the Ryman. There are costumes, records, and trivia from Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Tex Ritter, and many others. If you have always dreamed of being on the stage, this is your chance. You can walk right up there, belt out a tune, and even get your picture taken doing it. If you are really lucky, you will walk in on someone very good rehearsing. The others in my group got to watch Dave Brubeck rehearse; I was off visiting another of Nashville’s many venues at that moment.

After its time as a revival tabernacle, the Ryman became home to the Grand Ole Opry for many years. This auditorium, said to have acoustics second only to the Mormon Tabernacle, has seen the greats of country music come through its doors over the years. For a while between the 1970s, when the Opry moved to its new home, and 1993, the future of the Ryman was unsure. In 1993, Gaylord Entertainment made a commitment to restore this historic landmark.

Today, the Ryman has a full schedule of entertainment planned. You can see everything from contemporary music to jazz and classics here. You can either get a ticket for a self-guided tour or get a ticket for an event and get to hear the acoustics for yourself. The Ryman was named the Theatre of the Year in 2004 at the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards.

Every woman should take a tour of the Belmont Mansion

and hear the story of the woman who was the driving force behind it. I think most modern women believe that we are the first generation of women to be in control of our own destiny. Well, someone forgot to tell Adelicia that she wasn’t in control.

Born Adelicia Hayes in 1817, the daughter of a prominent Nashville judge, she married Isaac Franklin, 28 years her senior, when she was 22. She was a widow before she was 30—a very wealthy widow. She managed her own money and her own estates. When she married her second husband, Joseph Acklen, he had to sign a marriage contract. She retained full control of her fortune. Joseph became her manager and tripled her fortune in 10 years.

Together they began the building of Belle Monte in 1849. Built in the Italianate style, it had extensive gardens, which Adelicia opened to the public. At the time, Nashville had no public parks. In 1859, they decided to enlarge Belmont. The back porch was enclosed and it became what is now the Grand Salon. The room is 22 feet long with a barrel-vaulted ceiling. You can still see the shutters on the windows in the salon on the inside wall where the rear of the house previously was. You have to consider that this 19,000-square-foot house was only a summer home. Their main residence was in Louisiana.

With the arrival of the Civil War, many fortunes in the South were lost. Adelicia sent her husband Joseph to Louisiana to protect their cotton crop. He sickened there and died. When word reached her that the Confederates were going to burn her cotton to keep it from the Yankees, she packed up and went down herself. With some wheeling and dealing, she got both sides to help her get her crop to England. She made $900,000, which she left in England until the end of the war. Needless to say, her wealth in the face of others’ poverty didn’t make her popular. She went on a grand tour of Europe and let things cool down. She acquired some fine pieces of sculpture in her travels, and they are still in the house today. About 40% of the art in the house is original and 30% of the furniture.

She did remarry for a third time, not as happily, and in the end, she managed her own affairs. Of the 10 children she bore, only four grew to adulthood.

The house is beautiful and you will enjoy your tour, but the real attraction here is Adelicia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham. One can only imagine that if she had lived in our own time, she would be a CEO or maybe even the president. She managed so much in a time when most women didn’t.

There is a small, charming store at the house.

The Frist Center for the Visual Arts is an art exhibition center. It has no permanent collection of its own. While this means you cannot revisit and find the same works hanging, it also means you will revisit and find new works hanging. The exhibits are constantly changing, and they cover a variety of media and art periods. The current offerings include: "Golden Children: Four Centuries of European Portraits from the Yanncik and Ben Jakober Foundation of Mallorca, Spain"; "Illusions of Innocence: The Child in Modern Photography"; "Suspended Animation: Works by Marilyn Murphy"; and "Spirit of a Nation: Highlights from the Hunter Museum of American Work." The offerings the day I was there were enough to satisfy any art lover. I expected to love the "Golden Children" exhibit, but I was also fascinated by the unusual work of Marilyn Murphy, who had previously been unknown to me. Exhibits typically stay anywhere from 2 to 4 months on display, so in any given year, there can be more than 10 different exhibits mounted. There are docent-guided tours offered, as well as audio guides to help you.

There are also programs for children and adults. There will be an adult photography class on Saturday, November 6 from 9:30am to 4pm and Sunday, November 7 from 1pm to 4pm, $45 for non-members. Fees include all materials. Led by photographer Carlton Wilkinson. This is just one of many offerings.

Even if the exhibits don’t interest you, the building should. It is one of Nashville’s landmark treasures. Originally the main post office, it was designed by the local firm of Marr and Holman in the 1930s. The exterior of the building is done in gray-pink granite and is an example of stripped classicism; this was the prevalent style of public building after the Depression. Inside, it is pure Art Deco, with cast-aluminum doors and grillwork paired with colored marble on the floor and walls.

In 1984, the Post Office was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. That didn’t help it when a new main postal distribution center was built in 1986. For many years, most of the space went unused, until Dr. Thomas Frist proposed turning the building into a visual arts center. Metropolitan Nashville purchased the building, and with the help of Dr. Frist and the Frist Foundation, and the guidance of Tuck Hinton Architects, renovations were undertaken. Their aim was to preserve as much of its architectural integrity as possible.

They have succeeded beautifully. This is a splendid building with beautiful detail. Take a walk in and look it over, and while you are there, make sure that you visit their store. It is one of the best I have ever visited, and I have visited a lot of them.

To find out what will be showing during your stay, visit their website at www.fristcenter.org

Normally I don’t visit the public library when I am on vacation, but in Nashville, I made an exception. This library offers a room that you won’t find in any other library: the Civil Rights Room, which is the west wing of the Nashville Room, opened in December 2003. It has an unsurpassed collection of local and Tennessee history. They have the complete archives of the defunct National Banner Newspaper, as well as many photos from the Tennessean.

This is a beautifully designed room with fantastic lighting. Along the upper walls, the civil-rights history of Nashville is documented in pictures. There is an etched-glass panel with a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King: "I came to Nashville not to bring inspiration, but to gain inspiration from THE GREAT MOVEMENT that has taken place in this community." The focal point of the room is the symbolic lunch counter designed by Kem Hinton.

As you sit on the stool, there are timelines facing you; the national timeline is on top and the Nashville below. It is interesting to compare the two. The glass countertops are engraved with the "Ten Rules of Conduct" that all the demonstrators were expected to follow. The entrance door features a quote by John Lewis: "If not us, who? If not now, when?"

This is an ever-growing collection. There are new acquisitions almost daily as people realize that some of the things they have been holding onto for 40 years could find a home here in the library and thus be preserved for future generations. One thing that has come out of this is that many women who were involved in the protests have started to talk about their involvement. Previously, many of them had never mentioned it.

An audiovisual room offers eight different documentary films ranging from 10 to 60 minutes in length. There is also an ongoing series of Sunday speakers who come in and give talks. One project that is being undertaken is an oral history of the civil-rights movement. They are interviewing participants to save the pieces of history that only they can provide. The culmination of all this accumulating is the hoped-for Civil Rights Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2007.

The public library itself is a new construction, competed in 2001. It is done in the Federalist style and has a beautiful Art Deco interior. It faces the state capitol building, and if I hadn’t been told, I would have assumed it was a historic building.