I'm leaving tomorrow night for a quick road trip to Nashville to catch DMB one last time this tour. I'll probably arrive around 9:00am Friday morning and will leave around noon or so on Saturday. I did a bunch of the stuff when I was a kid, but the person I'm taking has never been. Anything we must see or anywhere we must eat? We're staying close to the airport and the concert's at the AMSouth Ampitheatre. Also, what time zone is Nashville in? Thanks a million.
My college roommate went to grad school there, and he loved Nashville. I'll see if I can get him to email a few tips.
Have fun RM, I was about to reply that you should not stop in Arkansas, but then I realized you were probably flying if you were staying near the airport. I drove thru Arkansas and I've heard it's pretty, but everything from the highway I saw made me think it was the ugliest state in the union. Have fun and tell Dave I said hello.
Here's what my friend sent me. Have fun, dude! Gotta eat the Calypso Cafe. Awesome. Cuban food and the best black beans on the planet. I'm pretty sure they are cooked with heroine and nicotine because they are so addictive. (We) used to frequent this place called Kote's (pronounced Cody's for reasons no one really knows). Owned by a married couple, the flourless chocolate cake is out of this world. So is the stuffed eggplant. Oh, and if they like meat there is barbeque everywhere, but not Texas style barbeque. But that's pretty much all I know about it, what being a vegetarian and all. Things to do in Nashville. Gotta tour the Parthenon (lifesized replica of the Athens monument smack in the heart of NashVegas). The Frist Museum is cool, if a little stand-offish. And the Opryland hotel has to be seen to be believed. That should keep somebody busy for a couple of days. And thats not even mentioning all the honkey tonk action downtown and in Printer's Alley.
Yeah, I think I ate there on my only (but not final) trip there. We went out to eat there one night and, if this is the same restaurant, bring nice clothing. Maybe a little more than dressy casual. But I had the sesame encrusted salmon... Unbelievable! Great food, but VERY HIGH prices. Now I have to consider Vandy...
As someone who lives about an hour away from Nashville, I can tell you a few things. GV's post covers a lot, but I will add the following: As expected, the Titans are really the biggest thing in Nashville but fortunately you won't have to deal with that other than seeing a multitude of cars with Titan paraphenalia on them. The Parthenon area is good as that is close to Vanderbilt and you will also find a Tower Records/Book store as well as a Borders near by. I still go there (to the Tower) when I HAVE to have a CD (can't wait for it to ship). The Opryland Hotel is impressive but it is better if you have a date with you on that one. However, Opry Mills is right near by and it is by far, Nashville's best shopping mall. I would also recommend the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere if you get there early enough. I haven't been there yet, but I would like to go. The Frist Center is real cool if you are into art. BTW - Nashville is in the Central Time Zone and I hate you for being able to go to this thing.
If you see this hillbilly butterhog wandering aimlessly around town, be sure to punch him in the stomach for me. Hard.
If you have a date, the gardens at the Opryland Hotel have to be seen to be believed. At night, it is something out of this world. My wife and I go up there every couple of years for a getaway and we love it.
The best thing to see in Nashville is I-40 going west out of town. But, since you don't have time to see the high points of Tennessee on this trip... The Parthenon is cool. Vanderbilt has a pretty campus. The Opryland Hotel is a monument to wretched excess. If you go in there, allow a lot of time so you can see it and find your way back out. Opry Mills - sorry, this ties into one of the reasons I don't like Nashville. Yes, I'm still mad about them tearing down the Opryland amusement park to build that thing. I won't go in there. From the air it looks like a dark blight on the face of the universe...
I remember Opryland. I never got to ride the Screaming Delta Demon or the Hangman but I remember the Grizzly River Rampage and the Wabash Cannonball. My favorite though was the Floom-Zoom! Actually, Isabel, it was weird and sad walking from the parking lot of Opry Mills to the Opryland Hotel and walking by these rocks and recognizing them as the ones that were in the cave for the Grizzly River Rampage ride.
Sorry you never got to ride the Demon - it was the best thing ever. The Wabash Cannonball was good too, but short. My whole extended family would go on Labor Day. It was the only really good amusement park anywhere in that part of the country, which is why it's especially upsetting...
You will be ever so close to me.. as I am currently staring out my window at tower records in nashville.... Vandy is a nice campus, just don't tear anything up or they will raise my tuition again. You can check out some rich, hot college girls... I've never actually went on the tour of the parthenon, but it's nice to look at i suppose... I think they charge you to take the actual tour.. You could always pull out a dale jr pit crew jacket and immediately the local rednecks would envy you.. http://www.calypsocafe.com/ that is the link for that calypsocafe... it's not THAT expensive... I don't know of anything too too fun to do here, or that great of restaurants but if you find some let me know! Have fun.. I wish I would have bought tickets!
AmSouth is a little ways out of town, but not too terrible. I would check out some of the local breweies downtown and off of west end ave.... I think there are like three or four really good ones... can't remember all of their names. Definitley grab a sub from Jersey Mike's and then head to Christies Caberet for a little late night fun. I wouldn't waste your time checking Vandy out.. its nice, really nice campus, but hardly a must see IMO. Hope you have a good time...
I take it you live in Towers... ahhh the memories... I lived in Towers 4, then off campus on west end ave past 440... it was sweet..... also lived at the apartments above the oriental rug store next to chili's, that was nice too.... Say hello to Jacobs Hall for me... its taken good care of me so far in 3 years....
Me too.....we used to go up there when I was a little boy and we loved it. Damn, I can't believe they decided to replace it......with a damned mall! You can go to a damned mall anywhere in suburbia, but amusement parks.....
jeff from vandy.... Yep i'm way on up in towers... high rise living although not quite at its finest... I hope the elevator never breaks! At least I have a nice view, and I can always waste time by watching people walk down west end... What year did you graduate... we seem to have quite a few people from vandy on this board.. and if you live in texas, how well has your vandy degree been thought of down there... if you mention jacobs hall you must be an engineer... im not an engineer but they redid the buildings and they look great from what I've seen.. This site is such a great distraction from all the work I should be doing! By the way did you see vandy moved into the top 20
please, please, please wear a Texans shirt. if you don't have one, i'll let you borrow one. by the way...have i mentioned i hate you?
madmax... i wear a texans shirt in nashville all the time and get all kinds of comments.. I depressed a titan fan the other day when I explained to him their history of choking... apparently he wasn't quite aware lol... I think I should start carrying pictures of reliant stadium in my wallet.. because man titans stadium is absolute garbage compared to that place... I'll be at the titans game in nashville once again, but at the game in houston last year I saw people with shirts that said "tennessee hillbillies" and had an oilers logo.. I want one of those shirts!
that's classic! yeah, i've heard really bad things about the Titans stadium...that it doesn't really match up well at all with other new stadiums around the country.
