Day 26: Nashville, TN

Ok, now on to telling you about my day today! Got up around 8am (thanks to going to bed early!). Amanda and I got ready for the day and set out.

First up was the Loveless Cafe and Motel for brunch. The cafe was opened in the 50's and still exists in Franklin, TN today. It has been a family owned restaurant for most of its life and has is a favorite of many a country music star (or so Amanda says). They serve some really good home cooking, but these best part are the biscuits that they put on your table when you come in with different homemade jams on the side. Take a look below (I didn't take the picture, just found it online):

So good! I was definitely full afterwards.

After breakfast Amanda and I made our way into Nashville. We started at the touristy part and walked up and downs the streets. It is amazing how busy the bars and saloons were, even at noon. There were a bunch of bands performing in bars and the beer was already flowing! We also went to the Charlie Daniels Museum (sort of just a room in the back of his store, but still a bunch of memorabilia) and went into a bunch of other stores. We walked down by the riverfront and saw the historic Fort Nashborrough where the city was originally chartered.

Walking around was pretty surreal. If you were here today and no one told you about the flood, you might have no idea that it actually occurred (save for some moldy smelling carpets in a few stores). It seems like Nashville has done a good job of restoring most of the commercial properties, even without the help of a bunch of national attention on the issue (I remember hearing about it as it happened, but after it seems that the oil spill relief kind of dominated the news).

After walking around downtown (we also saw the Ryman Theatre, home of the original - and now temporary home of - the Grand Ol Opry), we did some driving tours of Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities (they look very old and very southern). We stopped at the Parthenon replica that is over 100 years old in Nashville (but opted not to go in and pay the 6 bucks to see the artwork - yes, we are still a little cheap). Then walking around Centennial Park where the Parthenon is located, we stumbled upon a hippy festival of some sort. Yes, even in the south there are hippies around, celebrating peace and loving life. Makes you happy to know that!

After the Hippy Fest, we headed down to the Yazoo Brewery to take a tour and sample some beers. Yazoo is a southeast brewing company (mostly ships to Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) that is growing and is yet still small and personable. We went in and signed up for the next tour, and I sampled their pale ale while we waited - delicious. We also got to meet 4 older couples who were from Ohio sitting next to us - they also went on the tour with us and were celebrating their weekend without their kids in Nashville!

The tour was pretty hysterical. They give you a pint glass to keep and you use it throughout the tour to sample different kinds of beers. Kelly, our tour guide, was self-admittedly a little hungover from the night before and regaled us with stories about her experiences with "the cham-pag-na of beers" (she also had a southern accent which really helped the story). I really enjoyed their hefeweizen (had a banana scent, the best hefeweizen I think I have ever had), and Amanda liked their Dos Perros (their version of a Mexican beer). She even bought a jugful (or a "growler" in their terms). They gave us plenty of beer on the tour, and Amanda and I both cut ourselves off during the tour - she was driving, and I didn't want to fall asleep on the tour. What good ResLifers we are! I bought a t-shirt afterwards, don't worry...

After that we went to go look at the Grand Ole Opry building and surrounding area. Unfortunately, we were not able to actually go inside, as the building was flooded and is still undergoing renovations. So sad! They don't know when it will be finished. After seeing that, Amanda and I drove back to Murfreesboro. We went to a tshirt store so I could buy a MTSU shirt (naturally). Then we went to dinner at Which Wich? which is a good sandwich store where you order your sandwich on a bag and then it is transported via clothesline across to the sandwich makers - a little gimmicky but good.

Long post, sorry! Went to Publix (grocery store chain), came back to Amanda's apt, went over to her friend Darrell's apt for a bit and hung out, and now am back here getting ready for bed! A long day but very fun. We shall see what tomorrow has in store!