Surviving Nashville

This roadtrip was not ending after Kentucky.  Now we were on our way to see Jack!  The Jack Daniel's Distillery was located in Lynchburg, TN.  On our way to see Jack we planned to make a 2-night pit stop in Nashville for a little honky tonkin' before continuing our Bourbon roadtrip.

Our most recent method of booking hotel rooms goes something like this.  1.) Drive until we get tired.  2.)  Use the Hotels.com app to seek out a nearby hotel.  3.)  Jenesa spends the next 15 minutes reading all of the negative reviews.  4.) We agree on a hotel, location and price.  5.) We pull into the parking lot of the hotel and click BOOK NOW!  After booking 10 nights on the app you get 1 night FREE!

We've also recently experimented with booking lodging through AirBnB.  Through this online service you can book unique accommodations anywhere in the world.  Most of the time the cost is comparable to a hotel.....until they zap you with additional cleaning fees (which can really add to the cost of your stay).

Jenesa decided to go the AirBnB route for our stay in Nashville since we'd be staying 2 nights.  She found this place located just two miles from the popular downtown Broadway honky tonks.  The pictures of the condo looked absolutely gorgeous (inside and out) and the price was right!  So she wound up booking this place while we were enroute to the city.  Let's just say we were quite surprised when we got off the Tennessee highway and weaved our way eight blocks through the GHETTO to get to this place.  Beautiful condo....shady neighborhood.  Yikes!

The current trend is for rich people to buy out poor neighborhoods close to the city.  They tear down the ghetto properties and they build these beautiful new complexes to rent them out online.  That's great for them, but the people renting these properties (that's US) are still surrounded by poor neighborhoods (and pissed off poor people) during our vacations.

Well, before we get killed in Nashville.....I've got some things on my travel "To Do List" that I need to take care of while I'm still alive.  The first thing on the list was take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Grand Ole Opry.  It was several years ago that we came to Nashville on a motorcycle roadtrip.  We actually saw a concert at the Grand Ole Opry but never took the tour.  Both of us are huge country music fans so we figured it would be worthwhile to walk backstage in the footsteps of Hank, Dolly, and Garth.....and Jenesa stepped into the "Circle" for a quick photo-op!  We even got to see where they recorded the old TV show Hee Haw (I'd bet money none of our friends even know who Grandpa Jones or Minnie Pearl is!).

Next on the list would be a quick stop at Antique Archaeology.  I am absolutely obsessed with the TV show "American Pickers."  Mike and Frank travel the country exploring people's homes, barns, sheds, outbuildings, and other places where they have stored antiques and collectibles, in search of buying or "picking" various items.  Don't ask me why....but I am entertained watching them search through other people's junk to find treasure!

They are home based out of Le Claire, Iowa, and more recently at a second location in Nashville, Tennessee.....leasing part of a former 1914 car factory in Nashville which originally made the Marathon automobile.

Another favorite old TV show of mine would be the Duke's of Hazzard!  And you can't visit Nashville without stopping by Cooter's.  This is Nashville’s one-and-only Dukes of Hazzard Museum and Shop, operated by none other than ol’ Cooter himself. The museum features pictures, props, costumes, and memorabilia from the beloved hit television show.  Also displayed are Cooter’s Tow Truck, Daisy’s Jeep, Rosco’s Patrol Car and, of course, a General Lee -- the 1969 Dodge Charger which has achieved iconic status among fans of the show.  

FYI -- The minute I win the lottery I'm buying a new orange Jeep Wrangler and customizing it to look just like the General Lee!

Hey....It's about time to hit up the honky tonks!  Back to Broadway we go for some live country entertainment.  Nashville's Honky Tonk Highway, located on Lower Broadway, is a row of honky tonks pumping live music into the streets from 10am to 3am.  For those who don't know, a honky tonk is an establishment that contains at least one rockin' stage, cold beverages, and a party that lasts all day, everyday.

The party certainly lasted longer than I expected.  Jenesa signed us up for an evening group bar crawl through the honky tonks.  Marching from one bar to the next we enjoyed some unique drinks, met some unique group members, and rocked out Nashville late into the night at our final pub singing Karaoke (can you say Who's Your Daddy?).

Isn't this guy a gym teacher?  Tonight he's singing a little Toby Keith.....mic drop, anyone?