Ken's Journal
No. 4 - Summer 2004

 
  Nashville Tennessee, 06/29, Tuesday, Day 3, Cloudy, 72° at 7:00 AM.

 The Opry has shows on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings. As luck would have it, I was here on Tuesday! Yesterday afternoon, after setting up for the night, I visited the ticket office at the Opry where I checked out the seating chart and bought a ticket for a seat just a few rows from the stage. The show is at 7:00 PM so that leaves me the day to see some of the sights.
  One of Nashville's less known features is a leftover from Tennessee's 1897 Centennial Exposition, a full-size replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. The Nashville Parthenon now serves as a museum and is the centerpiece of a 20 acre urban park just a few minutes west of downtown. The replica was made with meticulous attention to detail and was recently restored. The Museum is closed Mondays so I was unable to see what they have on display

This is really a nice park. There are paved walking/jogging paths, picnic areas, a large pond with fountains and a waterfall, lots of open lawn and plenty of parking. I was there at perhaps 10 AM and there were only a few people enjoying the ambiance of a large urban park -

 


In the pond I found a Mallard family taking full advantage of the ready-built living quarters and the largess of the visiting humans feeding them every day! As what is becoming increasingly normal in any water feature in North America, there was a flock of Canadian Geese taking up residence as well.

Momma Mallard and her chicks --

 
  After the Parthenon, I headed to the Belle Meade Plantation, just a few miles further down the road. Belle Meade was established in the early 1800s when a small cabin and 250 acres along the Natchez Trace was purchased by John Harding. Almost 100 years later, through the management of three generations, Belle Meade became a 5400 acre Thoroughbred Stud farm. The blood lines of a number of Triple Crown winners (Including Seabiscuit) can be traced to studs from this farm.

In the early 1900s the farm, the horses and the contents of all the buildings were sold at public auction. The last descendent of John Harding died an early death and left no descendents other than a 20 year old widow who was unable to manage or keep up the farm. Wisely, she decided to sell. Today, Belle Meade plantation is a 30 acre non-profit museum owned by a preservation group. Admission is $10. Although in a nice setting and providing a nice diversion for a couple hours, if you've been to Williamsburg VA, Belle Meade will be a disappointment.

  This is the original log cabin built by John Harding in 1790 and restored by the preservation group now running the place.
  This is the plantation house built by the Harding's in 1853. Currently, there is a paint crew working on the outside of the mansion - a lot of the paint on the trim and the stucco is peeling in large flakes. Money for preservation must be hard to come by. Unfortunately, I've seen this general shabbiness in a lot of privately funded preservation and restoration efforts. You can only do so much with dedication - a bunch of $$ are required too.

Only about a third of the furnishings inside the mansion are original to the Harding's. The last descendent auctioned the contents after her husband died and only a few of the original articles have been recovered.
 
  Here's the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville. The Hall of Fame memorializes the contributions of some 92 Country Music performers, writers and managers. The list runs from such well known performers as Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Merle Travis, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings, to those writers and managers little known outside the Country Music industry such as Harlan Howard (writer) and Owen Bradley (producer).

The Museum provides a high-tech trip down Country Music lane starting with the origins in Gospel and harmony signing, through the western influence,  the rockabilly of Jerry Lee Lewis, the Elvis revolution and ending with the evolution of the genre brought about by the innovations of contemporary country musicians.

If you are into Country Music, this is the place for you. If you are into music studies, then this placed is for you too as Country Music is central to all pop music today.

I think the place is overpriced - but then I'm not that much into Country. General Admission for adults is $15.95 with various discounts for seniors, students and children. Get the audio tour, a small cassette player keyed to the many displays, for $5.00. Cameras are not allowed on the museum levels, the second and third floors. On the first floor there's a nice restaurant, a theatre and a store (free admission) with a very extensive stock of country music on CD - if you can't find it here, it wasn't recorded!

 
The show at the Opry started at 7:00 PM. I had a seat just five rows from the stage and just off-center. I didn't bring a camera because I wasn't sure of the conditions -- I could have used it! The management encourages photography  (Video is not allowed, still photos only) and encourages those wishing to take a picture come up close to the stage. So just as a "name" comes on the stage, hordes of little teenagers swarm the aisles close to the stage to grab their little piece of a star with a camera.

Although the location puts you several feet below the performer you're trying to photograph, I'm sure all the kids are just tickled with the results. Me, I'd rather sit further up in the theatre and shoot on the performers level with a long lens. Next time maybe - and I'll know what seat to ask for too!

The show was great! I'd recommend it even for those who aren't really partial to country! The line-up for my Tuesday Night Opry included Riders in the Sky, George Hamilton IV, Dierks Bentley, Trace Adkins, Michelle Poe, the Osborne Brothers, Sara Evans and Jimmy Dickens! All of the Opry shows, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, are broadcast live on radio -- check your AM dial - WSM Radio at 650 AM. A great show and worth the price of admission!

 
 

Next up - A visit to Omaha NE/Council Bluffs IA.
 
 

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