Nashville 2.0

We were ready to wrap up our time in Tennessee so we decided to take a trip to Nashville on Sunday since we figured that traffic (and parking) would be easier.  This time we started at the Tennessee State Capitol.

That's a lot of steps!  But we made the climb so we could get a closer view.

The capitol building serves as the home of both houses and also contains the governor's office.  It was built between 1845 and 1859 and is one of only 12 state capitols that does not have a dome.  The State Capitol sits atop Capitol Hill, the highest point in Downtown Nashville and is surrounded by a number of state government buildings.

We were there on a Sunday so we knew it would not be open but the main thing we wanted to see was the grave of James K. Polk, whose early home we had just toured a few days before.  President Polk is the only president to be buried at a U.S. Capitol.

After leaving Washington at the end of his term, James and Sarah traveled south to New Orleans and traveled up the Mississippi River into Tennessee.  After paying a visit to his mother in Columbia, they ventured to their newly renovated home in downtown Nashville.  James' diary makes frequent mention of cholera during their travels.

Just three months after leaving office, the President succumbed to the disease.  His is the shortest retirement of any Commander in Chief.

President Polk was initially buried in the Nashville City Cemetery within 24 hours of his death in an area specified for victims of Cholera.  He would later be reinterred at this home, Polk Place, after the outbreak had subsided.

Sarah survived her husband by 42 years and at the time of her death in 1891, she was interred with her husband at Polk Place.  However, since the Polks had no children the house was sold and there was some question as to where to place the former President and First Lady.  In 1893, James' and Sarah's remains were moved to the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol.  Polk's life ended in almost the same place as his political life began.  In addition to the significance of being buried at the Capitol, James and Sarah Polk were reburied just 300 feet away from the state's statue of President Andrew Jackson, who had mentored Polk in his early career.

There have been three U.S. presidents from Tennessee and all three are represented on the Capitol grounds.

Andrew Johnson

We walked on to explore more of the city and found ourselves here.

Loretta Lynn was outside.

And then on to the more touristy part of the city.

It was packed!  But we made our way to John Rich's bar, the Redneck Riviera.

We sat for a bit and listened to the music.  These guys were great!

It was so nice to see them celebrate the men and women who serve our country.  The patches were everywhere!

And then we moved on to the place we missed before, the Wildhorse Saloon.  

We knew they opened at 12:00 so we arrived about 11:30 and there was already a line.  We waited outside and once we got to our table, the line was still out the door!

No worries - we quickly got something to drink!

We ordered lunch and enjoyed the music and watching the folks line dancing.

Back to the truck (and a $45 parking bill!) and saw this on the way.

This restaurant is Woolworth on 5th, a spot that was once home to a lunch counter that found itself at the center of the Civil Rights movement in Nashville.  And while it's not the same restaurant it once was, the new restaurant is a tribute to the brave men and women who helped change the country nearly 60 years ago.  During the Civil Rights movement, it was the site of some of the historic sit-ins that occurred in downtown Nashville.

Sit-ins spread throughout the country as a unique protest against Jim Crow from North Carolina to South Carolina to Virginia to Florida to Tennessee and into Deep South Alabama.  Picketers marched outside of Woolworth's and similar variety stores.  Woolworth's desegregated in July, 1960 with other stores and restaurants following suit.

We had a great day in Nashville and were glad that we made it back.