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.  

Tennessee - Nashville

Next up was Nashville.  We've heard so much about Nashville and while we'd been there before, we didn't have too many memories of it.

The biggest obstacle of the day was parking.  Visiting a big city with a 1 ton, super duty, long bed truck is not for the faint of heart.  We were finally able to find a parking garage that would - barely - accommodate the height of the truck so we went in.  Since there was no way to lower the antenna, it unnerved us every time we heard it hit the roof.  Made it to the 8th floor and found a spot that was by itself so we could fit in.

We've heard and seen a lot about John Rich's bar, Redneck Riviera, so we headed there first.

It was late morning but there were still lots of people there partying.  The rooftop was crowded.

So we went back downstairs to the bar.  Much cooler, too.  So we bellied up to the bar and ordered a beer.

The flag made from beer cans was pretty impressive.

There was even entertainment.  Redneck tips.  Hahahahahahahahaha!  

We had a nice visit with the bartender.  She showed us the bottles of John Rich whiskey that is, for the most part, only sold in Tennessee.  No, we didn't buy any.

I normally don't take photos in a restroom but this was definitely something I'd never seen before.

Off we went to explore the city.  We'd heard of this place....

Wildhorse Saloon

Unfortunately, it was closed for a private event so we weren't able to go inside.  So we walked on.

Coyote Ugly

Kid Rock has a bar

We stopped in one for some lunch.  

The sandwich was delicious - the onion rings, not so much.

These people didn't have to walk much to have a drink.

We walked around for a bit and found ourselves at a park by the river.  And across the river, we saw this.

It was a great day of exploring and people watching.