Tennessee: Part 2

We split our trip between Nashville and Memphis.  Memphis is about 3 hours of nothing away from Nashville down I-40.  So, we sang Got the Highway 40 Blues and hit the road.

Kentucky River...take me home!

 We walked around Beale Street.  Lots of bars, bbq, and blues....

Memphis Street Car

 A. Schwab is the oldest, family run dry goods store. 

 We met up with Paul and Andrea at the Peabody Hotel.  I wanted to watch the ducks march down to the fountain.  It was CRAZY.  But, the staff was great and opened a spot for Sara and I to sit in the front.  They were all about the kids there.  So nice!  The duck march has been happening everyday at the hotel since the 1930's. 

 Lunch at The Rendezvous.  Of course, we had to have Memphis BBQ.  None of us were wowed.  Sara did munch on a rib, but liked her cheese sandwich better!

The reason we set on our Tennessee vacation....Jeremy and Kristin's wedding.  Hands down, the nicest wedding I ever attended.  Beautiful setting, touching ceremony, every little detail was thought out and delivered.  Jeremy is an Alabama fan and Kristin is a Tennessee fan...a house divided!  So, they had shakers of each team to wave as they went down the aisle.  Sara loved the shaker and kept saying "Yeah!". 

Main House at Heartwood Hall.  Wedding was outside in the garden and reception was in the barn.

 We enjoyed a lot of down time and hanging out at the hotel in Collierville. It was attached to an outdoor mall, so we strolled around.

  Sara loved the statues in the park. 

Hanging out with Grammy and a wild little boy who thought he was Harry Potter.  Ughh. 
However, we enjoyed sipping tea with Terri and Sara liked her art project.

Make a wish....throwing pennies into the fountain.

 We were "treated" to a crazy lighting show and Tornado Warning in Shelby County.  I was nervous about the Tornado Warning, but the lighting show was pretty amazing.

Blue skies returned the next morning and we headed for the Memphis Zoo.  Memphis redeemed itself a bit with the zoo and the surrounding area.  There are nice parts of Memphis, after all!

Lions

Red Panda....not the Panda family, but the Raccoon family.

3 little monkeys...

Checking out the Giant Panda

Love this girl....

Emu time...

My favorite....Giraffe

It was HOT...but luckily the Zoo was pretty shaded.  We decided to cool down with Icees at the Cafe.

Fountain where everyone was cooling off.  Too bad we didn't bring a suit for Sara!

Crazy rain storm on the way back to Nashville...

Tennessee: Part 1

We headed to Tennessee last week to attend the wedding of Brian's cousin, Jeremy.  We split our time between Nashville and Memphis.  Loved Nashville....Memphis, not so much.  Sara was a trooper and we fit in lots of fun, family time.  Here's the highlights in Nashville...Memphis photos up soon!

Rain Forest Cafe: Opryland Mills, a HUGE mall, was across the street from our hotel.  So, we headed there to find a quick bite to eat.  We decided on the Rain Forest Cafe.  Super cheesy, but Sara loved it.  She kept saying "Roar" all thru dinner.  I got a little teary in there.  We so would have hated this place 2 years ago!

Antique Archaeology from American Pickers fame:  No Frank or Mike sightings, but we did walk thru the store.  Housed in the former Marathon Automobile Factory, it has been restored into the perfect setting for the store.  Loved Clinton Village...super cute. new/made to look old houses are in the neighborhood.

 

 

 

We went to Bang Candy Company next door to get a cool drink.  Sara loved her Pineapple Lemonade.  Talked to Sarah, the owner.  We told her we were headed to 12 South and she recommended Sevier Park.  It was great and Sara loved it!  The old trees provided a lot of shade to make the hot day tolerable!

 

 

 

12 South is a great up and coming neighborhood.  I loved the 4 squares and craftsman bungalows throughout the neighborhood.  Once rough and gritty, now hip and trendy with boutiques, restaurants, and a yoga studio.  Everywhere you turned, homes were being remodeled and restored.  We had lunch at Burger Up.  Delicious hamburgers....from all local, Tennessee ingredients.  

 

Las Paletas....Mexican Popsicles that were delicious!

Sara was exhausted and feel asleep, so Brian and I decided to drive around sightseeing.  We drove down thru Vanderbilt and the Belmont neighborhoods.  Vanderbilt was hosting it's opening game, so the campus was buzzing with activity.  We drove thru Centennial Park and saw the Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. It was built in 1897 as part of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.

 

We did a lot of swimming and relaxing in the afternoons to escape the heat and humidity!

Dinner at the Loveless Cafe...best biscuits ever...oh my goodness!

Ice cream at Mike's on Broadway

Tennessee State Capital Building....closed for Renovations while we were there.....boo!

 

Loved the architecture....everywhere we looked there were great, old buildings!

Gaylord's Opryland Resort:  No words....this place is like Vegas in Tennessee, complete with fountain show and gondola rides.  Bars and restaurants throughout.  This place is huge and has to be seen to believe!

Frist Center for the Visual Arts:  Great place....it's housed in the Old Post Office building.  Beautiful!  Downstairs is the art museum, which was in change-over mode while we were there, so we didn't get to see much...but we did get in for 1/2 price as a result!  Upstairs is ArtQuest, which has 30 hands-on stations.  Fantastic for young and old alike!

Union Station is next door.  It once was Union Station serving 8 different railroad lines.  It's now a hotel, beautifully restored!

Loved the old and new of this city

Tooties and Broadway where all the honky tonks are.