May 9th, Nashville, Music City

It is easy to see how Nashville got its nickname of Music City. It is the home to the Grand Ole Opry, numerous music studios, both small and large, and streets lined with bars with live bands playing all day.

Today we had a private tour of the town, with the elusive Steve Stewart, who despite having been a tour guide for 40 years has no internet presence. Our travel agent got his name from a local hotel concierge, and Steve lived up to the hype.

We started with a backstage tour of the Grand Ole Opry. Our campground is within a mile from the famous landmark, which has been broadcasting live country music performances on the radio for 95 years. Even during the pandemic they broadcast, first without a live audience but have been slowly adding more audience and starting in about a week will be at full capacity, with all audience masked.

The weather today was a bit iffy, in fact it rained just as we started our tour and tonight it is pouring, so Flat Christy only joined us for part our tour:

Flat Christy came to the Grand Ole Opry with us!

The tour was great, even though we are not country music fans, but for the enthusiasm displayed by the other people on the tour.  It was fun to watch and hear some historic performances, such as Loretta Lynn, and Johnny Cash. Here is a pic of us singing our hearts out on the stage- standing in the historic wooden circle brought from the original location at the Ryman Auditorium downtown.

(disclaimer- we did not really sing)

We then traveled to the Hermitage, which was Andrew Jackson’s home in Nashville. His mansion is beautifully restored. The family had to sell it to the state of Tennessee as a museum to cover bad investments after Jackson’s death and continued to live in the house for several years while tours were continuing. The tour guides were dressed in historically accurate clothing. I guess the  two most surprising facts we learned today is that Andrew Jackson was 6’2” tall and wore a size 7.5 shoe, and he was shot in the chest in a duel and didn’t die!

This “meeting room” still has the original wallpaper and furniture, but reproduction carpets. The item that resembles a cigar on the table is a candle given to Andrew Jackson by another general- it is actually from the revolutionary war!

We returned to the r.v., changed our clothes and went back out to Perry’s Steakhouse! Perry’s was started by the Perry family in Houston, as Perry’s Butcher shop, until they started offering dining in 1986. Now they have locations in seven states, and the location we went to had opened fairly recently. I had contacted the restaurant via comments on the website inquiring about merchandise they sell with Perry’s name on it. They responded after I told them about our Perry themed trip, and we had a nice table in the restaurant.

Perry ordered the de rigour namesake cocktail, the Perry Berry Mule, while I had a Thyme Lemon Drop. Both cocktails were tasty, albeit quite sweet.  For dinner Perry had a steak and I had Perry’s signature Pork Chop, as part of a Sunday Supper special. Mine was HUGE!!! I ate about 1/6th of it, and we both brought plenty of leftovers home.

Perry enjoys his signature cocktail, the Perry Berry Mule, at Perry’s Steakhouse in Franklin, TN.
Perry’s Steakhouse opened recently in this location. It is a huge restaurant with a large team of employees.
Perry’s Steakhouse Pork Chop Sunday Supper. Oops, it was gigantic!

When we left we purchased some steak knives bearing the moniker “Perry’s” and some steak seasoning. Tomorrow we hit the road again headed toward Perry County, and Lobelville!!

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7 thoughts on “May 9th, Nashville, Music City

    1. The room was covered with some glass and so the figures on the doors are just reflections

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