Road Trip — Nashville TN - The Battle of Nashville
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Today is my last day in Nashville and then I fly home this evening. I decide to check out a few of the sites on the Battle of Nashville brochure that I picked up in the hotel lobby. Most of the sites on the map are only a history marker about what happened there, but there are a few sites that are more and Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum, built in 1799 by Judge John Overton. is one of them. During the Civil War, his son was a Confederate sympathizer and Travellers Rest served as Confederate headquarters during the Battle of Nashville in December 1964. A guide dressed as an authentic Confederate soldier gave me a tour around the buildings; I walk around the grounds and herb garden by myself. I then drove around the suburb neighborhoods finding various markers and reading them. The original “Homes of David Lipscomb” still stand in front of the David Lipscomb College, founded in 1891 as Nashville Bible School. The building is closed, but I can peek in the windows. Next is the Battle of Nashville Monument, a beautiful statue and monument. This is a relatively new monument built to replace the original that was destroyed in 1974 by a tornado. My last stop before heading to the airport is Sunnyside, a Greek Revival home located in Sevier Park. Sunnyside was the home of Mary Benton, widow of Jesse Benton. Jesse Benton and his brother were involved in a famous duel with President Andrew Jackson in 1813. After enjoying the peacefulness of Sevier Park, I head off to the airport to begin my flight home.
Road Trip — Nashville TN - The Hermitage
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Today I toured The Hermitage - Home of President Andrew Jackson. “Old Hickory” was our seventh President from 1829-1837 and Nashville is where he made his home with wife Rachelle. As you walk around the grounds and buildings, you have a audio player that gives you a narrative for each of the numbered spots you encounter. The mansion is well preserved, and even though they don’t want you to take pictures inside the mansion, I snuck in a few… shhh! In back of the mansion is a large manicured field with a path circling it. Along the path you see the slave quarters, an old farm building, the springhouse and several cabins. The formal gardens are cared for once again and are lovely to walk through. In the back corner of the garden is Jackson’s Tomb and the family cemetery. Lastly I toured the museum and browsed the gift shop before heading back to the hotel. It’s wonderful to see that we have our country’s history preserved so well.
Road Trip — Nashville Tennessee - Historic Downtown
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Today was a walk around downtown Nashville. On my way downtown, I spy a history marker, of course I stop and check out the place of Captain Ryman’s former house, he played a large role in Nashville history. Once I got downtown, I didn’t really have any specific plans or really know what there was to see, so I started at Fort Nashborough, which is where the hotel tour guide said a bus tour started from. Fort Nashborough is just that, an old fashioned fort on the river bank and shows some of the history about the founding of Nashville. I continue walking down First Avenue, so on one side of the street is old brick buildings and on the other side is the new Riverfront Park on the Cumberland River banks and the Coliseum, home of the NFL Tennessee Titans, is across the river. Strolled up and down the streets, through the oldest downtown area on Second Avenue, and on over to historic Printers Alley to check it out and to find a local geocache. It’s still evident that this was at one time the “men’s quarters” for Nashville. The Downtown Presbyterian Church is a captivating building to look at; It didn’t appear open today, but I understand it is an active church still today. The Arcade, Nashville’s first shopping center, was the perfect place to find an ice cream on this hot muggy day. Just up the block was the Tennessee State Museum and I decided to view the many rooms of history and artifacts they have inside. Free admission and well worth spending some time viewing the exhibits. There is a lot of history in this area and Tennesseeans are very proud of their part in the forming of our wonderful nation. The Ryman Auditorium was the next notable building I saw. The Ryman started life as the Union Gospel Tabernacle, a place to hold gospel revival meetings, and eventually became associated with country music in the 1943 when the Grand Ole Opry moved there. Continuing on, past the Church Street Park, with the interesting puzzle painting on the building side. The Hermitage Hotel just looks impressive and stately on the outside; the fancily dressed doormen definitely help with the image. The Schermerhorn Symphony Center is a gorgeous elegant building with fountains and statues. My final walk in downtown was across the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge to check out the river and the city skyline from an elevated spot; it’s a very peaceful spot to sit and relax for a bit.
Road Trip — Nashville Tennessee - The Sam Davis Home
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I spent the morning sleeping late and just relaxing–I’ve done a lot of driving over the last week and was just tired. But after lunch it was time to go and see what was around Nashville. After looking at the map, I headed off in the direction of the national park, but got sidetracked by a sign for the Sam Davis Home in Smyrna Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. Sam was a Civil War legend who was hung as the young age of 21 (1842–1863) for being a spy. The home, built in 1820, was his childhood home and is typical upper middle class home. While the buildings, including slave quarters, are a museum now, there is still a working cotton farm on the 160 acre site.
