A Music Weekend in Music City: Part 2

So hopefully you've read about the first night and day of our Nashville trip back in April, which means you're ready to read about the second and final full day of an amazing music-filled weekend in Music City!

We dragged ourselves out of bed at a decent hour this day because we had a lot to pack in. Despite this being my third trip to Nashville, the Parthenon wasn't the only sight I had yet to see!

That's right, I had never been to the Ryman Auditorium, a.k.a. The Birthplace of the Grand Ole Opry!

We "splurged" on the entrance ticket plus the guided tour, and I'm glad we did. It was only an extra $4 per person and it was really neat to see the dressing rooms backstage...even if they didn't exist until more recent years. In taking the backstage tour, we also had the chance to stand on stage at the Ryman. Now if only I could have brought my guitar...

 

We spent quite a bit of time (I'd say about 2 hours, including the tour) wandering around the Ryman, but if you're not a total nerd like me and don't feel the need to read nearly every panel and plaque of information that exists in the place, you can probably do the whole shebang in an hour to an hour and a half.

After the Ryman, we wandered down Broadway a bit for some kitschy souvenir shopping.

I almost convinced Steve to buy some crazy cowboy boots...or at least a hat. Almost. Then we saw the price on the boots (you don't want to know) and he put a hat on and I said "Absolutely not." If not even I want to see the love of my life in a cowboy hat, trust me, you don't want to see him in one either ;)

Next, it was time to drive a bit out of the way and introduce Steve to the grandeur of The Opryland Hotel. I was a bit disappointed in the [lack of] bar options here - there used to be a rotating bar in one of the atriums, but we couldn't find it! But we did wander around and see a lot of this gorgeous resort.

Let's not talk about how hideous I looked this day. I really don't know what my problem was, blech.

After a good hour and a half or so, we were burning up (I'm telling you, that sun beats through the glass in those atriums) and decided to head back to Ron and Katherine's house for some pizza and a quick freshen up before our last night out. Because we were going to see RUSH!

(Yes, it really is/was that exciting!)

Ron & Katherine (our gracious hosts for the weekend), myself and Steve in our awesome seats for the RUSH concert

Honestly, I'm not a huge RUSH fan. Not that I don't like them...I do. I just didn't know much of their music until a few months before this concert. I just saw that they were playing the weekend we were going to be in Nashville and figured it would be a good time. I got great seats at the Bridgestone for about $80 a pop, and despite not knowing a ton of their music, despite being sober the whole time, and despite the fact that I was still suffering from awful allergies - this was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. They were uh.mazing.

Post-concert we debated over returning to Ron and Katherine's but decided to stop for a single drink before doing so - Katherine wanted us to experience The Patterson House. This speakeasy-themed joint can be literally impossible to get into on a weekend night. Upon entering, there is a list of rules posted in the foyer - such as no staring at stars, men can't approach women without being invited to do so, etc. It's dim. It's quiet. The decor is amazingly accurate. But the drink menu is extensive and the tapas-style food is amazing (we had the "tator tots", the grilled cheese, and the fried goat cheese between the four of us); plus, it's just an interesting, slightly-off-the-grid experience to have in Nashville.

I'm not sure why this is sort of blurry, but we're standing on the Patterson House porch.

We really did only have one drink at Patterson House before heading "home" and calling it a somewhat early night (as in...1 AM-ish). We had ended our music weekend with a RUSH (pun intended! ha!) and had to head home at a decent hour the next day (the woes of having to pick up dogs at the kennel, right?). But as always Nashville was a blast, and maybe next time we head out that way we'll make it a food and drink trip, no?