Likely scheduling a vacation down south in Tennessee, concentrating on the western half of the state; specifically Nashville and Memphis.
Anyone live in the area or traveled there recently/frequently and like to share some to-dos, sights to see, places to stay or eat? My wife is a big Elvis fan, so Graceland is a given stop already on the agenda.
I have never been to either city before, but I am aware of the tourist niche of both: predominantly food and music (or music history). While I am sure I will find the music history aspect interesting (I am a blues fan), it gets a lot of exposure, so I was hoping to find out what non-music related things might be out there. Been doing some research, but there is a ton of the standard fare to wade through in order to find something more interesting and less commercialized.
Any good military themed museums? I was disheartened to find that this http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g55328-d535451-Reviews-Tennessee_Museum_of_Aviation-Sevierville_Tennessee.html is on the other side of the state, which we really won’t be able to get to.
Since you’ll be travelling from one landlocked state to another, I don’t have anything to recommend in terms of naval history…but here’s a list that may come in handy for any future trips that take you to a coastline:
@CWO:
Since you’ll be travelling from one landlocked state to another, I don’t have anything to recommend in terms of naval history…but here’s a list that may come in handy for any future trips that take you to a coastline:
Ha! That is an awesome site Marc. Thank you!
That is one perk of going somewhere on the water: there tend to be maritime or naval museums, which are really my thing. Along with aircraft. Unfortunately, not on this trip. Maybe I will just have to say heck with going out of my way for a smaller aviation museum and just spend a day at Wright-Patterson on the way back home… since it could not be more on-the-way.
Maybe I will just have to say heck with going out of my way for a smaller aviation museum and just spend a day at Wright-Patterson on the way back home… since it could not be more on-the-way.
Be sure to see (if you haven’t done so already) that fighter pilot IMAX film I once mentioned, Operation Red Flag. Or if you don’t have time to watch it there, you can pick up the DVD from the gift shop. When I was there, I did both. :-D
@CWO:
Be sure to see (if you haven’t done so already) that fighter pilot IMAX film I once mentioned, Operation Red Flag. Or if you don’t have time to watch it there, you can pick up the DVD from the gift shop. When I was there, I did both. :-D
Oh, I do remember. And I will make a point to do so. I will love it, but if Interstellar in IMAX made my wife kinda nauseous then I can only imagine that this will.
Find a way to visit the Shiloh Battle.
I will try to. Thanks.
Marc, I live in Knoxville and, on the off chance that you haven’t already taken your vacation, I can offer some recommendations regarding Memphis and Nashville.
I think you’re doing right by choosing to visit Graceland. I can also recommend a visit to Biel Street. If you enjoy a good baseball game, there is also a minor league stadium downtown where a fun evening can be had. I’m not a fan of baseball myself, but I do enjoy getting outside in the summer and autumn, and I am a fan of nachos with cheese.
Perhaps a visit to Shiloh battlefield while you’re in Western Tennessee? And Memphis must have some good historical attractions linked to the Mississippi River and its history.
Nashville is very fun. I wouldn’t say that I’m a fan of country music, but I found the Country Music Hall of Fame to be a very enjoyable museum. You may also want to stop by the Gaylord Hotel, which is a resort hotel with several nice restaurants. It’s a terrific site to see. Be sure to visit the Grand Ole Opry for a tour at least.
We ended up doing a bit of a whirlwind tour, but it was enjoyable and I don’t feel that we needed any more time.
Visited Wright-Patt on the way down, didn’t stay long and didn’t get to watch Red Flag, but it was a good stop.
Spent a night and most of a day in Nashville. The strip was pretty nice. There is an ice cream shop there that has amazing milkshakes. Went to the CMHoF the next day which was more interesting than I thought it might be. I am still getting into country music myself, but I enjoyed it. Went to breakfast at a place near Vanderbilt called the Pancake Pantry… very, very good but moderately pricey for breakfast. Also went to a pretty neat candy/soda store downtown. Lastly made a point to visit Third Man Records (Jack White’s label) before getting out of town. Well worth it!
Drove over to Memphis and went down to Beale St. in the evening. Very different atmosphere from Nashville. Little rowdier and more party-like. The food and live music was better IMO. Went to Graceland then next day… which was just incredible. Walking where the King did was hard to fathom, but it was almost religious. Left Memphis about 2:00 pm CST Thursday and arrived back home around 1:45 am EST Friday morning. Long drive for one day.
Sounds great. Thanks for the write up. I am sorry you did not get to see Shiloh, but understand you had little time.
@wittmann:
Sounds great. Thanks for the write up. I am sorry you did not get to see Shiloh, but understand you had little time.
Yes, I was thinking about it as we were in the area, but we weren’t really prepared for a longer excursion otherwise I certainly would have taken us there.
I could write a bit more in depth, but I don’t think it would be very interesting to others. I would definitely recommend stopping in either place (Nashville or Memphis), especially for people from other countries. Country music, southern food and Elvis Presley are some of the most recognizably American things out there and I am sure foreigners would enjoy it. In fact, we saw a couple from Australia in Nashville and at Graceland there were people from all over the world. It was pretty cool.
