Three Chimneys Farm Tour Kentucky

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We arrived back in Lexington on the 3rd August (happy birthday Charlie). The main reason for returning to Kentucky was that we were fortunate to be able to book a tour of Three Chimneys Stud Farm at Midway KY.

 

  Three Chimneys Farm is one of the premier breeding farms in Kentucky. They provide shuttle stallions to Australia, in fact, two of their stallions had left for Australia a few days before we arrived. Big Brown is standing at Vinery Stud in the Hunter Valley NSW and War Chant is standing at Yarradale Stud in Western Australia for the 2011 breeding season.

 

We found a covered bridge about 30 miles from the farm so decided to drive over and take a look. The bridge had been damaged during flooding in 1997 so it is not in use but maintained for visitors to the area.

Our tour time was 1pm and as we arrived in the area 45 minutes early decided to find a bite to eat before heading to the farm.

What better than sharing one Darlin’ Jeans Granny’s grilled sandwich. It was yum and we both really enjoyed it. This place was really old world but very popular with visitors and locals.


The tour was fantastic, we only toured the stallion area but were really impressed with the barns and the whole set up. The stallions we saw were; Flower Alley, Sky Mesa, Dynaformer, Lewis Michael by Rahy who is retired and is living out his days in luxury at Three Chimneys Farm.  The stallions each have their own box on the farm, four to a barn.

Previous occupants brass nameplates remain on the box along the name of the current occupant. Each stallion has their own day paddock and is turned out everyday weather permitting. Also found it interesting that all stallions with the exception of one or two are exercised on the track or hot walker every day to maintain their fitness


Seattle Slew won the Triple Crown (1977) and stood at the farm for all but the last month of his life. The farm has a statue of Seattle Slew which is popular with visitors.

So that’s it all the things we wanted to do have been checked off for the road trip now we just have the drive back to Dallas to begin the next phase of our trip. Visiting family in Abilene and a trip to Aspen with Scott and Leonie.

We are heading home (Dallas) via Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and will cover as many miles as we can each day.

Ohio State Fair – Columbus

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We arrived back in Columbus while the State Fair was on. So we checked into the Hyatt in the middle of Columbus and planned our two days at the Fair. First things first, we found Darby’s bar in the lobby of our hotel and settled in for a couple of beers and a pizza for dinner.

We decided to head to the fairgrounds around 9am and it was already hot and only going to get hotter. The fairgrounds were only about 15 minutes drive away with ample parking for $5 per car it was hassle free. The entry was $8 per head and after a quick bag check we were in.

We decided to find somewhere for breakfast or at least coffee. After having our coffee (which was good even at the fair you get good coffee) we set off to explore with things hotting up weather-wise. We headed down the food alley where you can get anything deep fried you can imagine and some things you cant.

We found the oasis of the fairground it was a domelike building called the taste of Ohio inside it was so cool and would have to been the best ac in the district to keep it so cool. There were cooking demos held in this building but also a stand for each for Ohio lamb, beef, chicken, pork and diary.

We decided this would be where we’d be for lunch, lamb sandwich (the first we’ve had since arriving in the US (so both suffering serious withdrawal), before lunch we headed to the hog barn to check out the judging and also to see the biggest pig I have ever seen.  We headed to the cattle barn and they were judging Santa’s but they don’t have many exhibitors, nothing like the royal but the stock that were there were good.



The lamb was calling and we were dripping with perspiration it was so humid and we needed to cool off while enjoying our lamb sandwich. They lady working the stand had visited Australia the year before and had visited a number of merino studs in NSW and the Bendigo Show. She was pleased to share her story so much so that I was embarrassed by the long line forming behind me while she chatted. Back to the lamb it was so tasty and we both enjoyed it so much that we considered having a second but though better of it and would save it for the next day.

After the lamb it was time for the chainsaw carver to start his show. We headed down to take up a good position in the pavilion. Burt was very entertaining and clever with his saws, he produced some fun animals. My favourites were the owl and the bulldog but they were all good.

Time to head to the Brown barn to check out the sheep judging and the wool. The corridales were on show they are more hobby style sheep as opposed to commercial operation. Some studs in attendance and we did find a pen of merino which required their sign to be sure. They were small and had very little wool to speak of.

The wool pavilion was interesting to say the least. Not many fleeces about 50 odd,   fleeces shown in plastic bags and not skirted.  If was fun to take a look but they nowhere near compare to anything that could be at any country show in NSW.  Although Ohio is not a major sheep area in the states it was evident that we were bang in the middle of hog and chicken country.

Day two was similar to day one including the lamb sandwiches followed by some locally made ice-cream, mine was butter pecan and Sharpie had strawberry. We did visit some of the markets stalls and purchased two pillow pets (by request Sarah) and a nifty (if it works) little rubber mat that sticks to the dash and holds all manner of things such as mobile, gps and other things needed in easy reach in the car. They are reusable look like they will be really good.

We watched the chainsaw guy carve another animal and watched an hour of the percheron horses being judged in the colosseum usually used for basketball but transformed to a show ring for the fair. We DIDN’T try the Muddy Pig aka chocolate dipped bacon.

All in all the fair was an experience that I am glad we have had but it something that once you’ve done it there is no need to do it again.

We enjoyed three nights in Hyatt Columbus and visited the bar every night for drinks and buffalo wings (all we could manage for dinner, and shared 6 at that). It was good to be able to chat to locals and our barmen Mike was good value and kept us entertained with all the stuff he didn’t know about Australia.


Off to Kentucky again next, able to get booked in on a Three Chimneys Stud Farm tour. Looking forward to taking all the back roads through the amish country to get there. We get off the Interstates at every opportunity

Buffalo and Niagara Falls

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Well we made it. It was a longish day driving but not too back. Our hotel was nice (even nicer as it was free night Thanks La Quinta returns program).  There was a Cracker Barrel near by so we walked over for a steak and salad before turning in.

After another hearty bright-side breakfast of waffles and cereal we set out to Niagara Falls. It was warm but not as warm as it had been lately. With lots of inexpensive parking at the falls we were soon out of the car and heading to the American Falls. One word ‘Spectacular’.  This is certainly the highlight of the trip for both of us. Although not a Natural Wonder of the World it should be in my book.

We walked for a couple of hours and around the American Falls before having lunch at the Hard Rock cafe.

After lunch we decided to walk around to the horseshoe falls via goat island. It was a long walk but there were a lot of great viewing places along the way.

The whole area is so well set up and organised to cater for the large numbers of visitors. Even though it is summer break there was no overcrowding and everyone had a good view at all the vantage points.

Day two we headed back to the falls and boarded the first Maid of the Mist tour of the day to view the falls from the river, this was really worth every cent of the $13 per head. I would have paid 3 or 4 times this for the 30 minute ride to right beneath the Horseshoe Falls.

Falls Facts:
The Niagara Falls are the most powerful waterfalls in North America. These voluminous waterfalls are situated on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario and forms the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and theU.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (121 km) south-southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Over the Falls:
In October 1829, Sam Patch, who called himself “the Yankee Leapster”, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the falls. On October 24, 1901, 63-year-old Michigan school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but virtually unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, “No one ought ever do that again.”
Wikipedia has detailed information of all the attempts plus and more interesting falls facts.

In the “Miracle at Niagara”, Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over the Horseshoe Falls protected only by a life vest on July 9, 1960, as two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 feet (6 m) from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island. Minutes later, Woodward was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath the Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat.

I recommend this amazing place be added to everyone’s bucket list.

After the Maid in the Mist ride we set off for Columbus Ohio where we will stay for three nights (Four star $60 night thanks Hotwire.com). We plan to attend the Ohio State Fair the next couple of days before heading back to Kentucky.

Boston Maine and on to Niagara Falls

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On Tuesday 28th July we set off towards Boston after negotiating our way out of NYC. We decided to stay south of Boston and head in to see the sights of Boston.

We stayed at a place called Milford which will always be remembered for ‘The Duck’. We found a little Thai place (Thai Pepper) not far from the hotel, didn’t look much from the outside but it was very nice inside. Ian had the ‘Boston Duck’ which Ian has not stopped talking about since. My pad thai was excellent too but the duck was sensational, apparently. I will never know I couldn’t even get a little taste. Seriously I did get the smallest taste and agree it was very good.

Up early for a short run into Boston after parking we booked on a trolly tour (which included a cruise on the harbour). The tour was really good and we stayed on for the entire nineteen stops so that we could catch the lunchtime cruise on the harbour.

Hard to believe that so much of Boston is built on reclaimed land, the area around the harbour has been really well developed and caters to visitors. We went past Fenway Park where the Red Sox baseball team’s home ground. The trolly driver was really informative. Boston is a very organised and clean city with lots of historical significance for this country.

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial “Capital of New England” for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. This link show all the trolly stops and what we saw at each stop.

The harbour cruise was very informative and gave us and opportunity to learn about the many historical locations along the foreshore. We were able to see the USS Constitution which is a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the world’s oldest floating commissioned naval vessel. Launched in 1797. The battle with Guerriere earned her the nickname of “Old Ironsides” and public adoration that has repeatedly saved her from scrapping.

After a not so good lunch (all fried seafood, though the oysters were good) in the oldest restaurant in USA.

The Union Oyster House was established in 1826 and has been retained in its original state. Although the food was to our liking the trip back in time was worth the time. Union Street was laid out in 1636, but there are no municipal records documenting the Oyster House’s date of construction. All that is known is that the building has stood on Union Street as a major local landmark for more than 250 years.

After lunch we headed for Portland Maine, we decided that we would only have the one night here so that we could spend two days at Niagara.

After checking in to our hotel we headed up to Two Lights which is reported to be a must see spot as well as check out the Lobster Shack. We decided to head back to town for   dinner at the Old Port Sea Grill and thoroughly enjoyed our seafood platter.

Tomorrow we are setting off on our longest drive in a day this trip. We plan to be in Buffalo New York by tomorrow night. States visited along the way Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York 556 miles in 8 hours including three short stops.

New York Day 3 – Yankees and Beckham

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Today we were looking forward to going to a Yankees game tonight.

We headed to times Square early this morning to watch part of Good Morning America. We arrived in time to be right on the barrier behind the set in the street. Only the invited soccer kids were in front of us.

The segment was you guessed it a soccer segment with David Beckham and Thierry Henry. We had to wait for awhile but it was worth it. I got to meet Robin Roberts and she is a tall as she seems on TV. She was really good with all the crowd and spent ages talking to everyone.

The segment we are near the girl waving the Canadian flag …hard to see but we were there!!!
Watch the segment

 

After the show we headed to Stage Deli for brunch. This deli was old style and the staff had been there for a long while. It really gave the sense that nothing had changed inside for many years. The food was good and the service was even better.

After our meal we wandered back towards the hotel to rest up for the game. I headed to Macy’s for w quick shop and picked up some good sale items. It was starting to rain by the time I headed back to the hotel.

We set off around 4pm but it was raining heavily and getting a cab was proving difficult. 20000+ cab and not one to be had for any money.  We decided to have coffee and wait for an hour and see what happens.

 

 

Nothing changed so we headed back to the hotel and found that the game was delayed by the rain. In the end we gave up and went to bed NO Yankees game was a disappointment but glad we didn’t get to the stadium and find out.  As it turned out they eventually played but it was very late when they started, we would never have sat at the ground waiting. Next time!!!!

Day 2 New York

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We got up early again and after breakfast we set out to walk to central park. Down Fifth Ave with a stop in at the Trump Tower, hard to believe that this is or was owned by one man.


 

 

Before we arrived at Central Park we dropped in at the Apple store which was under wraps. So many people and so much beautiful technology in one place.

 

When we arrived at the entrance near
Fifth Ave and organised a carriage ride through the Park. Our Irish driver (most of the carriages are Irish owned) has been in New York for 11 years. This was fun and gave us a small insight to the park and some of the things happening in the park.  It was good weather and a lot cooler than the previous day. After we tipped our driver we set off on a long walk through the park, there is so much to see and there was no hope of us seeing it all. We did get to see
the Zoo and many off the sights at the Downtown end of town.

How big is Central Park?

Our Irish Carriage Driver
  • 843 acres or 6% of Manhattan’s total acreage, including:
  • 150 acres in 7 waterbodies
  • 250 acres of lawns
  • 136 acres of woodlands

How many playgrounds are there in Central Park and where are they?
There are 21 playgrounds scattered throughout the entire park.

Where is…?

Horse park himself like this
on command
  • Balto – East 67th Street near the East Drive
  • Alice in Wonderland – 75th Street just north of Conservatory Water
  • Hans Christian Andersen – 74th Street just west of Conservatory Water
  • The Obelisk (Cleopatra’s Needle) – 81st Street behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art

There also are 48 other fountains, monuments, and sculptures in Central Park.

How many trees are there in Central Park?
24,000, including 1,700 American Elms.

How many benches are there in Central Park?
Over 9,000, which would stretch 7 miles if placed end to end.

How many bridges and arches are there in Central Park?
36

How many species of birds are there in Central Park?
More than 275 species of migratory birds have been sighted in the Park, a major stopping point on the Atlantic flyway.

How many fountains are there in Central Park?

Gazebo in used in Home Alone 2

There are seven ornamental fountains and approximately 150 drinking fountains. The ornamental fountains are:

  • Angel of the Waters at Bethesda Terrace
  • Burnett Fountain at Conservatory Garden’s English garden to the south
  • Conservatory Garden’s Italian garden in the center
  • Untermyer Fountain at Conservatory Garden’s French garden to the north
  • Cherry Hill
  • Sophie Loeb Fountain
  • Pulitzer Fountain at Grand Army Plaza
Central Park Zoo 
After the park we headed back downtown with a stop off for lunch at John’s Pizzeria. The pizza was the best I’ve eaten, the base was just perfect and we had the John’s Pizza (cheese and John’s special tomato sauce) with added pepperoni and black olives. Did I mention it was huge but oh so yummy?
We continued to stroll back towards the hotel walking off our lunch there is so much to see but the best part is just experiencing the sites and sounds of such a busy place. We headed back to the hotel around 4 for a rest and catch up on email and calls home etc.

We decide we would have Korean BBQ for dinner, there were plenty in the same street as our hotel to choose from. In the end we settled on Wonjo. The BBQ meat (BBQ at our table) was really good and the accompanying sides were fun to try and we liked everything they dished up. The meal was finished with the sweetest orange I have ever eaten.

Day 2 Walking 4 miles

An early night as we are planning to head to times square to watch the Good Morning America morning show.

Hot Dirty Smelly New York – I Still Love It!!!!!

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After a near flawless drive in to the big apple we had delivered the car to the valet and the bags to the doorman (too early to check in) we set off to walk downtown to take the ferry to Staten Island.

It was a long walk but we made it all but the last 20 odd blocks a total of 71/2 miles. We were a bit foot sore but recovered enough to walk another mile to Tony Di Napoli’s for dinner.

This place came highly recommended by brother-in-law Scott and he was right on the money. The anti pasta was the best we’ve ever had and the Lobster Ravioli in creamy tomato sauce was equally good.

One of 5 new Towers
Ground Zero

Back to the walk and the ferry. It was very hot walking but worth it as you get to see so much more. Ian was able to eat at least three yes that’s right three hot dogs on the way down. He bought them off the street vendors and gave them the thumbs up.  We were purchasing lots of water which was readily available for every vendor and really cold.

We spent quite awhile at ground zero they are making great progress on the new towers . It is hard to imagine what it would have been like on 9/11.

Remembering Ladder 24
Firefighter that died 9/11

A memorial called “Reflecting Absence” honors the victims of the September 11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

The memorial, designed by Peter Walker and Israeli-American architect Michael Arad, consists of a field of trees interrupted by the footprints of the twin towers. Pools of water fill the footprints, underneath which sits a memorial space whose walls bear the names of the victims. The slurry wall, which holds back the Hudson River in the west and was an integral part of Libeskind’s proposal, remains exposed.

Ladder 24 Fire Station

Walker and Arad were selected from more than 5,000 entrants in the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition in January 2004. Construction of the memorial is due to be completed by September 11, 2011.

Eventually we made it to the ferry just in time to take the next ferry to the island. It was a pleasant crossing and it was a chance to sit for awhile and watch the city recede into the distance. We disembarked and waited for the next ferry back again.

Staten Island Ferry

We decided against exploring the island as the main purpose was to actually catch the ferry. We enjoyed the return trip and then set off up town it was now 98 degrees but felt hotter of the street. Not the hottest I ever been but it was warm. Last time we were in new york it was -5F which is -11C. I think next time we will come in autumn or spring.

One

 

Two

 

Three

 

Wine with Dinne
Tony Di Napoli’s 

As previously mentioned dinner was great and I would highly recommend Tony’s to anyone, we were lucky to get there early enough to avoid a wait but by the time we were leaving they were out the door waiting on a table. We have a very nice local wine with our dinner as recommended by our waiter Gregorio.

Tomorrow we are off to explore Central Park and of course I HAVE to visit the apple store.

Pittsburgh and Harrisburg Pennsylvania

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After a stopover in Columbus Ohio we arrived in downtown Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.

We actually crossed in to the state of West Virginia for a short while on our drive to Pittsburgh, three states in one day, might be our record.

What a surprise we parked near the market square and walked all over the downtown area which was well laid out and buzzing with lunchtime workers.

Smithfield Bidge
Station Square

Same bridge builder
as Brooklyn Bridge

We walked across the Smithfield bridge to have a look at the Monongahela Incline. The Monongahela Incline, built by John Endres in 1870, is located near the Smithfield Street Bridge in Pittsburgh. It is the oldest continuously operating funicular in the USA. It is also one of two surviving inclines (the other is the nearby Duquesne Incline) from the original 17 passenger-carrying inclines built in Pittsburgh starting in the late 19th century.

Its lower station is across the street from the Station Square shopping complex, and is easily accessible from the light rail system at the Station Square station. Station Square is a 52-acre (210,000 m2) indoor and outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,United States. With 275,000 square feet (25,500 m2) of retail space, it features 65 stores, restaurants and entertainment venues, including The Ampthitheatre at Station Square and the 396-room Sheraton at Station Square. 

Pittsburgh is the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates (Baseball) and Pittsburgh Steelers (Football). The Pirates were playing the day we were in town they continued on their winning way beating the Cincinnati Reds.

On July 15, and again on July 18, the Pirates moved into first place of the NL Central. This marked the first two times that the Pirates were in first place this late in the season since 1997.

We stayed at the La Quinta Pittsburgh and headed for Harrisburg PA. We stayed off the interstate and were able to see some of the smaller places along the way. We crossed the Appalachian Mountain range but on the roads here it is hard to tell as all inclines and declines are so gradual. It not until you look behind do you realise how high you have climbed. Directly to the north of Harrisburg is the Blue Mountain ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. Due to the heat haze it really was blue.

We stopped of for a break along the Juniata River is a tributary of the Susquehanna River, approximately 90 miles (145 km) long, in central Pennsylvania in theUnited States. The river is considered scenic along much of its route, having a broad and shallow course passing through several mountain ridges and steeply-lined water gaps.

We pulled into the La Quinta in Harrisburg and Ian said, “We have been at this hotel before” he pointed out where we parked last time. I checked the records and yes we did stay here in 2009 the only difference in 09 it was snowy and very cold and in 2011 it was 40 degrees and humid.
Parking space we were in 2009

After a restful night we headed to the Amish country to take a look around. We had been here before but due to the cold we didn’t get to see too much. It was pleasant and they take such pride in their home. All homes had some colour in the garden. Lots and lots of corn they grow it in any clear space even right up to the villages and homes. We visited the farmers market in Bird in Hand,
I tasted many cheeses and meat samples that are made available to to visitors. The food was so good I wanted to buy it all. We settled on a pretzel (me) and tropical smoothy (Ian). The pretzel was good but the smoothly was sensational, the best I ever tasted. It was made with banana, passionfruit, mango and yoghurt. The bakery also had some great pies and cakes, I particularly liked the birthday cake made out of cup cakes. The Cookie Monster was really well done.

We then made the three hour drive to Wayne New Jersey 24 miles out of New York, we are going to have a rest day here before heading into the big smoke’. Looking forward to going to a Yankees game on Monday,

Berries the best I’ve seen and tasted

Corn growing right behind shops

The Preserves were fantastic. Tasted good too!!

Made with patty cakes

Louisville, Lexington Kentucky and Churchill Downs

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Shared a plate BBQ from Logans

 

We decided that our first day in Kentucky would be a rest day. We had a lie in then went to Best Buy to replace our trusty TomTom who started to freeze up on startup occasionally.
We decided it was time to upgrade and we purchase the new an improved model for under $150. After our short shopping trip, we had a light lunch (as light as you can get here anyway) before heading back to the room to relax.
Barbaro won 2006 Derby broke down in Preakness
put down in 2007 after a year of trying to save him
Day 2 Louisville we set off to find Churchill Downs home of the Kentucky Derby. We did the behind the scenes tour of the course and it was very informative.

Take the virtual tour 

Seating prices on track skyrockets
on Derby Day

 

Dad had Green with White? Colours
The track, they run
Melbourne way of going

 

The saddling paddock. The horses are saddled in the stalls
after they are walked over from barn before the race
Walking through the betting area

 

Grindstone’s saddle 1996 winner

Such history they have never missed holding the race since 1875. Through two world wars, the civil war and the battle of Little Big Horn the race has been run.

After Churchill Downs, we headed downtown to check out the Steamboat Belle of St Louisville on the river.

It was another hot day so we headed back to the hotel around three to rest up and cool off.

Day three we headed to Lexington via Versailles to explore the Keeneland track and drive past some of the many stud farms in the area.

 

Some pictures from our morning spent at Keeneland race track

Keeneland is a Thoroughbred horse racing facility and sales complex in Lexington, Kentucky, USA. Operated by the Keeneland Association, Inc., it is also known for its reference library on the sport, which contains more than 10,000 volumes, an extensive videocassette collection, and a substantial assemblage of photo negatives and newspaper clippings.

In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Keeneland was ranked #1 of the top ten tracks. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Keeneland was founded in 1935 as a nonprofit racing–auction entity on 147 acres (0.59 km2) of farmland west of Lexington, which had been owned by Jack Keene, a driving force behind the building of the facility.

It has used proceeds from races and its auctions to further the thoroughbred industry as well as to contribute to the surrounding community. The racing side of Keeneland, Keeneland Race Course, has conducted live race meets in April and October since 1936.

It added a grass course in 1985. The spring meet contains several preps for the Kentucky Derby (held the first Saturday in May), the most notable of which is the Blue Grass Stakes. The fall meet features several Breeders’ Cup preps.

All the stud farms are well fences often with two lines of fencing forming lanes around the property.

Downtown Lexington

 

Downtown Lexington

 

Haven’t heard from Three Chimneys Farm about the tour will try and take it in on the way back to Texas.

Yes, Kentucky is the home of KFC and no we didn’t eat any while we were here. KFC was founded and is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States.

The Colonel was born and raised in Henryville, Indiana, Sanders passed through several professions in his lifetime. Sanders first served his fried chicken in 1930 in the midst of the Great Depression at a gas station he owned in North Corbin, Kentucky. The dining area was named Sanders Court & Café and was so successful that in 1935 Kentucky Governor Ruby Laffoon granted Sanders the title of honorary Kentucky Colonel in recognition of his contribution to the state’s cuisine.

There’s more to Nashville than Country Music

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Wow what a surprise Nashville turned out to be. We had an expectation of street lined with bars and lots of music but not much else.

They do have music row and the honky tonk district, yes we saw the bar where Keith Urban got his break, but there is so much more to Nashville. History culture, pretty parks and gardens all go with the music and the bar to make Nashville a very interesting place to visit.

We purchased on the Trolley tour (audio failed on trolley) and due to a false start became a bus tour our guide was sensational and gave us so much information. I wish I could remember all the facts he told us during this very informative and very the entertaining 2 hour tour. Thanks Kevin you were worth waiting for.

Some of what we learned:
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee I always thought Memphis was the capital. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home to a large number of colleges and universities. It is most notably known as a center of the music industry, earning it the nickname “Music City”.

Re-creation of Parthenon

We  destinations include Fort Nashborough being a reconstruction of the original settlement, the latter being a semi-restored Civil War battle fort; theTennessee State Museum; and The Parthenon, a full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens. The Tennessee State Capitol is one of the oldest working state capitol buildings in the nation, while The Hermitage is one of the older presidential homes open to the public.

Nashville is often labeled the “Athens of the South” due to the many colleges and universities in the city and metropolitan area.

Numerous music clubs and honky tonk bars can be found in downtown Nashville, especially the area encompassing Lower Broadway, Second Avenue, and Printer’s Alley, which is often referred to as “the District”

The bells play on the hour

Civil War history is important to the city’s tourism industry. 
View up to Capitol Building
Sites pertaining to the Battle of Nashville and the nearby Battle of Franklin and Battle of Stones River can be seen, along with several well-preserved antebellum plantation houses such as Belle Meade Plantation, Carnton plantation in Franklin, and Belmont Mansion

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Nashville and it would be a great city to spend more time in. After lunch at Demos (recommended by our trusty tour guide Kev) we set sail for Louisville Kentucky. 
Keith Urban made his break
playing in the corner of this bar
We are going to stay 3 nights in Louisville and have a rest day tomorrow. Looking forward to visiting Churchill Downs
Picture from the drive……

Home for the next 3 days