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Central Tennessee
The heartland of the state was a crucial theatre of operations during the American Civil War. At Carter House, in Franklin, the bullet-pocked walls bear witness to one of the deadliest battles of the campaign. For those with a taste for military history as well as the macabre, the Tennessee Antebellum Trail offers daily tours to nine historic sites, including the blood-stained floors of Carnton Mansion, where, after the battle at Franklin, the bodies of five Confederate generals once lay. Starting in Nashville, this 145km (90-mile) drive also takes in the Rippavilla Plantation, dating from 1852, where the five generals ate their last breakfast.
Aside from its martial past, this beautiful and lively region also boasts a musical and entertainment heritage. Country music is alive and well at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium.
Connoisseurs of bourbon should note that the famous Jack Daniel Distillery offers daily guided tours (0900-1630) and much insight into Mister Jack’s famous distilling process.
Visitors with a passion for open countryside should visit the area where the Tennessee Walking Horses graze or the ancient Cumberland Plateau, which forms a natural boundary between Middle and East Tennessee. Waterfalls, deep river canyons, parks and resorts characterise this historic region.
NASHVILLE: The home of Country music, Tennesse’s capital is known as ‘Music City USA’. The centre of Nashville’s music industry is Music Row, around Division and Demonbreun streets. Spanning an entire city block, the new Country Music Hall of Fame, located in the revitalised entertainment district of central Nashville, opened in 2001.
Nashville has a reputation as the ‘Athens of the South’, and boasts a life-sized replica of the Parthenon in Centennial Park. It features Athena, the ‘tallest indoor statue in the Western World’, and the celebrated Cowan Collection of American Paintings. In central Nashville, Union Station Hotel at 1001 Broadway has a magnificent arched ceiling of stained glass, whilst the District area features the cast-iron and masonry of its late 19th-century commercial buildings, as well as numerous restaurants and clubs.
Galleries and museums, many of which reflect Tennessee’s Antebellum and plantation history, include the Van Vechten Gallery, exhibiting collections by Picasso, Renoir and Cézanne as well as displays of work by Alfred Steiglitz and Georgia O’Keeffe. Another popular attraction is the Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s manor house. Admission includes a visit to nearby Tulip Grove Mansion. The Bicentennial Mall was built to honour the State’s founding in 1776. The Opryland Hotel and Convention Center features The Delta, an indoor, quarter-mile river, complete with four 25-passenger flatboats.
ENTERTAINMENT: The Grand Ole Opry is the setting for the nation’s longest-running music show, which moved here in 1976 (the original setting, Ryman, has been renovated and is also open to the public) and is the place to hear Country music on Friday and Saturday nights. Gaylord Entertainment Center hosts concerts, sporting events and conventions while Opry Mills is a new shopping and entertainment resort covering more than 750 acres on the site of former Opryland USA. Good venues for live music include Caffé Milano (jazz, bluegrass and rock), Henry’s Coffee House with acoustic performances and Canyon Country Saloon, which features up and coming artists. Lucy’s Record Shop sells music during the day, but on Friday and Saturday hosts the latest alternative performers, and the funky Radio Café, an old pharmacy, features national artists playing Blues, Country, Jazz and Rock. The Nashville Scene or the Tennessean newspapers list all live music events.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Mar 2003 Heart of Country Antiques Show, Nashville. Apr Mule Day, Columbia. May Nashville River Stages (including performances by over 60 bands), Riverfront Park, Nashville; Iroquois Steeplechase, Percy Warner Park, Nashville. Jun Nashville Independent Film Festival, Nashville; International Country Music Fan Fair, Nashville. Jul Official State & National Championship Smithville Fiddlers’ Jamboree and Crafts Festival, Smithville Square; Uncle Dave Macon Days, Cannonsburgh Village, Murfreesboro. Aug-Sep Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, Shelbyville; Italian Street Fair, Nashville. Sep Tennessee State Fair, Nashville. Oct Jack Daniels World Championship Cookoff, Lynchburg. Nov-Dec Cheekwood’s Trees of Christmas, Cheekwood Botanical Gardens, Nashville.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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