Well, it's not exactly Indiana, but Nashville, Tennessee is 2 1/2 hours from Louisville - an easy drive from much of Indiana. What a beautiful city!
A bit of honesty here - we're not huge country music fans. Although I like some country now and then, and I love bluegrass, we definitely aren't big fans of different artists or the history of country music. So, Nashville has never been on the radar. Then, when we were listening to an audio tour of the Parthenon while in Athens, Greece, we learned that there is a full-scale Parthenon replica in Nashville! As we discussed summer travels, the kids and I quickly brought up going to see it. So, we started looking into what else there is to do in Nashville. Turns out, there is a lot!
We drove down Friday night after work, getting in fairly late due to traffic and construction. Saturday morning we headed straight to Centennial Park to see the Parthenon. Built for the 1897 Centennial Exposition, the park is beautiful! We loved walking around the lake, reading about the statues and enjoying all of the birds, trees and other wildlife.
Of course the highlight was the Parthenon. The original Parthenon in Greece is an amazing structure, and we are so fortunate to have been able to see it this year. But, this Parthenon is complete and undamaged by wars (most significantly an attack by the Venetians against the Ottomans who were storing ammunition inside the Parthenon. . .), time, greed (including British diplomat removing important sculptures to take back to Britain), and pollution. It helped us to understand what the original Parthenon looked like in the height of it's glory. And, it contains the Athena Parthenos, a giant golden statue of Athena that disappeared from the original Parthenon centuries ago). Just amazing! The inside of the Parthenon is an art museum containing historical artifacts about Nashville, beautiful photos of the Acropolis including the Parthenon in Athens in the 1800s and art donated to the museum in addition to the beautiful Athena statue.
We decided to head to Broadway in downtown Nashville where we enjoyed walking around the city and seeing the city's unique culture. We ate lunch at a delicious hamburger restaurant and enjoyed some excellent country music. We toured Hatch Show Print, the oldest continuously operating print shop in the nation.
After a relaxing break in the air conditioning, we headed out to Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, to tour the Carnton Plantation. Built by a prominent politician in the area and his Louisiana-born wife, the house is beautiful! But, it is most significantly known for its role in the Civil War Battle of Franklin when it was used as a hospital. The tour of the house was amazing! I didn't know much about Nashville in the Civil War, but it was the first southern city to fall to the Union. It was held without battle through much of the war, but eventually, on November 30, 1864, the desperate Confederate Army decided to take it back. What ensued in Franklin was one of the bloodiest battles of the war - 7500 Confederate and 2500 Union soldiers were killed or injured. The family stayed to help with the care of these men from both sides, many of whom had to stay for months after to recover. We learned so much about the Civil War and about the people who were involved in it. We learned about the role that Carey, the woman of the house, played in the care of these men and as a result about women during that time period. The Civil War was pioneered the concept of neutral hospitals (that treated soldiers from both sides) and the practice of triage. We learned about the politics of the area, the life of the family, and the reality of the Civil War. I can't recommend this tour enough!
Sunday we spent touring the Hermitage, the home of President (and General) Andrew Jackson. The grounds are beautiful, the house is fascinating and incredibly well preserved (92% of the furniture is original to the house and 6 rooms have original wall paper!), and the experience is peaceful and educational. I learned so much about Andrew Jackson - his family, his politics, his controversies. I learned how much he loved his wife and how controversial his marriage to her was. I learned about his expansion of the role of the executive branch. I learned about his military victories, and the way he treated the Native Americans he encountered on those military campaigns . I learned about Andrew Jackson as a man of the people and about Andrew Jackson the slave owner. They presented a complex picture of Andrew Jackson that shows that no one is all good or all bad. I loved the audio tour (included in the ticket price). I loved the personal stories. It made the grounds come alive. In addition, the gardens were amazing, and we even saw 2 deer nibbling on the grass near the house on a quiet Sunday morning.
This 45 minute movie in the Hermitage Museum was Brother's highlight of the trip. He loves presidential history, and he's seen many documentaries on Andrew Jackson but he found this the most informative part of all.
We attempted to visit Fort Nashborough, the original site of Nashville, but it was closed for remodeling.
Overall, we learned a lot about history and a little bit about Nashville culture. We had a great time and enjoyed the time away from our regular lives together. All in all, a great trip!
Details:
The Parthenon
2500 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203
615-862-8431
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00am-4:30pm, Sundays 12:30 -4:30 pm, Closed Monday
Cost: $6 adults, $4 seniors and children 4-17, under 4 free
Carnton Plantation
1345 Eastern Flank Cir, Franklin, TN 37064
http://www.boft.org/carnton.htm
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 am-5 pm, Sunday 11-5
Cost: Adults $15, Children 6-12 $12, under 6 free (coupon for $2 off/person available at visitors center) or buy combination ticket with other civil war attractions in the area. Includes tour of mansion.
Hermitage
4580 Rachel’s Lane, Nashville, TN 37067
http://thehermitage.com/
Hours: October 16-March 14 9:00-4:00, March 15-October 15 8:30-5:00. Check for holiday hours.
Cost: Adults $20, Senior $17, Child (6-12) $10, Student $15, Active Military free, Veterans $10, Family (2 adults, 2 children) $54 - includes audio tour and tour of the mansion
Additional options available for a cost.
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