Keith wrote:
> I'll be traveling to Tennessee in May. I need some 3* and 4* hotel
> recommendations for both Nashville and Memphis. Internet access is a
> necessity, preferably free wireless. I'm guessing I might be able to
> poach some anyways, if its in a populated downtown area.
>
> In Nashville, we've contemplated staying at the Gaylord Opryland
> Hotel, but I'm not sure how smart that would be to base our tourist
> operations 13 miles outside of the city. Opinions on that? How is
> public parking near main attractions within Nashville?
The Opryland Hotel is to a large degree a tourist attraction itself. If
you intend to see a performance of the Grand Ol' Opry, the Opry Hall is
adjacent to the hotel. (assuming they don't go back to the Ryman
downtown during your visit. They do that from time to time, indeed last
weekend's show was at the Ryman) There are also paddlewheel steamer
cruises on the Cumberland River leaving from the adjacent mall.
There are plenty of parking garages in downtown Nashville; in my
experience you won't have any trouble parking downtown, even during the
week. It won't be free but prices are in line with other cities of
similar size.
Centennial Park (the Parthenon etc.) parking can be difficult on
weekends but that shouldn't be an issue on a weekday.
Any other attraction I can think of has its own parking.
> Along those same lines, in either city, are there alternatives to
> downtown(proper?) that might make sense to stay in? Like Midtown/
> Overton Square/Park in Memphis, or Music Valley in Nashville?
I'm trying to remember exactly where Music Valley *is*! (if you live in
a city you tend to not pay a whole lot of attention to its hotels)
I'm thinking it's the next exit south of Opryland - just as far from
downtown and no longer within walking distance of the Opry House etc..
Opryland is about three miles from the airport. All the other common
chains exist in this vicinity as well and would be reasonable
alternatives. There are decent places to the south in the
Brentwood/Franklin area but that's further from the attractions.
> We'll have access to a car the entire trip.
>
> With 4 days in Nashville and 4 in Memphis, which attractions are not
> to be missed? We're a well-traveled early thirties couple with wide
> ranging interests with food and music high on our priority list. We
> like everything from art/history museums to zoo's(Which one is
> better?) & aquariums, science centers, live music/dinner shows, scenic
> overlooks, parks/gardens, plantations, wine tastings, etc. We dislike
> loud overly crowded places and cheesy tourist strips that sell tons of
> t-shirts, plastic souvenirs, shot-glasses, and refrigerator magnets.
Some of these are probably obvious but:
- Opryland Hotel (even if you don't stay there, drive up & take a walk
through the lobby)
- Grand Ol' Opry http://www.opry.com/ . Of course the famous live radio
broadcast is on Saturday night but there are afternoon and weekday shows
as well.
- General Jackson river cruises
- Frist Museum of the Visual Arts (downtown)
- Centennial Park (~3mi. west of downtown)
- Parthenon (in Centennial Park), a 1890s reproduction of the real
Parthenon. There's a museum inside the Parthenon as well.
- Ryman Auditorium (downtown), where the Opry was held for decades. The
Opry occasionally returns to that venue, and there are other shows held
there as well. Tours are held during the day.
- Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge. Goes from just south of downtown to
the Titans football stadium. You don't need to go all the way across -
there are benches halfway across the Cumberland, which are an excellent
vantage point for observing the riverfront, where Nashville got its start.
- I would recommend a walk through downtown in general. You might see
something interesting I forgot about.
- Percy Warner Park. HUGE. (and adjacent to his brother Edwin's Warner
Park) There's at least one excellent scenic overlook in this park,
probably more. It's a good place for a picnic. Also has hiking trails.
(2.5 and 4.5 mi., plus another 2.5mi. trail in Edwin Warner) There's a
nature center in Edwin Warner. The parks are ~10mi. southwest of
downtown. http://www.nashville.gov/parks/warner.htm
- Cheekwood Botanical Gardens are near the Warner Parks. I will
sheepishly admit to having never been there but others tell me they're a
must-see.
- Nashville Zoo is ~5mi. south of downtown. I'll leave it to others to
tell whether it's better than Memphis'.
- Adventure Science Center is just outside the downtown freeway loop.
- Andrew Jackson's plantation "The Hermitage" (http://thehermitage.com/)
~5mi. east of Opryland.
- Stones River National Battlefield near Murfreesboro, ~30mi. southeast
of Nashville. There are other Civil War sites spread around the area,
including some within the city.
- Natchez Trace Parkway. Leaves the southwest corner of Davidson
County; follow it as far as you wish. (as you might guess, it ends in
Natchez, Miss.)
I'm sure I've missed something!
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com |
