Because of the long Thanksgiving weekend, I decided this was the best time to go to a new place, like Nashville, and visit a very good friend of mine while I was there. You know, two birds...one stone.
We headed out across the Appalachian Mtns right after the tryptophan in the turkey wore off. First stop on my trip to Nashville was the newly renovated Opryland Hotel, and it did not disappoint. After living in Los Angeles for 10 years, I am no stranger to Las Vegas and the hotels there. If you like a little Vegas, this place is really amazing - a little Vegas-y, with big country style.
The Hotel has just reopened after the floods back in May 2010. It has over 2,800 rooms (seriously) with 3 main sections, the Grand Ole Opry, an outlet mall, and a riverboat. It's really a compound....totally worth the trip to see in person!
This is from the Cascades section - it's a conservatory. See the glass ceiling? With rooms around the center restaurants and gardens. It's huge.
The Garden Conservatory section. Note the glass ceiling, and the skywalks on the right. Beautiful.
This is the Delta section, which had a little "town" built in with shops and restaurants. Again, under a glass ceiling, and surrounded by gardens.
We loved it!
Then on to Franklin, TN - which was nothing short of absolutely charming. My friend Mimi who now lives here (formerly from California) loves it too! The little, historic downtown of Franklin had great shops and restaurants.
We Had lunch at Merridee's Breadbasket - and it was outstanding. Great local place...but the tourists know about as well. I had their special: Chicken Salad Sandwich on fresh-baked wheat bread, chips, drink and a slice of homemade pie. (I opted for Fudge pie, and it was sublime. Not too sweet....with a homemade pie crust, of course.)
After a great lunch - a stroll around the downtown shops was definitely in order.
One of my favorite shops: The Iron Gate.
Beautiful things.
And Sweet Cece's - the place for ice cream and candy. My favorite things was they were decorated for the holidays with pink and green...including pink and green christmas lights!
And finally, to end the perfect day in Franklin, we had dinner at the Boxwood Bistro. A beautiful, upscale restaurant dressed up for the holidays. The food was superb, and it as just like having dinner at your fanciest relatives home....delicious, beautiful, and comfortable.
Big sigh.
What a great trip! So far, I am really enjoying the Travel Section of my blog. California, Tennessee, ehat could be next? Stay tuned for next month's TOTM....to be announced on December 1st.
GT40
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