Mother's Day

We slept fine at the Nashville Knight's Inn last night. We feared that the noisy group in the next room would keep us awake but they quieted down before midnight. 

The Knight's Inn is certainly no frills but it is clean, comfortable and quiet. In addition, it is very convent to most of the places we will be visiting and was the most affordable place in the area. Since we are in the motel only from about 11 pm until 7 am there is little logic in paying for a pricier motel when we are in the room so little. 

We grabbed a quick breakfast from what was available at the motel (pretty much the standard Belgian waffles, Fruit Loops and small apples) supplemented by some items brought from home. 

We left the motel for the Country Music Hall of Fame around 8:30 and arrived quickly since our motel is close.  Parking is a premium in Nashville.  The first place we attempted to park had a fee of $32 for us to park for the day.  We went to the public library where weekend parking has a flat rate of $7 which suited us much better.

We were at the County Music Hall of Fame when the doors opened at 9 am and enjoyed our walk around the museum.  Like the night before at the Grand Old Opry, photography is not only allowed but is encouraged.  That is so unlike other museums.  The exhibits were excellent and well displayed.  We had audio devices that narrate the self-guided tour but the signage was very descriptive and there were many videos throughout the exhibits.  We enjoyed seeing the guitars, clothes and memorabilia from many Nashville stars such as Hank Williams, Kitty Wells and George Jones. 

One of the special exhibits was on the Bakersfield Sound, a movement that came from singers and songwriters that came from the San Joaquin Valley.  Many of these performers or their families migrated to California during the dust bowl era from the South when times were hard.  Featured in the Bakersfield exhibit were Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.

Our appointment to tour the famous Studio B was at 10:30 so we boarded a bus to the facility on Music Row.  Our guide was excellent and gave us a lot of information on the acts who have performed there that included some of the biggest names in country, bluegrass and rock music in history as well as today.  We were able to sit at and play the piano in the studio where Elvis most liked to play and record.  The studio is still in operation and was recording music as recently as yesterday.

After returning to the County Music Hall of Fame, we went to Patsy Cline exhibit that we didn’t have time to see earlier.  We were surprised to learn that she had her first performance in Martinsburg, WV.  There was information on Huntington’s own, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas from West Union, Ohio.

By then it was nearing lunchtime so we left in search of barbecue but passed Ernest Tubb’s Record Shop along the way.  There was a huge variety of music on CD as well as vinyl there along with sheet music and biographies.  The store isn’t large but has a lot of music.  The staff was extremely helpful and knowledgeable.

Jack’s Barbecue was calling our names.  We stood in line briefly to order (Mary=brisket, Emily=smoked turkey, Steve=pork shoulder) then took our meals upstairs to eat.  We shared each other’s meat couldn’t make a decision as to who had the better choice.  Everything was very tasty.  The meat was fully cooked but very moist and tender.  The side dishes were quite good with the baked beans being a little smoky with bits of pork, the cole slaw had a nice vinegar dressing with no mayo and the apples were sweet but not overly so with a lot of apple taste.  This was an excellent choice for lunch.

After lunch, we walked a short distance to the famous Ryman Auditorium where the Grand Old Opry was housed from 1943-1974.  The acoustics in the auditorium were outstanding.  It is said that only the Mormon Tabernacle has better acoustics than the Ryman.  There was a lot of memorabilia on display and a number of video and audio stations.  Our backstage tour left at 2:20 taking us through dressing rooms and backstage areas of the auditorium that still hosts many concerts and shows.  We were impressed that the seats allowed everyone an excellent view of the stage.  It was clear that the new home of the Grand Old Opry borrowed design elements from the old Ryman.

On leaving the Ryman, we visited the Music City Walk of Fame and saw where many influences of Nashville’s music are honored.  We drove back to the Knight’s Inn to rest before going out to dinner at La Hacienda Taqueria.  Emily had a chile relleno burrito, Mary had huevos con chorizo and Steve had a barbacoa platter.  All of us enjoyed the meal.

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