Nashville Country Music U.S.A.

We had a short drive yesterday to Seven Points COE Campground in Hermitage, Tennessee.

We have another gorgeous site on J. Percy Priest Lake 

right on the water with magnificent sunset views.

This morning, we drove to downtown Nashville to take

the Music City Rollin' Jamboree Tour.

What fun it was! We were entertained with jokes and singing as well as information about the city. Devon Cox sang throughout the tour and we were encouraged to sing right along.  We found out Devon was from Austin, Texas so that made it even better.

We were laughing throughout the tour.

Here is the Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry.

The CMT building towers high above downtown.

Belmont University has world renowned music and music business programs with famous alumni that includes Brad Paisley, Trisha Yearwood, Josh Turner, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and Leigh Ann Womack.

Our tour stopped at Antique Archaeology, home of The American Pickers.

We were able to get off the bus to go through the store.

This is Union Station which started out as a train station in 1900, it is now the Union Station Hotel.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was driving down Broadway with the windows down and all of us singing Country Roads.  What fun!

After the bus tour, we continued our sightseeing downtown heading to the Bridgestone Arena.

The Oscar Mayer Weinermobile drove by us as we were walking down Broadway.

We passed Tootsie's Orchid Lounge which

is connected by an alley to Ryman Auditorium.  During the tour, the guides told us a story about Minnie Pearl and Hank Williams, Sr.  The Grand Ole Opry would have two shows and the performers would sing just a couple of songs and then have to wait several hours before the next show.  Minnie Pearl was given the job to keep Hank Williams, Sr. out of Tootsie's between shows.  She wasn't very successful at it.

We walked by the Country Music Hall of Fame

on our way to our next destination, The Johnny Cash Museum.

We spent a couple of hours going through the museum full of Johnny Cash memorabilia.

Here is Johnny Cash's Country Music Awards and records.

This was his black guitar that is autographed by Gene Autry.  There were several movies throughout the museum.  There was a Sun Records exhibit with performance clips by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and my favorite, a 1950's Elvis impersonation by Johnny Cash.

I took a picture of Johnny Cash by his Lake House he and June Carter Cash shared for many years.  After his death, the home was sold to Barry Gibbs of the Bee Gees in 2006.  The home was undergoing a massive renovation when caught on fire and burnt to the ground.

It was a great day of sightseeing and we have lots more to do since we'll be here for two weeks!