We left Louisville after a little anxiety over getting out of the KOA Metro park. A choice of backing out of our site, around the office building and into the gas station area, or drive straight ahead and maneuver around parked rv's, make a sharp left hand turn, then a sharp right hand turn, and after all that, hook up Gus for towing. Whew! So after a couple of cups of coffee, we chose the straight ahead route. Donna walked ahead, pointing out possible hazardous areas and checking for traffic. And a fine job she did, too. In spite of blocking the exit for 15 minutes or so while we hooked up Gus, we made it out with little fanfare and on to I65 south. Most of the highway system in Louisville is under construction, with speeds reduced to the 30's and 40's due to one lane restrictions, but we navigated through fairly well.
Somewhere in LaRue county we moved into Central Time Zone, and picked up a much needed hour! We also made note of several things we want to come back and see as time permits. Tennessee is know for it's distilleries and the major reason for that is the limestone rock that naturally filters the water. Limestone is also fairly soft, and over time, dripping water and moving streams create a wondrous underground system of caves. We saw signs for several state parks centered around caves that we would like to see. Some caves are privately owned, and even have underground zip lines! Now that would be something! Another reason for returning to the I65 corridor is Bowling Green, Kentucky. Home of the GM plant manufacturing Corvettes, as well as the privately owned Corvette Museum. These alone warrant a return trip!
We pulled into the Nashville North KOA at about 1:30, got settled into site 19, and talked about what to do with the afternoon. Donna was up for going "to town", so we punched in the address for the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center and hit the road. The hotel (a somewhat underwhelming title) is a sprawling complex of several separate areas joined by a complex of walkways. Each element in the design includes water features, canals and fountains. The entry is so huge that a photo was impossible, but we got this shot from across the street of one of the wings. The Resort contains 2,881 rooms, 220 suites, and 15 restaurants. It is owned by Gaylord Hotels, a division of Ryman Hospitality, and is managed by Marriott International. It is the largest non-casino hotel in the continental United States outside of Las Vegas. Oh, Boy!
The main checkin area is centered with a wondrous blown glass piece symbolizing the limitless resurgence and rebirth of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. The piece shows flowers of all sizes from buds to full flowers, and is very pretty!
The stained glass ceiling over the flower piece includes butterflies, flowers, ladybugs, musical instruments and bees.
The Cascade is a segment of the Resort enclosed by a huge glass cover.
And is named for the waterfalls in the center.
The Delta is so named for the New Orleans flavor with a canal boat ride.
The Magnolia is the center of the Convention area. Huge rooms on several floors are available for private events.
One atrium area was reserved for a wedding. We didn't intrude, but took a photo from an elevated walkway.
Somewhere along in here, we were overwhelmed by the immensity and complexity of the Resort and forgot the name of the last atrium! A guest should never need to leave the Resort, with two Starbucks and 13 other restaurants available for use. Of course, the calming water features and magnificent greenery will provide multiple areas for sitting and relaxing.
Within walking distance of the Resort, the Grand Ole Opry building is another work of art itself. Unfortunately, the Opry is only open three days a week, and today wasn't one of them. We took a couple of pix and visited the gift shop (of course, that was open!). The young lady who helped us make a couple of purchases had just moved to Nashville from Southern California, just a few miles from where Donna and I grew up. Once again: Small World!
The main entrance to the Grand Ole Opry:
From the street:
And, of course, just across the parking lot is a huge shopping mall that we just had to visit! It really is a very nice mall with upscale stores and restaurants and even a 20 screen movie theater.
We're thankful for a nice place to stay after the tight quarters of the KOA in Louisville. The evening news tonight called for a huge storm to move into the area Monday evening about commute time that will include rain, hail, and wind, with a great possibility of "rotation", which is apparently a nice way of saying "tornado"! Whatever we do tomorrow, we need to be home for the excitement. We're parked under a big tree, which could be good or bad…..We'll see how it goes. Unlike those people in the West, we're praying for an end to the rain and storms that have plagued us all summer.
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