Bluebird Café & Marathon Motor Works - Nashville, TN

June 16

We decided to go back to Nashville to see a few things we didn’t get to see on the trolley tour.

Our first stop was just for a photo op of the Bluebird Café which is a 90-seat music club that opened in 1982. The club features acoustic music performed by its composers. Some performers are established singer/songwriters, and others perform songs written by other artists. It’s a place where many songwriters and singers got their start from being discovered there. (Jennifer, is it what you pictured after seeing it on Nashville?) It’s not located downtown where most everything else is, but in a non-descript strip mall in a regular part of town. It's only open in the evening.

Then we drove to Marathon Motor Works building. From 1907 to 1914, the company manufactured the Marathon automobile. It now acts like a museum of old manufacturing tools & equipment and some of the cars are housed across the street. Besides being a museum, there are numerous stores, comedy clubs and home to the American Pickers store. 

 the museum across the street that has the cars was closed, so we only saw them through the windows

After that we had some time on our hands before lunch, so we drove to the Centennial Park where the Parthenon replica was and No. 576 train which was donated to Centennial Park by the railroad in 1952. Steam locomotive No. 576 sits motionless at Centennial Park.

We loved Hattie B’s Hot Chicken so much that we went back for more. There are 2 other locations and we were told they wouldn’t have as long a wait. We found one (about 3 or 4 times bigger than the original) and there was only a short line due to having so much more seating capacity. Very good again and this time we tried the banana pudding. Best “nana puddin” I have ever had!

Before driving home, we took a couple of laps down Broadway & Church Street which was much busier on a weekend than when we were there before. 

 Ryman Auditorium 

 this passed out or sleeping guy had a sign that said "this cracker needs cheese" 

We left Music City behind and headed for home.

Touring the Hall of Fame & seeing the costumes, made me realize how tiny most of these performers were/are. (just in general how much thinner people were compared to now)

Tomorrow, we plan short day exploring Clarksville. It is home to Fort Campbell and is home of the Screaming Eagles, of the 101st Airborne. I should give credit to Kentucky as well since Fort Campbell is located astride the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville. 

We plan on visiting a State Park and the Riverfront area.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/4iHYDTM5nqP9d22VA