June 15
We have had great weather for our time here in Nashville,
though very hot & steamy.
I booked a paddleboat cruise down the Cumberland River with
lunch & entertainment for today. Due to some boat races going on in the
city, we had to do an upriver tour instead. (didn’t matter in the least) https://generaljackson.com/
Once we boarded they proceeded to feed us before the show
started. It was a buffet of fried chicken, smoked pulled pork, salad, potato
salad, beans, veggies, bread and cobbler for dessert. We were seated at tables
for 10 and our tablemates were 2 widowed ladies traveling together and a family
of 5 whose mother was deaf and had her support puppy in training with her. Cute
little guy. She was good at reading lips and the family signed everything for
her. At one point, the puppy started licking my knees under the table. (I didn't tell on him) The 2
women didn’t talk at all unless forced to answer a question, but everyone else
was quite personable.
We had pretty good seats for the show “Taste of Tennessee”
which featured all types of country music. (Bluegrass, classic country, fiddler
tunes, patriotic and new country, even some Elvis hits) It was a very
entertaining show.
we were in the second row on the right
After the show you could go anywhere you wanted on the boat
to watch us rollin’ down (or up in our case) the river or up front where 2 of
the guys sang. Very nice peaceful tour.
We had a half an hour before our Backstage Grand Ole Opry
tour started, and we made it just in the nick of time. The line to exchange the
voucher was long, but we made it.
It was a very interesting tour and we saw all of the
dressing rooms and got to walk out onto the stage and even got to stand at the
main microphone that sits on the 6 foot wooden circle taken from the Ryman
which was the original home of the “Barn Dance” & Grand Ole Opry.
“"THE CIRCLE" A six-foot circle of wood sits
center stage at the Grand Ole Opry House, removed from the Ryman Auditorium
stage when the show moved to the Opry House in 1974. Cut from the stage of the
historic Ryman Auditorium and inserted into the Grand Ole Opry House in 1974,
that circle of oak has been stood on and sang on by country legends from Hank
Williams and Johnny Cash to today's Opry regulars, including Vince Gill and
Brad Paisley. Even Elvis Presley once stood and sang on it in 1954 ... followed
by countless singers awestruck by the legacy of that circle of wood beneath
their feet.”
the seats are like church pews with some padding
where the members get their mail
where the stars enter the building
where the house band hangs out
these are the original pews from the Ryman & reserved for the performers family & friends
on the circle
Jennifer, I thought of you since you also watch the TV show
Nashville. They had a display there with the dresses worn by Juliette and
Scarlet when they first performed at the Grand Ole Opry on the show. The guy
that plays Deacon performs there sometimes and they pointed out which dressing
room he prefers. The trolley tour also pointed out the apartment building where
Will Lexington went to rent an apartment on the show.
Juliette's dress on the left & Scarlet's on the right
It was a great tour of such an iconic institution.
We stopped at the mall nearby and got a cold drink for the
drive home.
This looked like a really fun tour and day.
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