Wrapping Up Nashville--on to Niagara Falls!

After four very enjoyable days of seeing the best that Nashville had to offer, we headed home. It was still warm there, but some places in Illinois had snow that we learned about as we headed north.

It was very nice just to set our bags outside the door, and have them loaded on the bus for us. There was one last good breakfast at the hotel, and we settled in on the bus for a movie, a nap, some brain teaser games, or whatever!

One final order of business was to give Carol a small gift of appreciation for all the effort she put into making it a wonderful trip. Thanks to Janet Burnett for helping with a gift idea. As you can see, Carol was surprised and pleased.                   

As promised at the beginning of this trip summary, we will identify those who made the journey with us.
 
Pictured at the Parthenon are: Front row left to right: Joe Harrison, Glennon Schlitt, Martha Speir, Karen Barker, Rusti Grogan, Anita Dickey, and Joy Richey.

Second row/middle: Kathy Harrison, Carol Schlitt, Pam Slack, Rachel Richey,  Sharon Kuhns, Cammy Seguin, and Cyndi Westjohn.

The back rows include Donna Mueller, Rick and Ruby Lingle, Jananne Finck, Gary Slack, Janet Burnett, Sheila Grebel-Kertz, Debbie McClellan, Clyde and Linda Griffey, Pam and Tom Binger.

And--if I have anyone incorrectly identified, someone please tell me.

As hinted in the title of today's post, tentative plans are to visit Niagara Falls in October 2016. Watch for more details from Carol as she puts together another fun experience!

Nashville Trip--Opryland Hotel

Our Saturday afternoon treat was a tour of Opryland. The traffic was bumper to bumper, but we finally arrived. Everyone opted to spend their time at the Opryland Hotel rather than shopping. It was definitely worth it to see the lavish decor!

This was a Poinsettia Christmas tree made of red, white, and pink poinsettias.

  

An outside tree of wire and lights was equally striking--even more so when it got a little darker.       
               
The outdoor nativity scene was exceptional!

There were too many beautiful things to include a picuture of them all here.

Some people found a craft and gift show where they did some shopping. Others enjoyed a variety of refreshments.
                                                      

Another highlight was "The Brightest Star Fountain Show." It was a very enjoyable combination of the water, lights, and music. 

Then it was off to dinner at the Eastland Cafe. This was a stylish neighborhood eatery with a menu that needed a bit of interpretation in places. We all had a chance to try some dishes we don't eat everyday. And, once again, we headed back to the hotel after being very well fed.

Nashville Trip--Day 4--up to late afternoon

Our morning began with a tour of The Hermitage. It was the home of Andrew Jackson, America's 7th President. He was called "Tough as Old Hickory" and the name "Old Hickory" stuck with him for the rest of his life. Jackson first fought on a Revolutionary War battlefield at age 13. He is famous for stonewalling the British and engineering one of America's most stunning military victories at the Battle of New Orleans. He was President from 1829-1837.

The original Hermitage mansion was built between 1819 and 1821. It was remodeled, expanded, and suffered a damaging fire during Jackson's presidency. It was re-built again, and he lived there until his death in 1845. We learned lots about our country's early history as we toured the home and grounds.

After we finally found Whitt's Barbecue, we had lunch there. One wrong turn created a slight detour! We enjoyed our meal because we were hungry--and we had the whole place to ourselves!

Then it was on to the Johnny Cash Museum. This photo shows the many faces of Johnny Cash, and he was certainly a multi-talented individual! The museum is a world class collection of memorabilia that tell the story of Cash's life. We all had our picture taken there--with Johnny in the background. Amazing what photo-shop can do!

Then it was on to our tour of the Opryland Hotel. More on this next time.