Before I chat about Nashville, a quick question. Who knows who this is? Shhhhh, if you know don’t yell out the answer.
There were three things Nashville didn’t have going for it as far as we were concerned. Firstly, it was hot. Secondly, and this is linked to the first, our apartment was only three blocks away from the heart of Nashville but it was three blocks down a big hill. Which meant it was three blocks up a big hill to get home when you were tired and hot! And thirdly, it just wasn’t New York!!
There were however three things that I was looking forward to. The Country and Western Museum, the Jack Daniels Distillery and BBQ ribs.
The evening of our arrival in Nashville we had tickets for the Grand Ol’ Opry classical westerns concert at the Ryman Theatre. We googled ‘ best bbq ribs in Nashville’ and found Jack’s BBQ on Broadway which is the main street of Nashville. So that was the plan, wander downtown, have a drink, have some ribs and go to the concert. First off we discovered that ‘down town’ was literal! Turning the corner into Broadway is quite an assault on the senses. The walk down is just like walking through the CBD of any city. As you hit the corner you can hear bands playing,
you turn the corner and Wham! Bam! You are hit with a mass of people, music so loud you can feel it vibrating in your body and and ear drums, and the smell of smoked ribs!
Some of the cafes had lines of people coming out the door. Jack’s BBQ didn’t. Perhaps we should have taken that as a sign, but we didn’t. It looked ok, we chose a plate of one meat and two sides each and found a seat. I can’t say anything else other than it was the worst meal I have had this trip, by far! Dry, dry meat, tasteless beans , gluggy mac n cheese and sickly sweet apple. The coleslaw was ok.
Thank goodness the concert was fabulous. It was hosted by Larry Gatlin with the Gatlin Bros playing supporting.
There were 4 performers, all well known to the dedicated C & W crowd who cheered and sang along enthusiastically. They each performed a couple of classics as well as one of their own hits. The only performer I knew, although not immediately by name, was Jimmy Fortune who was a member of the Stadler Bros. He sang “Flowers on the Wall” loved it way back then and love it now! We enjoyed all the classics of corse, The Ballad of Billy Joe was really well done, as was Behind Closed Doors.
The next day we were down the road again to the Country & Western Walk of Fame and Museum. Although I wouldn’t describe myself as a great C & W enthusiast, these songs and artists feature strongly in the soundtrack of my life! I have of course probably close to a hundred or more photos, which ones to choose……eeny, meeny, miny, mo….. here’s some of them. Definitely a winner!
And…… up the hill again! And whew! It was hot! We wondered around an arcade looking for lunch. What about this?
We finally decided on Cajun, probably about 1 out of 10 for service, which is very unusual for USA, but pretty near 10 for the Voodoo Chicken.
As we stood looking at the window of a boot shop a young guy passing us said”You can always tell the tourists, they’re the only ones wearing boots”
There was no way we were going downtown again in the evening so decided we would find a bar on level ground, oh guess what? It’s Friday night in Nashville, and not only that it is Wedding Season. There were lots of TGIF workers, families and groups of young women, one of whom was wearing a veil and countless of others looking quite a lot worse for wear. I asked a guy in a bakery what they call the girls’ night out before a wedding and he said Bachelorette Parties. When I said we called them Hens’ Nights he very seriously shook his head and told me “We couldn’t be a’callin’ em that here.”
We finally found the Frothy Monkey, a quiet bar in a busy town on Friday night sounds a bit iffy, but it was good, we could actually hear each other talk.
Who am I? Here’s another clue
After Hamilton, a visit to Jack Daniel’s Distillery was next on my list of things I was really excited about. We decided to take the bus trip and everyone was on the bus ready to go bright and early, except for Mr and Mrs X. We waited, waited, at last Mr X turned up, looking a bit scruffyand very disgruntled, muttering “Just get going….” which we all agreed with. However the bus driver was more sympathetic and waited for Mrs X who pointedly didn’t look for Mr X and sat somewhere away from him.
On arrival at Lynchburgh Mr and Mrs X walked the whole bus group away from each other, I was really hoping the whole JD experience would bring together!
And it was such an interesting experience, like most of the people there I was looking forward to the tasting, but the story of Jack Daniels was fascinating and the whole process very interesting. Jack Daniels, by the way, is not a bourbon, it is a Tennessee Whiskey, and what makes it a Tennessee Whiskey is being filtered through 10 feet of charcoal made on the site from burning hard sugar maple doused with a little white fire ( raw whiskey)
The population of Lynchburgh is around 600 and most of them work at the Distillery, they are obviously are fiercely proud of their work and product, there were lots of tour groups walking around and you could hear the enthusiasm and pride in the voices of all of the tour guides. We were allowed to take photos in the grounds but not inside the working areas.
The recipe hasn’t changed since 1866 and every drop of whiskey is made using water free of impurities from a spring on the premises. The water is added to the mash of 80% corn, 12% barley and 8% rye, and pure 140% proof whiskey added as a starter.
After the distillation the whiskey is charcoal mellowed, dripped through the charcoal into hand raised oak barrels (barrels are raised not made) where they develop their colour and mature.
Once the barrels are taken to be stored they are not moved. They are stored in layers starting with the less matured green label, the higher the level the more mature.
The tasting itself was fun, it was certainly great to taste after we had heard the story and seen the process, but shhhhh, don’t tell anyone, I could hardly tell the difference between the five types we tried. Of course your exit takes you through the shop, I was very restrained and only bought three small bottles, including a Gentleman Jack. We didn’t try that so I am hoping it’s good.
Lynchburgh itself has a square lined with all sorts of touristy type stores, we had a pulled pork sandwich (hamburger) here which was much tastier than the first night’s meal.
Interesting fact, Lynchburgh is situated in Moore County which is a dry county. So the Jack Daniels shop is the only place in the county that you can buy it! Mr and Mrs X shared a seat on the way home, so maybe Jack worked some magic!
I had thoughts of visiting the Johnny Cash Museum but our late afternoon drop-off was even further down the hill, so we got a taxi and headed home!
Saturday night in the area around our apartment was lively with bands and a silent disco on the street. A great day!
So overall, I liked Nashville, two outta three ain’t bad! And the ugly? There is a large population of homeless people and those with mental health issues, and their presence on the streets is more obvious than many other cities. I need to make it clear that it is not the people I find ugly, it is the situation they find themselves in.The good thing is that the churches are very pro-active, we watched a large group of people gather in the church grounds on Saturday morning and a volunteer told me later that like many churches they feed and provide clothes and personal items for more than 200 people every Saturday. It certainly makes me realize what a lucky life I have had.
And who was that clean-shaven young man?
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