Touring Nashville was fun. I am a country music fan and this city was on my “must see” list. Nashville is the capital of the state of Tennessee and the hometown of country music, the birthplace of bluegrass, with roots in R&B, and a thriving pop and rock scene.
I arrived in Nashville later in the day so all I could do was drive around the downtown area to get the lay of the land which I often do in a city that I have never been to before. I was looking for my night spot however, the areas ioverlander was sending me there were a lot of homeless people. Not knowing the area I did not feel totally safe so drove out of the city to a campground.
After a few weeks of rainy cloudy weather my solar battery needed a charge and I figured I would get this done as well as getting a good night sleep. I also wanted a shower so the $41.00 USD was well worth it for one night.
The next day I parked in a 24 hour parking lot and toured Nashville. The hop on hop off tour bus is a go to when I visit a new city as it is a way for me to get ideas of what to see and where to spend my time. We toured the famous recording studios on Music Row and the honky-tonks on Broadway.
My Terrific time in Nashville
My first hop on hop off stop was at the Musican’s Hall of Fame and Museum. The museum highlights background singers and musicians rather than just the stars. It was a super interesting museum.
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum was my next stop. I spent several hours exploring tonnes of memorabilia. With so much to see and read I learned more about the history of country music and famous country singers. I loved seeing Elvis’s Cadillac, so cool. The wall of gold and platinum records was massive. I stayed too long exploring this museum so missed the last tour of the Ryman Auditorium.
I decided to stay the night in my 24 hour parking spot since I had paid for it! The next morning I drove to the Grand Ole Opry which is a 20 minute drive from downtown Nashville. I did a tour and checked out the gift shop. One thing I did not do was see a live show, something I will definitely plan for next time in this area.
I could have stayed another day but being on a budget and with the US exchange rate I decided it was getting fairly expensive. My expenses: Parking $25.00 USD ( $34.00 CAN), Hop on Hop off $52.39 USD (71.50 CAN), Musican Hall of Fame and Museum $28.00 USD (39.20 CAN), The Country Music Hall of Fame $27.95 USD (46.16 CAN), Grand Ole Opry $22.00 USD (29.35 CAN), and I still wanted to go to Dollywood.
Pigeon Forge & Dollywood
I am not usually into theme parks but decided Dollywood would have to be my first. Dollywood is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. I arrived early and stood in line for the doors to open at 11am. Being November everything was Christmas themed with colourful decorations and lights everywhere.
I walked the whole theme park, touring Dolly’s childhood home, walked through Dolly’s tour bus, checked out all the shops, enjoyed the bird sanctuary show, took in live buskers and even found a gluten free pizza to eat.
The ticket price of $89.00 USD ($140.58 CAN) included all the various live shows throughout the park and all the rides. I took in the Kingdom Hier concert, Home for the Holidays concert, Night before Christmas theater show and Christmas in the Smokies performance. All were so professionally done and very entertaining.
My day ended with riding the Dollywood Express Steam train. The 110-ton coal-fired steam engine took me on a breathtaking five mile journey through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains while I enjoyed some beautiful views of nature and the park. Dollywood offers tonnes of different amusement rides but I am not into those kind of rides so did not do any of them. I totally enjoyed my first theme park!
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountain National Park straddles the border between Tennessee and North Carolina and has some of the oldest mountains on earth. There is no entrance fee to this national park which was great for my budget. I viewed stunning vistas as I travelled through some of the scenic drives in this park.
Cades Cove was one of the scenic drives. It is an 11 mile oneway loop in an isolated valley located in the Tennessee section of the park. The mountain valley offers 360 degree views of the Smokies and is known as one of the best places in the park to view wildlife. My day started out cloudy and rainy but the mountains did appear towards the end of my drive. I was lucky enough to see two black bear on my drive through this beautiful cove.
The most scenic drive through The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the Newfound Gap Road also known as US-441. I drove through the area at sunset and viewed a spectacular sunset at the peak. I totally enjoyed my two days travelling through this beautiful national park.
Resting & Relaxing
I had now been driving for over 60 days with only a few times where I stopped for more than one night so decided it was time for a rest. I found a quiet, inexpensive campground near Bryson City and spend a restful and relaxing 2 weeks. I explored the area and enjoyed a trip on the Heritage Steam Train through the The Great Smoky Mountains. Next stop Florida.
Where I stayed in Nashville & Smoky Mountains
- Oct 29 Covington – Love’s Truck Stop
- Oct 30 Norton, Virginia – Walmart
- Oct 31 Williamsburg, Kentucky – Walmart
- Nov 1 Nashville, TN – Grande Ole RV Resort and Market
- Nov 2 Nashville, TN – Downtown Jacobs Coen Lot
- Nov 3 Knoxville, TN – Flying J
- Nov 4 Maryville, TN – Rest stop
- Nov 5, 6 Forge Pigeon, TN – Cracker Barrel
- Nov 7, 8 Cherokee Casino, NC
- Nov 9-22 Elsa campground, NC $76 USD ($110 CAN) per weekCov
I think I would enjoy the Steam Engine train ride the most at Dollywood. Great blog and pictures
Yes, the train was fun way to spend a 1/2 hour. I loved touring the whole park and the plays/concerts were all really entertaining.