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Thread: Visiting Nashville

  1. #1
    Registered User O. Apitius's Avatar
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    Default Visiting Nashville

    My wife and I are planning a little trip to Ashville and Nashville next week. We plan to do some motorcycle riding in the Ashville area (Blue-ridge Pkwy./Tail of the Dragon) on Thursday and Friday then head over to Nashville for Saturday/Sunday. Among other things, we are hoping to hang out at Carter Vintage Guitars between roughly 2pm and 5pm on Saturday afternoon. If anyone is going to be in the area, we would be happy to meet your acquaintance at Carter's. We're also hoping to catch a set at the Station Inn on Saturday night.


    Nashville, here we come!

    'hope to see you there,
    Oliver
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  3. #2
    Registered User Steve VandeWater's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    You should check out the GIG (Gallery of Iconic Guitars) museum at Belmont University in Nashville. They have a lot of really cool vintage instruments to look at including a couple of Lloyd Loar f-5s. Admission is about $5. Also check out Gruhn's while you're in Nashville. Well worth a visit.
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    Registered User Drew Streip's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    By "next week" are you talking about the 26th-29th? If so, I'd say swing through Chattanooga and say hi! Unfortunately, I'll be in Charlotte, NC, for a wedding....

    Along the lines of GIG, the Songbirds museum in Chattanooga is pretty cool, with a trio of Loar instruments.

    Have fun and be safe out there on the Dragon. I've ridden my pedal bike out there a few times, but never done it with a motor!

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  7. #4

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    No trip to Nashville is complete without visiting Cotten Music, which is a whopping 4 minutes down the road from Carter's. And smaller, and quieter

    They have a pretty killer woody sounding Nugget A there right now (if you are into that sort of thing).

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  9. #5
    Registered User O. Apitius's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Thanks for all the info. I forgot to mention that we will also be catching the Mark O'Connor Band at the Ryman Auditorium on Sunday the 29th.
    Any suggestions of places to eat? We'd like to try local fare and I'm also a big fan of Cajun food.
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  10. #6

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    The Cajun Steamer, Cool Springs
    " Practice every time you get a chance." - Bill Monroe

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  12. #7

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Wish I could be there. Have fun on the Skyline/Blue Ridge Parkway. Watch out for emerging critters, especially around dusk!
    "I play BG so that's what I can talk intelligently about." A line I loved and pirated from Mandoplumb

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  14. #8

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    If you want to ride for the best Cajun food, Papa Boudreaux's Cajun Cafe, 3122, 3419 Fly Rd, Santa Fe, TN 38482
    " Practice every time you get a chance." - Bill Monroe

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  16. #9
    Registered User geoffa's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    So Nashville is pretty famous for something called hot chicken. It's basically spicy fried chicken and can be ordered in levels of hotness. There are often debates, and strongly held opinions, by us locals about which place has the best hot chicken. The original is a place called Prince's. However there are a ton of restaurants here that serve it. All that being said, I'd give Hattie B's a try.

    If you enjoy southern food served family style, Monell's is hard to beat.

    For BBQ, I'd go to Martin's. It's legit.

    Enjoy your visit!
    -geoff

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  18. #10
    I really look like that soliver's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    I'll be visiting there myself in September!... I too am loving all this info! Thanks y'all!
    aka: Spencer
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  20. #11
    Fatally Flawed Bill Kammerzell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Asheville and Nashville? Wow! What a great trip! We just took in Black Mountain near Asheville. Beautiful. Did some great mountain hiking in Montreat.
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  22. #12
    Registered User Marcus CA's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Quote Originally Posted by willkamm View Post
    Asheville and Nashville? Wow! What a great trip! We just took in Black Mountain near Asheville. Beautiful. Did some great mountain hiking in Montreat.
    Yes, truly a great trip!

    I spent a day in Black Mountain last summer. It’s a very fun arts town, but traffic gets pretty thick on the main highway through there. Great coffee at The Dripolator! Even though the town is small, it has two musical instrument stores within a few blocks of each other.

    In Asheville, the intersection of College St. and Hwy 25 (Broadway to the north and Biltmore to the south) puts you in a very vibrant district, with lots of great food, beverage, and shops. My favorite barbecue place there was 12 Bones Smokehouse. It’s about 20 minutes of nice highway and road south of the city, in an old auto repair shop.

    For a great meal straight outta Nashville 1950, I love the Loveless Cafe. It’s about 1/2-hour from downtown, but well worth the ride. Many people told us that we shouldn’t miss Arnold’s —- which is a block or two from Carter’s —- but the line was massive when we got there (proving the point), so we went elsewhere. If you do see a show at the Station Inn (which you should!), there are plenty of great restaurants nearby, but I didn’t notice any that were old-school country cooking.

    Have a great time down there! You’ll be riding through a beautiful and fun part of our country.
    still trying to turn dreams into memories

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  24. #13

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Wish I could be there to make your acquaintance. I hope you have great weather for your ride on the Parkway and Tail of the Dragon. From past experience on the Dragon, I recommend riding it on Thursday rather than Friday. "The Circus", as my husband calls the activity at the base of the Dragon and on the road itself, is worse on weekends, including Fridays. If you are able to learn if the car clubs are planning to be there, be especially careful. Last time I was there two car clubs were on the Dragon. One car smashed head-on into an ambulance that was responding to a motorcycle crash on the way up to the top. And a trip to the Tree of Shame at the bottom/base of the road is especially good for bringing home exactly how dangerous the road can be. It's quite a ride, for sure; just be extra careful.

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  26. #14
    Registered User Matt Harris's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Husk is a great restaurant for southern food in downtown Nashville.
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  28. #15
    Fatally Flawed Bill Kammerzell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Quote Originally Posted by Marcus CA View Post
    Yes, truly a great trip!

    I spent a day in Black Mountain last summer. It’s a very fun arts town, but traffic gets pretty thick on the main highway through there.
    Traffic can be very heavy through Black Mountain, for certain.
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  30. #16
    Registered User O. Apitius's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I will write down all of the restaurant names and try to hit at least a few of them. I have heard that the "Dragon" is very busy on weekends before so thanks for confirming. We plan to do that ride on the Thursday. Thanks also for the concern for our safety. I don't plan to set any speed record on the Dragon. We'll just cruise it at an appropriate pace. All I really want is braggin' rights and a patch to add to my vest. I checked the Station Inn and it looks like the Roland White Band will be there on the Saturday. I haven't seen Roland in person for quite some time so that will be a treat! Any suggestions on when to show up to buy tickets?
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  31. #17
    Registered User Eric Hanson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    I am so jealous!
    I spent about 7 years living in Henderson County, NC. Such a beautiful part of the country.
    If you get a chance while in Asheville, SALSAS is a absolute must, if you like Mexican/Carribean food. The menu changes weekly, and some times even daily if the chef wants to mix it up a bit. After you have you dinner there, go around the block for a short walk. There is a handcrafted chocolate shop that is a local favorite. AMAZING chocolates and coffees, and maybe even a glass of wine if you might.
    Craggy Gadens is a nice place up on the parkway to watch the sunset. Also, if you are into hiking a little, check out “Devil’s Courthouse”. The views are spectacular!
    Enjoy the trip! We look forward to hearing about it when you can.
    Safe travels to you and yours.
    Eric Hanson
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  33. #18
    Registered User Steve VandeWater's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Quote Originally Posted by Marcus CA View Post
    Yes, truly a great trip!

    I spent a day in Black Mountain last summer. It’s a very fun arts town, but traffic gets pretty thick on the main highway through there. Great coffee at The Dripolator! Even though the town is small, it has two musical instrument stores within a few blocks of each other.

    In Asheville, the intersection of College St. and Hwy 25 (Broadway to the north and Biltmore to the south) puts you in a very vibrant district, with lots of great food, beverage, and shops. My favorite barbecue place there was 12 Bones Smokehouse. It’s about 20 minutes of nice highway and road south of the city, in an old auto repair shop.

    For a great meal straight outta Nashville 1950, I love the Loveless Cafe. It’s about 1/2-hour from downtown, but well worth the ride. Many people told us that we shouldn’t miss Arnold’s —- which is a block or two from Carter’s —- but the line was massive when we got there (proving the point), so we went elsewhere. If you do see a show at the Station Inn (which you should!), there are plenty of great restaurants nearby, but I didn’t notice any that were old-school country cooking.

    Have a great time down there! You’ll be riding through a beautiful and fun part of our country.
    Plus one on 12 Bones in Asheville. Ate there on consecutive days when we visited Asheville last fall.
    It ain't gotta be perfect, as long as it's perfect enough!

  34. #19

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    There is a Hattie B’s that is waking distance from Gruhns. Just walk down the alley that runs right into the Gruhns parking lot, it is maybe a 2 block walk.

  35. #20
    Kelley Mandolins Skip Kelley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Oliver, if you like bbq, you will love Jack’s bbq on Broadway. It’s my favorite!
    Be safe and have a great trip!

  36. #21

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    There is a cafeteria that shares the same parking lot with Carters. The name of the place escapes me. They are supposed to be good and open for lunch only.

  37. #22
    Registered User geoffa's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Quote Originally Posted by banjoboy View Post
    There is a cafeteria that shares the same parking lot with Carters. The name of the place escapes me. They are supposed to be good and open for lunch only.
    Arnold's Country Kitchen is the name of the place.

  38. #23

    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Quote Originally Posted by O. Apitius View Post
    Thanks for all the info. I forgot to mention that we will also be catching the Mark O'Connor Band at the Ryman Auditorium on Sunday the 29th.
    Any suggestions of places to eat? We'd like to try local fare and I'm also a big fan of Cajun food.
    Mas Taco East Nashville. Best eating we did there. long line of locals. Station Inn Always great. Went to Carters and Gruhn, preferred Gruhn. I do not know why. Skip Broadway or whatever the main street is called. Reminded me of Vegas, and not in any good way. Tourists thinking they are "experiencing" Nashville. Yuck.

    A plug for the BEST CAR MUSEUM I HAVE EVER BEEN TO. Nashville is not where people go to see an amazing car museum, but the Lane Museum is absolutely incredible. They do a basement tour on Saturday so you can see all of the items that are not on display (they can only display about 1/3 of their collection. Truly the most interesting car museum I have ever seen. Go Saturday morning.

  39. #24
    Registered User O. Apitius's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    Hey all. We just got back from our trip to Ashville/Nashville. We had an absolute blast! 'did the "Tail of the Dragon" Thursday and rode the Blue Ridge Pkwy. on Friday. Both were awesome! Saturday it was a very successful "meet and greet" at Carter Vintage Guitars. I hadn't seen Walter since the mid 80's. 'a great guy and one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry. Forrest O'Connor was on hand and invited Jody and I back to his and wife Kate's for a visit. Then Saturday nite it was off to The Station Inn to catch the Roland White Band where we were treated to series of special guests. Sunday night we went to the Ryman for our first times and saw The Mark O'Connor Band. They blew the doors open! and generated no less than 4 standing ovations. One of which was mid-show for a mandolin showdown between Forrest and Mark. The biggest thrill for me was when Forrest gave me a shout out just before they started that tune and said "Oliver, this one's for you! What a first time at the Ryman experience for me!!!!!!!

    On Sunday we had a southern brunch with Forrest that consisted of country ham, hash browns and another first for us, grits. Then, can you believe there's still more, we went with Forrest and guitar master, Joe Smart over to Joe Glazer's repair shop where we were treated to a full tour of the shop including a demonstration of his amazing PLEK machine.

    Wow! What a trip!

    We were so busy that we didn't get a chance to try any of the great food suggestions except one and that was Jack's Barbecue on Broadway in Nashville and it didn't disappoint. One of my sides was a refreshing cucumber salad that helped lighten and balance the meal. We also took in Peg Leg Porkers near Carter's on Christie Carter's recommendation. It was also very good if you like lots of smoke flavor. They had a cool t-shirt that had a map of Tennessee with the slogan, "In Tennessee, barbecue is all pork. If you want brisket, go to Texas!"
    Well I think that's about it. If you'd like to see some photos, we have posted some on my Instagram page and may post a few more in the coming days. I may also write a blog post about the trip on the blog page of my website in the coming week or so.

    Again, thanks everyone for all the advise and suggestions. I appreciated them all.

    Here I am after slaying the Dragon.

    https://www.instagram.com/apitiusmandolins/
    What is good Phaedrus? and what is not good? need we ask anyone to tell us these things?

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  41. #25
    Registered User O. Apitius's Avatar
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    Default Re: Visiting Nashville

    If you'd like a photo essay of our trip, I have now posted it on the blog page of my website.
    http://www.apitiusmandolins.com/Oliv...og%20Page.html
    https://www.instagram.com/apitiusmandolins/
    What is good Phaedrus? and what is not good? need we ask anyone to tell us these things?

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