DW just informed me there will probably be a family reunion in September at her brother’s resort in southern Illinois. Will fly into St. Louis and drive from there. Thought I might like to check out that area of the country for a week or so after the reunion. Want to head east, eventually flying back home out of Nashville. Mostly looking for some Tennessee and Kentucky type things to check out, maybe even Huntsville AL area. Any and all suggestions both for things to do and realistic logistics of doing so are welcome. Thanks everyone.
We went to Nashville for a bowl game a couple of years ago.
We did the tourist trap things - Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame and Ryman Auditorium. For both Grand Ole Opry and Ryman, we paid to get a guided tour, and we thought it was well worth it.
We went to a restaurant called Hampton Social twice while we were there, so I guess we liked it.
Hi - a few things from a local:
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Southern Illinois (depending where) isn’t far from Nashville - so if money matters, you might want to fly here - so you can rent a car from the same place vs. pay a mileage fee for a one way dropoff. It’s typically cheap to fly here too as Southwest dominates - but we have Allegiant, Spirit, Avelo and more - but SW truly dominates.
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What are TN and KY type things? We have history - both Civil War - all over but Franklin is great and Presidential (James K Polk House, The Hermitage. We have nature galore - local such as Radnor Lake or going further out - to Falls Creek Falls or up to Mammoth Cave 90 minutes North in Kentucky. We have cute towns (Franklin) and the Broadway party scene (Nashville) - and music hall of fames (multiple) and the Opry. If TN/KY are distilleries or other alcohol things - then we have the well known like Jack Daniels and many not well known. And Kentucky has the Bourbon Trail.
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Want to go further - you mentioned Huntsville - only thing I can think of there is the US Rocket Center which is fascinating. They have a small botanical garden but if that’s your thing, you might go to Cheekwood in Nashville. Head North 2.5 hours instead to Louisville - which is awesome - and you have the Muhammad Ali Museum and Louisville Slugger Museum.
The great thing about Nashville is there is so many things to do nearby - and it’s not far from many other places.
Have fun.
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Is there a reason you are flying in to St. Louis?
Legit question. I’ve never been there and that is what she has always done and it’s closer to home and closer to the reunion. I just thought about this trip idea and haven’t even told her about it yet. Going to Nashville both ways sounds much better but I didn’t even think about it before asking for ideas.
Depends where in Southern Illinois.
St. Louis to Nashville is 4.5 hours - and it’s an easy drive.
Most parts of Southern Illinois will be closer to St. Louis - but not crazily so - that it’d be worth hundreds in mileage fees - check your rental car but they are typically .30 or .40 on one ways - some will give you a no mileage price but they’ve basically built the milage in).
Anyway, you can do it either way.
Enjoy.
We were just in Nashville a few weeks ago. Even though I am not a country music fan, going to the grand old Opry Was enjoyable. If you go downtown, be prepared to be surrounded by girls having their 21st birthday party and/or engagement parties. They are everywhere.
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While I live in Nashville now (and have been coming to Nashville fairly often since kids were here for college in the ‘02-’09 range for undergrad and one lives here now), I lived for over 60 years in Paducah, KY. Paducah is just across the Ohio River from Southern Illinois and is a straight shot to Nashville down I-24 (2 hours). I love Paducah and would never have left if my children had come back home. Southern Living features Paducah often and I’m going to post a recent link about what there is to do there. I highly recommend Freight House as the must try restaurant. The chef has been on numerous Food Network shows (runner-up on 2 different Top Chef seasons, won another FN show and was just involved in FN’s Tournament of Champions again). Her mom is a friend and I eat there with other friends when I go home. The National Quilt Museum is a wonderful place to spend a few hours and the annual quilt show along with the museum are a big part of why Paducah is a UNESCO city. In a small city like this, you won’t have the frustrations of traffic & parking that I experience frequently in Nashville (I tell my hometown friends that I love being near family, but hate the traffic).
The Parthenon Museum, which isn’t far from Vanderbilt, is closed, but worth a drive by. And the bars nearby have great music. There is great music everywhere.
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We enjoyed visiting Belle Meade and taking tour. There is also wine store/tasting there.
The visit paired nicely with this novel I had read with book club.
I just googled, and read it is only closed through June. Not sure if that’s accurate.
We enjoyed that.
It may be more driving than you’re looking for but if you’ve never been there before I would consider splitting your trip into Nashville for a few days and then some days in the Smoky Mountains.
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or the bourbon trail or other distilleries.
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A little over a hour from Nashville, a concert at the Caverns is a cool experience. We didn’t stay in the on-site yurts, although they would have been easy to retire to at the end of the evening. Lots of Airbnbs in nearby Monteagle, many with mountain views, and the Sewanee campus is one of the most beautiful we visited.