There's a lot of singing about bread and how horrible life is. And there's a police officer WAY too dedicated to his job.
It's sometimes a mixed bag getting a travelling version of a Broadway show. I've seen some that were spectacular and some that were less than impressive. Les Miserables travelling show was incredibly well done. With some of the most famous Broadway songs in history it didn't disappoint with its talent. The range of the performer playing Jean Valjean is always one of the major hurdles for productions, but this one was cast perfectly. I know the production sold out while it was in Nashville, but it was well worth seeing if it comes near your area.
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Radnor Lake State Park is a very well kept and heavily used park off Granny White Pike (or Otter Creek Road off of Hwy 31 which is the entrance I used). The lake does not allow fishing or boating or swimming of any kind, which lends to a very natural atmosphere. Ducks hang out on the lake and there are plenty of areas to observe wildlife but in general it's just rather peaceful. The Otter Creek Road trail is actually the former road that went around Radnor Lake but has been turned into an easy hiking trail now, giving the whole hike something of a post-apocalyptic feel. The whole hike was 2.5 miles according to my GPS hiking app. The pictures are a bit dark because while the temperature was good while I was hiking (for a November), it started raining pretty steadily at the end of the hike. The Otter Creek Road trail is easy to do and I was able to complete it out and back within 40 minutes not really hurrying. For being almost smack in Nashville there was plenty of wildlife. I passed a fairly large flock of turkey on the way out and managed to get a picture of this buck as I was leaving. This is a great trail for kids due to the ease of it and they'll like the plunge into nature.
tnstateparks.com/parks/about/radnor-lake Perhaps a phenomena only located in middle Tennessee is the "former Civil War fort near a park" hiking trail. Not only is this situation evident in Murfreesboro with Fort Rosecrans next to Old Fort Park, but it also occurs with Fort Granger next to Pinkerton Park in Franklin. Fort Granger's connection to Pinkerton is a bit less celebrated if you don't realize you have to duck through a gate to get to the trail that takes you to the top of the hill with the fort. The whole trek is less than a mile, featuring a very steep ascent over some fairly treacherous rocks, to the boardwalks that make up a good part of the trails around the fort. The trail on the top of the fort offers a good overlook of the Harpeth River. There is nothing left of the fort but the earthworks. It was a a Federal fort that overlooked the town of Franklin and was maintained largely by "contraband" self liberated former slaves. There is preservation effort going on right now to maintain some of the earthworks better. It's an interesting feature to a very nice park that has playgrounds, a fitness trail, and hammock stands throughout. I went on a very nice day this month and it was very busy with people taking advantage of the good fall weather. The Fort Granger trail was much more secluded thanks to the forced scramble over rocks.
If you're ever in Franklin and have to choose one Civil War house to take a tour of, make it the Lotz house. Franklin has made a business off of tragedy with ghost tours, plantation tours, battlefield tours, and various other historical attractions tied to the Civil War and the Battle of Franklin. Franklin was notoriously devastated by this battle coming on the end of the Civil War where most of the fighting was done at night and a huge amount of casualties piled up.
The Lotz house itself is a bit of an oddity as a Civil War house tour. Mr. Lotz was not a plantation owner or a slave holder and his house is so ornate because he was a woodworker and his home was used as his show house. Because of this the Lotz family was caught in the unenviable position of having a major battle fought in their front yard and destroying a good part of their home. In addition, the family lost their two youngest children when Federal troops poisoned the area wells. They also had their livestock confiscated and many of their supplies and out buildings taken to use by Federal troops. The house was used as a hospital after the battle for both sides and the Lotz family had to live in their basement for several months. The house still shows evidence of cannonball damage and blood stains. Even more tragically the family left the area several years later after they were threatened by the KKK, so the Lotz family suffered more than their fair share in a fight they really didn't even have a vested interest in. The tour guides at the house are wonderful and some of the most knowledgeable I've ever come across on house tours (aside from the ghost tour at the Hermitage, but that one was conducted by the head of the tourism department at the Hermitage when I went). The house has been restored with a lot of interesting items that may not have been owned by the Lotz family themselves, but are representative of the time period. There is a taxidermy piece by Audubon and china that served several presidents. The tour also lets you get close to the house items as the guides take you through the rooms. The Lotz family themselves are notable. Matlida Lotz became a well known artist who traveled the world by herself at a time when that was unthinkable, painted for the very wealthy, and eventually married a Count when she was 55. One of her brothers became a photographer who pioneered in color photography and the other an inventor who was one of the creators of the vacuum cleaner. Clearly this was an intelligent and talented family. Their personal tragedy because of the war shines a different focus on the civilian cost of a war fought on front lawns. It's often a side of the Civil War that many forget. www.lotzhouse.com/ Hello, Dolly Maybe because of its association with being the personal amusement park of a country music singer, maybe it's just the gimmick of having a place called "Dollywood", but the amusement park sometimes gets snickers in certain circles. Truth be told though, Dollywood is not on a very well kept amusement park, but has great wait times for its rides compared to some other parks. One of my best friends says her kids far prefer Dollywood to Disney World because in their words "it has more rides". 7 year olds don't appreciate waiting in line 2 hours for a ride I gather. Yes, the park is "folksy" and Dolly has made bluegrass and Appalachia part of the ambiance of the place, but it's fun. It's a park that has clearly taken a lot of time trying to give its patrons the best experience. Sure it's kitschy but that's part of the appeal. For the price you'll get more rides with the added benefit of somewhere to stash those in your group who aren't much for thrills. Dollywood has plenty of theater shows that will entertain those in your group not interested in riding Thunderhead. The park gets the most crowded in summer (predictably). Because of all the black top and location in a valley it's always notably hotter there than anywhere else in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, so take that into account. Also take into account all the walking. It's a big park and has some hills. I've vowed off having kids plenty of times there after witnessing toddler meltdowns from exhaustion. I'm sure Disney World has similar issues, I'm just at Dollywood more to notice it. It's Christmas in the park right now. The lights are pretty fabulous and they do have a really good night time parade. Right now there's a bit of a disconnect because it still looks like fall, but everything is decorated for Christmas. It gets more festive feeling the colder it gets. The park Christmas shows have started and everyone is getting geared up for the Christmas crowds. Right now some of the tall rides are closed due to paper wasps (apparently paper wasps get REALLY cranky in autumn and swarm tall things) but everything but the water rides open up as it gets closer to Christmas. As for the first picture, we had a chance to see Dolly Parton the last time we went. She does surprise pop ins to her park (as would I) and frankly she's quite beloved. As a businesswoman she can't be beat and she's given back such a huge amount to the community that no one speaks ill of Dolly. This is the first time we've gotten to see her in the park.
When I just want an easy hike in the woods in Gatlinburg, the 2 mile Gatlinburg Trail is always the best choice. Located right at the end of Gatlinburg leading into the park, the trail follows the river down to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. The trail is wide and heavily traveled, but it also allows for some great shots of scenery, particularly in fall. This is the trail of choice for joggers because of the wideness and how well it's maintained and it's close proximity to downtown. This is one of the two trails in the park that allows dogs and you'll see quite a few dog walkers.
As someone who has hiked a lot in the Great Smoky Mountains, the Gatlinburg Trail isn't one of the "must see" trails, but for a easily accessed trail that gets you into the woods it's a nice walk. Don't expect solitude, but expect a pleasant place to spend some time. Don't confuse the Gatlinburg Trail with the Old Gatlinburg Trail. That one starts across the road past the Sugarland Riding Stable and is used nowhere near as much. One end of the trailhead is at the north end of Gatlinburg (with minimal parking...a lot of people park towards where the Great Smoky Mountain park sign is), the other goes from behind the Sugarlands Visitor Center through the ranger parking lot to show up again across the road headed back towards the ranger maintenance area. You'll walk along the side of the road for a while until you get back behind the maintenance housing area. If you're ever in Nashville for Halloween, do yourself a favor and go to the Nashville Symphony's Halloween Movie Night. First off, the Schermerhorn Symphony Center is beautiful, but if you're anything like me concert tickets that are $70 is a bit pricey to just pop in all the time. Which is why the Halloween movie is such a treat. For $21 you can get good seats to watch a silent movie accompanied by a professional organist. I've gone to the Halloween movie for 4 years now and each time has been a blast. People are encouraged to dress up and some go all out and the atmosphere is one of good Halloween fun with a crowd that won't get as rowdy as the downtown bar crawlers. The movie changes out every year. Thus far I've seen Phantom of the Opera twice, Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and this year was Nosferatu. There's a photo booth and this year there were food trucks and it's a great change to get to the symphony without breaking your bank. This year we showed up around 6:30 and ate but didn't have time to do the photo booth.
The concert is always Halloween night (no matter what day of the week) and tickets go on sale some time in July. |
AuthorA librarian who likes to travel and experience life. CategoriesArchives
June 2022
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