On Monday, while Carolyn stayed at the conference visiting with sales representatives, Karen, Karla & Krystal toured downtown Nashville. After navigating one way streets to find cheaper parking (always a fun task in cities), the three of us began walking towards Broadway Street. Now, when I say we walked-I mean-we walked everywhere! Karen kept track and we took enough steps in three hours to equal over a mile! It was very hot and muggy in Nashville while we were there-my hands were constantly clammy, I don’t think I could ever get used to that. , Due to the heat, we tried to take breaks in buildings as often as we could. We walked along Broadway Street, looked at souvenir shops and boot shops, walked to the middle of the bridge, and stopped in small stores along the way to the Ryman Auditorium. We definitely got our exercise in-maybe even a little too much! One of the most interesting parts of Broadway Street is as you walk by the restaurants, there is always live music being played in each one! It is interesting to hear bits and pieces of different songs as you walk along the street. 
The Ryman Auditorium is chalk full of history-there is no better way to describe it. I am not sure I could even do the history of the Ryman Auditorium justice, but I will try to sum up a little of what we saw and learned. The Ryman Auditorium has a long history of religious meetings, music, conferences, and lectures. Originally the Ryman Auditorium was called the Nashville Tabernacle prior to the name change in 1904. While the Ryman Auditorium has a rich history, it is widely known as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. After the Grand Ole Opry left the Ryman, the Ryman Auditorium was left vacant for years before being renovated and restored to its original glory in 1989. Currently the Ryman Auditorium continues to be used for music concerts of all genres on a regular basis!
On Tuesday morning, Karen, Karla & Krystal visited the Belle Meade Plantation. Carolyn visited the plantation on a prior CPE conference. The plantation was a beautiful combination of land and buildings. Although it is in a city, you wouldn’t know it while you are walking around the grounds as they are sheltered from the main road. The guided tour provides a viewing of the house with information about the original owners, the Hardings and their lineage. The fun part is-every boy born or married into the family was called William-so following along proved to be a challenge! But our tour guide kept us on track each time. The Belle Meade Plantation had several profitable industries on sight including a blacksmith shop, dairy, and most famously known for horses. The horses were bred and trained as race horses, and many people from all over the world sent their horses to breed or be trained at Belle Meade’s height. It was a beautiful location to visit and walk around and I would advise visiting the plantation if you are ever in Nashville! 
Our final major tourist stop included all four of us at Belmont Mansion. Now for those of you avid fiction readers-if you are familiar with Tamera Alexander-you know that she has written three novels set at Belmont Mansion and three novels set at Belle Meade Plantation. As Carolyn and I have read almost all the books-these have been on our list to visit. (In fact I was incredibly jealous when Carolyn went to Belle Meade before and I couldn’t wait to go). Belmont again was a beautiful building on the outside. Our tour guide took us through the history of the portion of the home we were able to see, which was owned by Nashville’s most prominent woman-Adelicia Acklen. While the tour was very brief, walking around the university grounds was interesting to see what has remained the same (the gazebos are still the originals and the university students still use them to this day!)and what has changed over time.
That concludes the escapades of our trip. It was a whirlwind of a trip, jam-packed with activities. If you want to hear more stories please don’t hesitate to come into the store and ask us or leave a comment below! If you are interested in the places we visited-click on the links throughout the blog. Thanks for sharing in our trip!
