In the mid-morning, we left our campground (Montgomery Bell State Park), which is in the country right outside of Nashville.



The First Baptist Church in downtown Nashville allows their parking lot to be used during the week (for a fee, of course), but our thanks to them for providing parking near to so many venues. After going into the Visitors Center to find the "lay out of the land", we proceeded to the Country Music Hall of Fame. It is a three story building with the displays of the early days of country music on the second floor and the present day and future of country music on the third floor. There were so many displays and videos being shown it is impossible to show everything. So, here are some highlights.



After viewing the very beginning of country music, we started seeing displays of singers that we recognized. There was a "car display" of the convertible owned by Webb Pierce and the well-known Presley gold Cadillac limousine. Elvis even had his records that sold a million copies mounted on the ceiling of the Cadillac. It was quite the vehicle!



I personally enjoyed the displays about the "Hee Haw" TV show. It was a family favorite that was hosted by Buck Owens and Roy Clark. It starred some of the funniest and well-known country singers or comedians ~ Lulu Roman, Minnie Pearl, Grandpa Jones, Roy Acuff, Gordie Trapp, and Junior Samples. There was a display about Hank Williams, Sr., who played a Martin D-26 which created his unsurpassed legacy. The guitar was passed down to Hank Williams, Jr. who donated it to the Hall of Fame. A lot of the country music stars donated outfits that they have worn on-stage performances. The one shown above is one of Dolly Parton's outfits.



"O Brother, Where Art Thou?", the soundtrack album to the movie, was sold starting in 2000. The soundtrack boasted a combination of old-time country, gospel, bluegrass and country blues. The album won a Grammy, Album of the Year for the CMA and the ACM, and was a multi-platinum selling album.

Of course, no collection would be complete without the present country music stars like Brad Paisley and his wife Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Again, there were a lot of displays of musical instruments, their stage attire, hand-written notes and music, etc., but there isn't space to do the Museum justice here. It is a MUST when visiting Nashville. There was a display for Taylor Swift, including her guitar that sports Swarovski crystal rhinestones.

Also displayed are all the records that have sold a million copies. It was a huge display! What is shown in the pictures is but a small portion of the entire wall of the museum.
Before leaving the top floor, there was a rotunda where all the performers that were voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame have plaques displayed. Since I was a young child, Roy Rogers has been my favorite!



Before heading back to the campground, we drove to see the state capitol of Tennessee. Their capitol building is one of the few that doesn't have a full dome on top of the building. Around the corner is the Tennessee Supreme Court building .... very impressive. From there we headed out toward Vanderbilt University. In the Centennial Park, a full scale of the Parthenon. What a fabulous building! It was built as the centerpiece for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. It is the only full scale replica of the Parthenon. Nearby is a statue of John W. Thomas with a wonderful epitaph for this fine gentleman. He was the president of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition.



For the evening's events, Sharon purchased tickets for us to go to the Ryman Auditorium where they would be broadcasting a program called Opry Country Classics. This is broadcast every Thursday evening from the Ryman across WSM 650AM.



The guest host for the evening was Larry Gatlin, so of course, the Gatlin brothers played and sang country. Since the following day would be Good Friday, they sang "The Old Rugged Cross", it was great! The guests included Crystal Gayle, Ashley Campbell (Glen Campbell's daughter), Chuck Meade and TG Sheppard. "A good time was had by all!"



Before heading back to the campground, we decided to walk down "Honky Tonk Row", which is "lower" Broadway. It is quite the scene ~ country music being played in every open air club, people EVERYWHERE!, cars cruising. Too much for me. So, we headed back to the car and headed home to our little puppy, who had to stay behind in the trailer. Roxie was glad to see us, as usual!